Janet and Dennis O’Hagan met in the library. No, really, they did.
The Sugar Bear and the football player, who were likely at many of the same sporting events during their time on campus in the late 1970s and early 80s, were instead introduced by friends among stacks of books.
He was a senior; she was a junior. They got married a few months after her graduation in 1981.
Since that time, they have raised a family and sent each of their three children to Missouri State.
Tackling Opponents, Then the Books
Dennis was recruited to play football.
“I remember going down there and I had a good experience. … It was a great university and great campus, with what seemed like a five-to-one ratio of girls to boys. That seemed all right to me!”
His favorite memories revolve around his team: “I was part of a great group of guys.” Being a football player “was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work,” he said. The stereotype of pampered athlete did not apply to Missouri State. “It is amazing how much time any college sport demands of athletes. You have to balance it with academic demands.”
He was a conservation and wildlife management major who loved classes in landscape design and geology – “rocks for jocks,” he said with a laugh.
He graduated in 1980 and is now a sales manager in Kansas City for Pur-O-Zone, a supplier of cleaning chemicals.
Janet decided to study at then-SMS because her big brother was here on a football scholarship. She was a communication major with an emphasis in business; she is now in sales and marketing for Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Facilities.
Janet was a Sugar Bear from 1978-81. “We performed at football and basketball games, and did some community events as well.”
She was on the squad during a time of transition: Michael Jackson and disco were on the scene, and the team went from pompom drills to “dancier” moves during half-time routines.
Passing to the Next Generation
The O’Hagans said they did not push their children – Shannon, Kelly and Shane – to come to MSU, but were excited when the siblings decided to attend their parents’ alma mater.
“We would go to campus every Homecoming and have a reunion with the football group. I have pictures of them as newborns rolling around the stadium,” Janet said.
Shannon, who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in management, is in graduate school at MSU this year.
She remembers coming to campus as a child; her first MSU memory, she said with a laugh, is throwing a tantrum because she wanted a Sugar Bears uniform from the bookstore.
“It has always just felt like home,” she said. “Also, once I got here I was able to have my own unique experience – each of us was able to do that.”
She hopes her master’s degree will lead to a career in university administration – “preferably here!”
Kelly graduated in 2005 with a marketing degree. She also said MSU was woven into the fabric of her childhood. “My mom is the type of person to sing the fight song. We played with her pompoms growing up.” She remembers playing catch on the football field with her dad and his friends when she was about 5.
She said MSU was the right fit for her. “I kept an open mind; I went to other campuses and didn’t feel the same connection.”
Shane is currently taking classes in sales and marketing. He is glad to carry on the tradition. “There was never a question of where I was going to go.”
Becoming Boosters
Dennis and Janet continue to build ties to the University by offering financial support.
“I give back to the athletic department because I was on a scholarship and I want to show loyalty,” Dennis said.
“I think it’s important to support the institution that gave you so much,” Janet said. “It’s a part of your life – I support it for future attendees.”
The O’Hagans return at least once a year for Homecoming and have watched the school grow. “Now it looks more like a big-time college to me,” Dennis said.
“I am very proud of Missouri State, and it’s wonderful to see everything that has happened since we were there,” Janet said. “It has only improved.”
Leave a Reply