I have to admit, it was an odd sight when I moved from Iowa City to St. Joseph three months ago. Instead of seeing Hawkeye shirts at the front of the store, there were Wildcat and Tiger shirts. On the radio, I would hear commercials for Kansas season football tickets.

Where I came from, you either bled Hawkeye black and gold, or you were exiled. But people in St. Joseph seem to like every school in the Big 12. It was driving me crazy. I knew St. Joseph was home to Missouri Western and wasn’t too far from Northwest, but I had to know which of the Big 12 schools call St. Joe its territory.

I know I can never prove it, but I wanted to at least get SOME answers. Here is what I found:

Missouri has very proud fans in St. Joseph

With a top 10 football team led by one of the best quarterbacks in college football, Mizzou pride is as high as ever. And the Tiger fans in St. Joseph are showing it. Of the Big 12 schools, the University of Missouri sells the most merchandise in St. Joe.

“Missouri stuff sells the best,” says Eli Brooks, a store team leader at the Target store in St. Joseph. “With football coming around, we’ve seen an increase in Mizzou tailgating items being bought.”

Mr. Brooks adds that it could be all in the name. “We’re in Missouri, and there’s probably a tie to the state school here.”

It could also be that there are a great number of MU alums in the city. According to Vince Koch, former president of the Buchanan County chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association, there are approximately 9,000 MU alums living in Buchanan County alone. Around 270 are registered members of the Mizzou Alumni Association. Mr. Koch attributes the large amount of Missouri alumni in the county to MU’s appeal in Northwest Missouri.

“Northwest Missouri has always had a lot of people go to MU,” he explains. “I think it’s because (MU) is a little more rural, and it’s more loyal to the state.”

Considering there are so many proud Tiger fans in the county, the Mizzou Alumni Association holds many events in St. Joe. They include a fall picnic, a spring luncheon, the Tiger Caravan and watch parties. This year’s watch party will be during the Tigers’ game against Nebraska on Oct. 4 at the Hi-Ho.

“The response has been amazing,” Mr. Koch says of the event.

St. Joseph residents show up for the Jayhawks

After a 12-1 season in 2007 and an Orange Bowl victory in January, Jayhawk fans had a lot to boast about. As April rolled around, KU won a national championship in men’s basketball. Now it seems like there are Jayhawk fans everywhere.

“We were selling a lot of KU stuff during the championship game in April,” says Mr. Brooks of Target.

Lawrence, Kan., is only about an hour’s drive from St. Joseph, which makes it the nearest Big 12 university. That may be why KU has more football and men’s basketball season ticket holders from St. Joseph than Missouri and Kansas State. This is something the people with KU athletics are thrilled about.

“We’re happy that we have fans, and season-ticket holders, in St. Joseph,” says Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director at the University of Kansas. “We appreciate every fan we have and never take them for granted. We’re sure we have more fans in St. Joe than just our season-ticket holders, and we’re grateful for all of them.”

Kansas State has loyal ties in St. Joseph

When Bill Snyder was a student at Lafayette High School, he had no idea he would become the most iconic sports figure in the history of Kansas State University. The St. Joseph native turned a losing football program into a winner from 1989 to 2005. According to Karen Graves of the K-State Alumni Association, that is why there are many ties to Kansas State in the St. Joseph community.

“We were running on empty for so many years that when the tank was finally full, a lot of people were really excited,” Mrs. Graves says of the turnaround.

Since Coach Snyder departed three years ago, the Wildcats haven’t lived up to their lofty expectations. However, the K-State fans remain loyal. Whether the Wildcats go 0-12 or 12-0, their faithful supporters will show up just the same for their team.

“Other schools fade when they’re not doing so well. But we’re not sunshine patriots like KU fans. We love our ‘Cats!” Mrs. Graves laughs.

The K-State Alumni Association will get together to love their Wildcats on Sept. 30 for an alumni dinner at the Ramada Inn in St. Joseph. It’s an opportunity for the alumni to reunite and for high schoolers interested in Kansas State to learn more about the school and its loyalty. During the last two decades, the dinner has grown tremendously in attendance.

“Before Bill Snyder showed up, there were usually 50 people, maybe 30 people,” Mrs. Graves recalls. “After that, as many as 120 or 130 people have come.”

Cornhusker fans, where are you?

Nebraska football’s glory days may have ended earlier this decade. For this reason, support for the Cornhuskers has faded around the country. St. Joseph is no exception. But the ones that remain still remember the good ol’ days.

“You used to see Nebraska flags in people’s yards and people wearing the jerseys,” says Steve Hofferber, a St. Joseph resident and die-hard Nebraska fan. “But there are a lot fewer Nebraska fans now.”

The winner is...

Based on what I have found, I would have to say that St. Joseph is Tiger territory. With thousands of alums and Mizzou merchandise flying off the shelves, it’s easy to see why. Don’t fret, Jayhawk and Wildcat fans. You have plenty to be proud of. Kansas fans attend games more frequently, and Kansas State fans in St. Joe remain extremely supportive. And for all of you Nebraska fans in St. Joe, get out there!

Lifestyles reporter Shea Conner can be reached at sheaconner@npgco.com