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Mizzou O-Linemen bought a fish to appear on stadium video board at halftime
Pets make life better. And, in the case of Missouri football players, pets get you on the video board at halftime.
Mizzou has been featuring players and their pets on the Memorial Stadium video board at halftime in 2016. Offensive linemen Alec Abeln, Paul Adams and Kevin Pendleton wanted to be on the board. But they didn’t have a pet this summer.
Enter Boneyard, the betta fish.
The three offensive lineman went to a Columbia, Mo., Petsmart, and found Boneyard because, according to the Columbia Missourian, a snake was too expensive.
Boneyard only cost eight bucks, but the three linemen spent an additional $53 accessorizing. They bought two fish tanks, gravel, a mini skull and an R.I.P. sign to honor the locker room’s boneyard of “fallen brothers,” as Abeln calls it.
But like every good story, there’s some drama involved. Boneyard has lived the struggle since being adopted by the three players. According to the report, he lives in the offensive line’s room at Mizzou team facilities, and players take turns feeding him. Boneyard has survived being overfed and living in dirty water.
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“Some guys just aren’t rooting for Boneyard, but he is a survivor,” Pendleton said. “I know I am going to make sure to do everything in my power that he is going to last forever. That’s my baby.”
This story is yet another reason why offensive linemen are awesome. We would also like to put in our official vote for a halftime feature dedicated to the life of Boneyard. A video slideshow to touching music would be an appropriate tribute, don’t you think? Maybe set to Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her” or Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ In the Dark.”
Mizzou plays Delaware State on Saturday.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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