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Kansas-Missouri game cites Bleeding Kansas
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Kansas posted a Civil War-themed hype video noting Missouri was a slave state before Friday's Border.
The 1850s Bleeding Kansas conflict still frames college football's oldest bitter rivalry.
Background
The Kansas-Missouri rivalry traces back to the 1850s Bleeding Kansas conflict, when the Kansas-Nebraska Act let new territories vote on whether to allow slavery. Historians cited in coverage say Civil War-era animosity carried into the first KU-Mizzou football game on Halloween night 1891 in Kansas City, played just a generation after the war. The schools meet again Friday night in Lawrence for the Border War, the rivalry's first game there since 2005.
How it unfolded
- 1850sThe Kansas-Nebraska Act lets new territories decide slavery by popular vote, fueling the period known as Bleeding Kansas.
- 1863William Quantrill leads bushwhackers in the Lawrence Massacre, burning much of the town and killing over 200 men and boys.
- Oct 31, 1891KU and Mizzou play their first football game against each other on Halloween night in Kansas City.
- Sep 11, 2026Kansas releases a Civil War-themed hype video reminding fans Missouri was a slave state ahead of the game vs. Mizzou.
- Friday nightNo. 23 Missouri visits Kansas in the Border War, the rivalry's first game in Lawrence since 2005.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Historians say the rivalry runs much deeper than sports and bragging rights, rooted in the 1850s Bleeding Kansas conflict.
- Public
- The hype video's framing of Missouri's slave-state history drew attention ahead of the game.