‘Armageddon at Arrowhead’: Documentary about greatest Mizzou-KU game premieres Thursday in North Kansas City

NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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A new documentary about what many consider the greatest Border War game ever played premieres Thursday night at Screenland Armour in North Kansas City.

"Armageddon at Arrowhead" focuses on the November 2007 matchup between No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium.

Top-ranked LSU’s loss earlier in the day ensured that the winner — the Tigers prevailed 36-28, fending off a brilliant fourth quarter from the Jayhawks — would be ranked No. 1 in the country.

"We knew going into that game that whoever won at the end of the night was going to be No. 1 after that game," former Mizzou tight end Martin Rucker said.

The Jayhawks still have never been ranked No. 1 in the country. The Tigers had only been ranked first one other time (1960) before or since that game.

Director Carrington Harrison said the film goes beyond the game itself.

"The doc tells more than just that one individual game,” he said. “It's really a story of how Missouri potentially had their best team in 2007, Kansas had their best team in 2007, and these two teams just met up to play this incredible game at Arrowhead.”

Chase Lucas/KSHB

The documentary is told through the eyes of four former players — KU wide receiver Dexton Fields and running back Brandon McAnderson, along with Mizzou tight ends Chase Coffman and Rucker, who scored the game's first touchdown.

Rucker said he had never watched the game, aside from film study the next day, before the documentary.

"Much easier to watch knowing the outcome," Rucker said with a laugh.

He watched the game with Harrison, who is the afternoon host for 96-5 The Fan sports talk radio. Five years ago, Harrison added documentary director to his resume, releasing “From Paseo to Pembroke: Kansas City's Golden Era” about an incredible era of high school basketball in KC.

"I just like telling stories,” Harrison said. “I feel like our stories are really important. We all watch movies and documentaries, and people are telling New York stories or Chicago stories, but nobody is telling Kansas City stories. So if I can play a part in that, I certainly want to.”

After beating Kansas, Mizzou missed a chance to play for the national title, losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Tigers bounced back to thrash Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl that season.

“Should have been the Orange Bowl,” Rucker said.

“No bitterness there, right?” I replied.

“Not at all,” he said, roaring with laughter. “Forgot all about it.”

Instead, Kansas was selected for a BCS game, beating Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl after then-Jayhawks Athletic Director Lew Perkins outfoxed the Tigers’ administration to land the coveted game.

Rucker may have waited years to watch the game, but he’s never forgotten the aftermath.

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“Never will,” he said. “I don't hold grudges typically, but that's one that I'll hold. It's funny. I was at a breakfast event, probably six years or so ago. One of the guys from the BCS Selection Committee or something back then was at that event. After he got done speaking, he was like, ‘Does anybody want to ask any questions?’ And I was the first person that raised my hand. I asked him about that, and he alluded to the fact that they (Kansas) guaranteed that they would buy a certain amount of tickets, and that was the tipping point.”

Harrison said the unresolved nature of the rivalry, which was renewed last season and continues Sept. 11 as Mizzou travels to face KU in Lawrence, is part of what makes the story compelling.

"That's what I think makes this story so interesting is — even though it was resolved, it's still very unresolved,” Harrison said. “Both teams still have great bragging rights over the other. Missouri has the bragging rights of winning the individual game, and Kansas has the bragging rights of 'We went to a BCS bowl.’”

Mizzou finished 12-2 during the 2007 season, while Kansas finished 12-1 — with that one loss coming after Mizzou defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams buried Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing in the end-zone turf at Arrowhead. The image of the Jayhawks’ QB picking clumps of grass from his helmet is among the most enduring in the rivalry’s history.

Tickets for "Armageddon at Arrowhead," which includes appearances from Harrison and the players featured in the documentary, are $15 and available at the theater's website. The premiere is at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Screenland Armour in North Kansas City.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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