Dealing with The Antlers

Photo: Mark Schierbecker

Jeff Grayer heard the jeers about his mother. Every single one of them.

It was Grayer's senior year at Iowa State on Jan. 23, 1988, and the Cyclones were on a road trip to play the Tigers. Prior to the game, a story had been written about the Flint, Mich., native and how he would be playing for his ailing mother.

The Antlers, a staple at Missouri games since 1976, were known to do their research on opposing players and made sure not to let Grayer’s mother off the hook, despite her health. Antics of sending sardine pizzas to the ISU hotel rooms and causing backups in traffic weren't out of the ordinary, but this day was different.

"There would be like 50 of them, like an hour and a half before the game when you first go out to shoot and there’s nobody in the arena," said former ISU assistant Jim Hallihan. "They would start yelling and screaming. Not profanity, but like, 'Sam Hill you’ve got big ears and you’re ugly,' and, 'Jeff Grayer your mother looks like a cow.'"

Understandably, that particular insult didn’t sit well with Grayer. Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World Herald recalled the incident in a column in Feb. 2014, and noted Grayer politely asked the students to stop the insults. After they didn't, Grayer took matters into his own hands and went up into the stands, having to be restrained.

Missouri ultimately handled No. 10 Iowa State, 119-93.

"I don't mind if they taunt me," Grayer said later that day. "But when they want to get personal, that's where I draw the line. That can cause fights."

Just less than a month later, the Tigers made the trip to Ames and Grayer was ready. Iowa State was without Gary Thompkins in the game, but Dick Breitbach — a walk-on — filled Thompkins' void. The Cyclones beat Missouri 102-89 in a payback game, with Grayer's mother in attendance.

"I remember a play where Breitbach made a half-court bounce to Grayer for a layup and you knew we had it won," Hallihan said last fall. "Jeff just pointed up to his mother in the stands. It was really cool."

You can read more about Jeff Grayer in Section 15 of 100 Things Iowa State Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, which is available online now and at bookstores across the state of Iowa.