DALLAS – The Missouri Tigers took a break from their preparations for the 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Wednesday morning to visit patients and their families at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
 
The visit began with a welcoming from Scottish Rite Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Matt Chance, who briefed the team about the pediatric orthopedic hospital.
 
Missouri Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz then presented honorary captain Rayne Urech with a custom Mizzou Tigers jersey. Urech serves as an assistant student coach at her high school and will get the opportunity to attend practices throughout the next couple of days.
 
The team then walked over to the atrium where Chance expressed his appreciation for Mizzou and the Cotton Bowl, followed by Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Chair Dave Brown.
 
"We value Coach Drinkwitz and his team's time and effort to get here," Brown said. "We're going to try to make this experience the best it can be. This week has been incredible, Coach, and we feel your mark here as well."
 
Drinkwitz was then presented with a Cotton Bowl-themed artwork that Scottish Rite patient, Emalyn, had created.
 
After the greetings, the players and coaches spent some time with patients, playing an assortment of games and signing autographs. Drinkwitz and his team were able to speak with some of the patients, doctors and families about their experiences.
 
"I want to say to the patients and doctors in this hospital, we appreciate the opportunity to serve you and be around you to hear your stories," Drinkwitz said. "We draw inspiration and encouragement from your fight and battles.
 
Mizzou offensive lineman Marcellus Johnson echoed Drinkwitz sentiments and enjoyed witnessing the patient's enthusiasm.
 
"It's cool seeing the kid's excitement," Johnson said. "It's almost like Christmas, their eyes get big when you play with them, they're excited to see the tall players. That's pretty cool"
 
Junior quarterback, Brady Cook, really enjoyed taking time out of the busy trip to invest into the community and visit with patients and their families.
 
"A lot of this week and the Cotton Bowl experience is for us and about us," Cook said. "I think this breaks it up and gives us a chance to see the community, offer a little bit of service, and give a little bit of our time."
 
Each patient received a Cotton Bowl Classic goodie bag filled with items representing the big game which included gifts, such as a poster and a Mizzou Tiger pillow pet, provided by Goodyear and Dr. Pepper.
 
The 88th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Friday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 7:10 p.m.
 
This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the 10th straight year. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek are set to call the action from the booth with Tom Luginbill reporting from the sidelines.
 
ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the tenth consecutive year with Brad Sham and Kirk Morrison in the booth and Taylor McGregor on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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