‘They're always here’: Inside MU sophomore Katie Pepper’s journey with ‘The Zou Crew’

The members of “The Zou Crew” do a lot more than stand shirtless on a football field, exemplified by Katie Pepper’s on and off-field responsibilities.

MU Sophomore Katie Pepper calls for more noise from the fans around her prior to the Homecoming football game. The 113th Annual Homecoming occurred on Oct. 19, 2024 at Faurot Field and the Missouri Tigers faced off against the Auburn Tigers. / Amber Winkler

In the open grass, just beyond rows of stadium seating at Faurot Field, stands a girl without a shirt. Her chest is painted yellow and black; her face with three lines running over her eye. She observes the fans filing into their seats, preparing for three hours of screaming. 

The first row fills. It's now their turn to remove their shirts. She starts at the beginning of the row and paints the first letter on the bare chest of a fan.

By time she finishes painting the chests of each person in the front row — now spelling out set phrases — the seats in the rows behind have filled in. At this point, there are only 20 minutes until the Missouri Tigers kick off another home game, but University of Missouri sophomore Katie Pepper still has work to do. 

It’s her job to get them hyped up and ready, after all. 

MU Sophomore Katie Pepper paints the letter “G” on the chest of a fan prior to the Homecoming football game on Oct. 19, 2024. The first row of the student section spelled “Leading the Legacy” and “Happy Homecoming Tigers” on the chests of the fans. / Amber Winkle

Pepper starts with some yelling, swinging her hands up-and-down, encouraging those in front of her to get louder. They do. The student section waves its pom-poms and begins yelling toward the players on the field.

They try to keep up the energy until the pregame traditions begin. Pepper runs back and forth along the rows of fans, making sure everyone gets engaged. “The Zou,” as the section is called, must be loud and energized. 

“The crowd was unbelievable all game,” Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz said following MU’s win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. “They were the difference.”

Pepper isn’t the only one with these responsibilities, however. She is joined by seven other students in charge of leading MU’s student section, all of whom make up “The Zou Crew.”

“Our job is to work with Mizzou Athletics to help support all our athletic teams with the student section,” “The Zou Crew” executive director Avery Adams said. “(We) help them grow the student section and have a good time for all the people that show up.”

MU Sophomore Katie Pepper claps as the Missouri Tigers football team takes the field prior to the Homecoming football game. The 113th Annual Homecoming occurred on Oct. 19, 2024 at Faurot Field and the Missouri Tigers faced off against the Auburn Tigers. / Amber Winkler

The spirit and energy are what drove Pepper to become part of “The Zou Crew.” She started by attending each football game of the Tigers’ 2023 football season. 

By the third game, she was in the front row getting painted up.

“I just love that school spirit and that involvement and just getting out there,” Pepper said. “I think it's a great thing to be able to do … I wanted to be part of the people to help offer that to other students because I know that kind of helped welcome me to the school and helped get me excited for games.”

Pepper’s enthusiasm began with football games, but expanded beyond just Faurot Field. Throughout the school year, she would attend nearly every athletic event that she could, and almost always found her way into the student section participating in the cheers. 

“I went to a lot of games last year because I don't live close enough to go home for the weekends,” Pepper said. “When I didn't have anything to do, I went to the sporting events. I noticed that there were the same people at all the games. 

“They're always here, and I could talk to them.”

So, when applications to be part of “The Zou Crew” for the 2024 season came out, it was a fairly easy decision. Pepper was already there at every game, so she figured she might as well get more privileges and be more involved.

But along with the privileges comes work. Pepper has had to figure out how to balance her increasing workload as a health sciences major with attending every athletic event and helping plan for future ones.

So far, she’s been successful.

“All of those things on top of having to keep up with school and other things like that,” Leyton Jenne, a friend of Pepper’s, said. “I don't think anyone else could do this.”

Now, Pepper serves as the volleyball and recruiting director for “The Zou Crew.” Thanks to her viewpoint as a recent member of the student section and her friends still being involved in it, she was able to better understand where they could improve as a group and how they could get more students engaged. 

“When we talk about getting students involved,” Adams said, “she can talk about engagement with students that I might not understand, like how those students think.”

Turns out, that’s worked, too.

“I missed out on last year's games, and I heard through her and other people how fun going to the games was,” Jenne said, “so, I bought the student pass. I've gone to every single home football game. I've been to quite a fair number of soccer games and volleyball games. I plan on going to basketball games here soon.”

MU Sophomore Leyton Jenne, far right, stands alongside his friends with the letter “E” painted on his chest. He participated in the booing of the opposing team as they came out of the locker room. / Amber Winkler

Jenne had very little interest in sports or attending athletic events before he met Pepper. Now, he attends nearly every one and is painted up in the first row of football games.

He may not exactly know the details of what is going on on the field, but he is thrilled to be there. As is Pepper. 

When the final whistle blows at Memorial Stadium, Pepper joins the ranks of MU fans posing for photos with whichever player decides to hop the wall in front of the student section. They’ll celebrate, sway for the Alma Mater and then the clean up process begins. 

They pack their game day supplies into a closet at the stadium. Members of “The Zou Crew” meet up for a final chat, put their hands into a circle and give a final roar. That’s when they part ways until the next home athletic event. 

“We spent a lot of time together, especially on game days and those busy weeks leading up to the game,” Pepper said. “It's great hanging out with them.”