Gary Pinkel

Gary Robin Pinkel (born April 27, 1952) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Missouri, a position he has held since the 2001 season. From 1991 to 2000, Pinkel coached at the University of Toledo, where his team won a Mid-American Conference championship in 1995. Before becoming a head coach, he was an assistant at the University of Washington, where he served as Don James's offensive coordinator.

Early years
Pinkel graduated from Kenmore High School in Akron, Ohio, and received his bachelor of science degree in education from Kent State University in 1973, where he played tight end under James.

Pinkel and Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban were college teammates. Pinkel took over the head coaching job at Toledo in 1991 when Saban left to become defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

His roommate at Kent was Pittsburgh Steelers great Jack Lambert. He did post-graduate studies at Kent and Bowling Green State University. He was inducted into the Kent Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.

Missouri
Since arriving at Missouri in November 2000, Pinkel has guided the Tigers to eight bowl games in 11 years, winning four. The first was in 2003, a 27–14 loss to Arkansas, and the second was a thrilling 38–31 come-from-behind win over the University of South Carolina on December 30, 2005. Missouri then lost to Oregon State, 39–38, in the Brut Sun Bowl. In 2007, a historic year for the Mizzou program, Pinkel led his team to a #1 AP ranking at the end of the regular season after finishing 11–1. They then fell to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship game, and played in the Cotton Bowl Classic against the University of Arkansas. The Tigers throttled the Razorbacks, strolling to an easy 38–7 victory and a final season ranking of #4 in the AP Poll.

Pinkel's other accomplishments while at Mizzou include ending the Tigers 24-year losing streak to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2003 with a 41–24 win in Columbia, Missouri. Since this win, the two schools have had an intense rivalry, with the teams splitting the series at 3–3.

In 2006, Pinkel led the Tigers to a 6–0 start, the team's first 6–0 start since 1973. However, the team finished 8–5.

During the 2007 season, Pinkel guided the Tigers to a 12–2 season with an average of 40 points per game, a Big 12 North Championship, and a 38–7 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Arkansas. The season's most memorable moment came when Missouri defeated rival Kansas 36–28 on a nationally televised game at Arrowhead Stadium. The win propelled Missouri to the #1 ranking and ruined Kansas' previously unbeaten record. The only losses during the season were against the Oklahoma Sooners. The first loss was in Norman, Oklahoma and the second was in the Big 12 Championship. Pinkel’s Tigers were tied with the Sooners at half time but ended up losing. If the Tigers had won they might have retained their then number one BCS ranking and could have played for the BCS National Championship.

In 2008, Pinkel guided his Tigers to a second consecutive Big 12 North title and a chance to have back to back double digit win seasons. Despite four tough losses, the 2008 campaign concluded with a Big 12 North Championship, the first back to back 10 win season in Missouri history and an Alamo Bowl Championship.

On November 25, 2008, Pinkel signed a new seven-year contract that would bring him $2.3 million per year, from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2015.

On October 23, 2010, Pinkel guided the Tigers to their first win over the Oklahoma Sooners since 1998, winning 36–27. The Sooners were ranked #1 in the BCS Poll at the time, leading to the third straight week that a #1 team lost.

Pinkel is the third winningest coach in Mizzou history, behind only Hall of Famers Don Faurot and Dan Devine.

Personal
Pinkel lives in Columbia, Missouri. He was divorced from Vicki Pinkel in October 2012. The couple has three grown children. An avid motorcyclist, he is often spotted on the Columbia streets riding his Harley Davidson. On November 16, 2011, Pinkel was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He later plead guilty to the charges and was disciplined by the school which included; a one game suspension, salary frozen for a year, no bowl bonus, and approximately $300,000 in fines.