A Championship Vision: Meet #Mizzou's Andy Hill
1/29/2016 9:00:00 AM | Football
Part seven in an exclusive MUTigers.com series introducing Mizzou Football's coaching staff
A Championship Vision. That is the mindset that Mizzou Football head coach Barry Odom took into his first month on the job as he built an impressive coaching staff that boasts years of high-level college and pro experience and an abundance of success both as coaches and as players. Leading into National Signing Day on February 3, MUTigers.com will be introducing all of Mizzou's coaches in what was the first exclusive interviews for each coach since Coach Odom established the staff.
Today we introduce you to Mizzou wide receivers coach Andy Hill. Be sure to listen to an exclusive interview below and watch Mizzou Network's Ben Arnet go one-on-one with Coach Hill in an in-depth one-on-one that examines Hill's rise as a coach while getting to see some of his #MizzouMade personality.
When assembling Mizzou Football's new coaching staff there is no question that Andy Hill was at the top of the list. Having been at Mizzou for more than 20 years, he serves as the longest-tenured coach on the Mizzou staff. Transitioning to the role of wide receivers coach this upcoming season, Hill was thankful to continue calling Columbia home.
"Being able to coach at Mizzou is very special to myself and my family," Hill said. "Having been a Mizzou graduate and coaching here for 20 years is something I'm very fortunate to be able to do. And I want to continue doing that."
Hill's success as a coach materialized when he helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back SEC Eastern Championships in both the 2013-2014 seasons. Mizzou finished both seasons with a record of 7-1 in the SEC (12-2 and 11-3 respectively). Hill also played a key role to Drew Lock's development in the 2015 season. In addition to having the opportunity to stay in Columbia, Coach Hill is extremely excited to continue working under Barry Odom.
"He is a special guy in a lot of ways," Hill said of Mizzou's newest head coach. "He is honest, he is straightforward, he is the same guy every single day. I think of almost the Boy Scout motto as far as the 12 characteristics. His honesty is integrity. His ability to relate to people is very special and I want to be part of that too."
No stranger to the wide receiver position, Andy Hill helped develop two First Team All-Americans from the span of 2007-2010 -- WR Jeremy Maclin, and WR Danario Alexander. In addition to the development of these two star players, Hill is regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country.
When asked what traits he looks for in recruits he responds, "A couple of the big ones I think are certainly being a competitor and being a winner. If you look at a lot of the great players we've had at Mizzou over the last 20 years most of those guys come in and they will not take no for an answer. If you're trying to catch a football, throw a football, block a guy, tackle a guy, they are at the point of attack making plays. I think if you're a great competitor it gives you a chance to really dive in and ask the coaches how you can get better."
Andy Hill made it clear that selecting future Mizzou players is a lengthy and in depth process.
"I think we have a system we go through as far as identifying players and talking to a student athlete. All the people around him not just his high school football coach and his parents," Hill said. "We talk to the janitor at school, the guidance counselor the assistant coaches, the basketball coach or wrestling coach, whoever it might be that sees these kids day to day and know their personality."
In regards to football this spring, Coach Hill has high hopes for his wide receivers. Building off of last season, he wants his players to, "Step up and become accountable, consistent playmakers every single week. We need to make the top end of the first string and the second string guys all accountable and see them improve from practice No. 1 to practice 15 in the spring."
Having played football at the University at Missouri from 1980-1984, Hill embodies every element of being MizzouMade. Coach Hill is a perfect fit for Mizzou's coaching staff. He emphasizes the importance of teamwork striving toward a common goal.
"I've been on some sort of team since the time I was seven. Whether its baseball, or wrestling, or golf, or basketball, and certainly football that the comradery of the same group of guys pulling together for one common goal, and doing it the right way, coming from different backgrounds and different parts of the country," Hill said. "Being able to come here and say hey this is how Missouri does it. This is what Mizzou does. This is what the wide receiver group at Missouri does. We all fit into a big picture of our team. Being part of a team to me is really special. Even for my kids, I want them to be on riding a bus, or being part of a group, or going to summer camp with their teammates is a real important part of life. Being able to make that happen is a pretty special environment to be in and I'm lucky to be here."
