An officially recognized nickname for
Missouri's flagship state university, the University of
Missouri (MU), located in Columbia,
Missouri. The University of Missouri was formerly designated as the University of Missouri-Columbia, under the University of Missouri System,which includes UMSL and UMKC, but "Columbia" was dropped after a decision made in late 2007.
"Mizzou" is ubiquitously used to refer to the university's athletic teams and the
name can also be used to refer generally to the entire city of Columbia.
The origin of the nickname is unknown, but the first recorded usage of the word occurred in an alumni publication in 1906. As the university was formerly known as Missouri State University, it is possible that "Mizzou" came from a pronunciation of "MSU."