Ed Travis: Missouri Tigers Football Hall of Fame Tackle

Ed Travis transformed from an overlooked high school prospect into a dominant force on the gridiron, anchoring the University of Missouri’s defensive line and earning his rightful place among the sport’s immortals.

Football Bio

September 17, 1897 – Ed Travis, a tackle from Tarkeo College and then the University of Missouri, was born.

Ed grew up in Tarkeo, Missouri, which is a small college town in the northern part of the state.

Ed Travis was a star lineman at his local high school and had one ambition: he wanted to play football at the University of Missouri.

Missouri’s coaches seemed unimpressed with the young man out of high school, so Ed stayed home and attended Tarkeo College.

After an impressive season at Tarkeo, the brass at Missouri recruited Travis, and the following fall he played football for the Tigers.

Football at the University of Missouri was suspended during World War I, and Ed served his country overseas.

In 1919, he returned home and donned the Tiger uniform once again. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Travis proved his early doubters wrong through sheer grit and undeniable power. Nicknamed “Brick,” he crushed opposing defensive lines, claimed a conference championship, and carried his relentless playing style into the early days of professional football, securing a legacy that forever endures in Tigers history. [National Football Foundation]

Accolades and Football Accomplishments

• Played professional football for the Rock Island Independents in 1921 and the St. Louis All-Stars in 1923.
• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
• Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
• Enshrined in the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 1990 class.
• Earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in both 1919 and 1920.
• Anchored the line that won the 1919 Missouri Valley championship.

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