By Aidan Bearden / Staff Writer
Missouri State Senator Kurtis Gregory visited MVU to speak to students in a Media Law and Ethics class. Gregory spoke to students about his life, Missouri politics, the legislative process, and college athletics. Gregory is a Missouri University alumnus who also took early college courses at Moval. Gregory currently resides in Marshall, making him a familiar name in the community.
Besides serving in the Missouri Senate, Gregory is best known for his career with Mizzou’s football team as an offensive lineman. Gregory has served Missouri since 2021, originally in the House of Representatives from the 51st district. Then, in 2025, Gregory was elected to the Missouri Senate from the 21st district. Gregory was the first and only student to graduate from Mizzou with a master’s degree in General Agriculture. Gregory cited that his passion for agriculture inspired him to run for office. He also compared his love for being a congressman to his retired passion, football.
“What I enjoy the most about it is: it’s the closest feeling I get to being on a sports team,” said Gregory. “The element of team is what I really, really like.”
Gregory emphasized the importance of bipartisanship and collaboration in politics while talking to the class. Gregory also spoke about his past in championing college athletes’ rights for the legal right to generate revenue from their name, image, and likeness, generally known as N.I.L. Gregory helped write and pass multiple pieces of legislation in favor of NIL. MVU’s Director of the Viking Sports Network, Ken Kujawa, was the instructor who invited Gregory to campus.
Kujawa said, “I think it is important for students to have the opportunity to meet some of our elected officials and be able to ask them questions about the work they do in their communities and in state government.”