Pinkel, who said the retirement is not related to the recent incidents at Mizzou, is the most winning coach in the history of Missouri. “I thought I blew it”, he said. “With all they’ve had to deal with, it was the last thing they wanted to hear, nor I wanted to tell them”.
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When a reporter asked him about his legacy, Pinkel said he never thinks about “stuff like that”.
A hard season unfolded – Pinkel twice suspended starting quarterback Maty Mauk, the Tigers suffered a four-game losing streak and last week dealt with a player boycott – but it was after a PET scan on October 26 that he decided this season would be his last.
“I decided at that time I was going to embrace the healthy times and battle in the tough times”, Pinkel said. This Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee (6-4, 3-3) stands as the longtime coach’s final game in Columbia, which will no doubt be an extremely emotional event, but it also marks a chance for the Tigers to clinch a bowl berth that seemed unattainable a week ago. “My coaches and players had to be the first to know, so I was upset about that”.
Back at Mizzou Arena on Monday, former defensive end Michael Sam showed similar care for his coach after Pinkel’s time at the podium ended. Pinkel said. “He put his arms around me and told me he loved me”.
Throughout the presser, it was evident what Pinkel will miss most after he sets down his clipboard and walks away from the field: the time spent with his players.
In this case, the court of public opinion in a matter of speaking eventually convicted Tim Wolfe, Missouri’s president and forced him to step down for his alleged ignorance-less he look like a fool-and so with this news, the game would go on Saturday against BYU. “I’m going to miss that”, Pinkel said.
“Gary’s program has defined what it means to be Mizzou Made – to develop as an athlete, as a person, to receive an education, to become a champion and be a member of a family”, said Rhoades, who learned about Pinkel’s cancer diagnosis during his first month on the job at Missouri. “I just felt we could achieve our goals here”, Pinkel said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for him”. “I’m not going to get there, but I planned to coach for a long time”.
Gary Pinkel got a phone call shortly before 10 p.m. Friday at the team hotel in Kansas City.
Pinkel supported his players’ decision to take a stand, a decision that drew mixed reactions from MU’s fan base. Trevor Sampson’s 23-yard kick in the second quarter tied the game at 3-3 for BYU, but Missouri did just enough to pull out the halftime edge, and then rally back after BYU took a 10-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
The two are discussing a role that would keep Pinkel associated with the athletics department once he steps away from coaching duties.
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“But I mean at the end of the day, we didn’t miss the game, we started practice on Tuesday, it was a normal week for us”. I love what I did, but I feel very peaceful with what I’m doing and that it’s the right thing. Amid chants of “Gary Pinkel” from the Arrowhead Stadium crowd, the Tigers swarmed Pinkel with their own cheers of “G.P., G.P., hey!”
