Yes, Tim Kaine really tweeted that he would ‘broker deal’ to resume KU-Mizzou Border War rivalry

As someone who grew up in Kansas, cheered for the Jayhawks’ basketball team and graduated from the University of Missouri, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine seems like the right person to help reinstate the KU-MU Border War rivalry.

Even Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Mizzou fan, said so Saturday during an appearance at the Chiefs’ training camp in St. Joseph: “When he’s the vice president, he can finally melt the ice between the Jayhawks and Tigers.”

That quote made one story, but certainly it wouldn’t lead to a second, right? Plenty of fans in and around Kansas City would like to see KU and MU in an annual basketball or football series again. But would Kaine respond, given the importance of a national presidential campaign vs. a regional college sports rivalry?

He did.

On Tuesday, Kaine took up Nixon’s challenge, posting on Twitter that “Yes, this Kansas-raised, Mizzou-educated VP candidate will broker a deal to reinstate the Border War!” along with a link to The Star’s story about Nixon’s comments.

The Jayhawks called off annual athletic series with Missouri after the Tigers left the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference in 2012.

Nixon was pleased to see Kaine’s tweet, posting later Tuesday that the “Next VP (is) not afraid of solving tough problems.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Yes, Tim Kaine really tweeted that he would ‘broker deal’ to resume KU-Mizzou Border War rivalry."