Tonight the SEC Network in conjunction with ESPN Films will air the story of the 2013 Missouri Tigers football team and Michael Sam.

While Sam's story has been dominated over the last 18 months by his travails in professional football – in and out of the NFL and CFL – the story began in August 2013 when Sam entrusted his team with the secret that he was gay. That team embraced Sam, already a leader on the team, and went on to far exceed expectations with a win in the Cotton Bowl.

The ESPN feature addresses not just Sam's story, but also the struggles his teammates – particularly L'Damian Washington and Marvin Foster – brought to the team, and how they bonded to build an incredibly special season in college football's toughest conference.

The piece premieres on SEC Network Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 9pmET. Check out the preview of the piece here:

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