At the time, neither could have guessed that a) each other, b) MSU and c) sports would combine to become a huge part of their lives.
They became college sweethearts, and followed basketball closely while they were dating. Teresa had been a Bears fan since childhood because her dad followed Missouri State teams.
“When we were students here, we’d get (to Hammons) early in the morning and stand in line to get tickets,” Teresa said.
Richard said the couple experienced some standout sports moments. “I remember the NIT game with Marquette,” he said, recalling the March 17, 1986, game. Missouri State won in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament in front of the largest-ever Hammons Student Center crowd. “That was a BIG deal and it was a sold-out game, and that was an awful lot of fun. I’d also say Charlie Spoonhour’s reign was a highlight.”
The couple, who married in 1991 and live in Springfield with teen daughters Kelsey and Sabrina (as well as a “fabulous” dog whom they rescued after he followed them around at a river), have kept their passion for Bears hoops.
“I remember experiencing all of that: ‘Spoonball,’ Barry Hinson’s regime … and then, of course, Kyle Weems and his team standing up after they won the MVC championship with those signs at the Q,” Teresa said. “It was just electrifying.”
Teresa says her support for the Bears is exuberant. She sits in the front row, yells and generally acts, as she put it, like “a crazy lady.”
“Most people see me and say, ‘I think I know you’ and then it’s: ‘OH, from the basketball games!’”
Teresa shows her support in another public way, singing the national anthem at home games at least once a year. She was a member of Concert Chorale, which was one of her favorite college experiences.
She and Richard also support their alma mater as members of The Founders Club and supporters of the Bears Fund.
Richard, who has a bachelor’s in finance with a minor in insurance, is now president of his family’s business: Ollis and Company, a risk-management and employee-benefit insurance agency that has been in Springfield for more than 125 years.
He says he owes at least part of his success to mentors such as former professor Dr. Vencil Bixler, who taught him about networking and modeled a strong work ethic.
He, in turn, now shares some of his expertise with MSU students by serving on the College of Business advisory board.
“I really love what Missouri State stands for academically — I just think it is a tremendous place,” he said.
Teresa, who earned a bachelor’s in accounting, is now a stay-at-home mom and yoga teacher at Success Naturally studio.
There’s no chance you’ll see less of the Ollises at MSU games: “We have season tickets to virtually every sport,” Richard said.
In addition, they are in the process of moving to Springfield’s center city.
“We like that feel of the nice community, and being close to downtown and the University,” Teresa said. “Soon we’ll be close enough we can walk to football games when it’s nice!”
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