Tigers hand Pirates rare NCMC loss by ending 26-year drought with one-point victory

By Shane Hulsey, Sports Writer | October 5, 2024
Kirksville running back Jace Kent looks for running room as Hannibal defenders collapse on him during Friday night's North Central Missouri Conference game at Spainhower Field in Kirksville, Mo. | Shane Hulsey photo

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — For the Hannibal football team, it was a game of what-ifs. For Kirksville, it was a game of emphatic statements. The Tigers notched their first victory against the Pirates since 1998 by grinding out a 16-15 victory Friday at Spainhower Field. “We earned some football fans tonight,” Tigers coach Gregg Nesbitt said.…

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Crim: Book has yet to close on Nesbitt’s coaching career as new chapter unfolds with Tigers

By Don Crim, Senior Columnist | September 9, 2024
Kirksville football coach Gregg Nesbitt, a Hannibal, Mo., native, talks to his team after a summer workout. The former Truman State University coach is in his first season coaching at Kirksville High School. | Photo courtesy Kirksville Tigers football program

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — It appeared the book was closing on a career spanning more than four decades when Gregg Nesbitt announced in February he was retiring after 14 seasons as the head football coach at Truman State University. Instead, another chapter is being written. One day after Nesbitt announced he was leaving Truman State as…

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Legacy of retiring Truman State football coach Gregg Nesbitt is one of respect, admiration

By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor | February 9, 2024
Truman State football Gregg Nesbitt announced his retirement Friday after spending the past 14 seasons guiding the Bulldogs. | Photo courtesy Truman State athletics

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The reaction to Friday’s news that Truman State football coach Gregg Nesbitt is retiring spoke volumes about the legacy he leaves. It’s one of respect, admiration and praise. Nesbitt has earned all of that. A native of Hannibal, Mo., who played football at Truman State (then known as Northeast Missouri State) in…

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