Mizzou Football: Gary Pinkel Will Resign After Season
By Alec Tilson
Longtime Mizzou football coach will resign his position due to health issues.
Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel’s 25-year run coaching college football will come to an end at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
Pinkel informed his team and staff and will address questions after this Saturday’s game against BYU at Arrowhead Stadium, according to a statement from MUTigers.com:
"Pinkel’s decision is health-based, as he was diagnosed in May of 2015 with lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer of the blood. He received multiple treatments in May and June, and after doctors indicated that the treatments wouldn’t interfere with his coaching duties, he decided that he would continue to coach the Tigers in 2015."
Pinkel has as many career wins (190) as Bill Snyder and Nick Saban. He owns more wins than Bob Stoops, Barry Switzer, Urban Meyer and former MU coach Dan Devine.
He’s a career 190-108 since his first season at Toledo in 1991. He’s won the Las Vegas Bowl, the Independence Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Alamo Bowl and the Citrus Bowl. Pinkel’s teams were a combined 40-14 from 2007-2010.
While it comes as a surprise to many, it sounds like Pinkel has been ready to announce this decision, according to 610 Sports’ Twitter account:
DeArmond says Pinkel's known he was going to do this for a month. Maybe even planning on announcing maybe a week ago but it got pushed back.
— 610SportsKC (@610SportsKC) November 13, 2015
It’s a significant loss for Mizzou, who hired Pinkel prior to the 2001 season, but Pinkel’s personal health is understandably more important than his job.
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Many former Tigers have already expressed their sympathy and gratitude, and expect that to continue as Pinkel has quite the tree of players who have played for him in his coaching career.
Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel, a prolific performer for Pinkel at Mizzou, took to Twitter this afternoon:
Can't even begin to express all emotions that I'm going through right now. Coach Pinkel was a father figure to me....I know he will fight!!
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 13, 2015
Mizzou needs a few more wins to become bowl eligible this season, and it starts against BYU this Saturday.
It’s too soon to speculate on potential replacements, but this is, after all, an SEC head coaching job – so every perspective head coach around the nation will have his ears perked up for this one.
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This pill is no easier to swallow, even on the heels of recent troubling news from MU’s campus, but it does open up a high-profile job at a high-profile school in the highest-profile football conference. A bowl trophy would be a nice parting gift, but everyone’s main concern here is for Pinkel’s health.