Missouri Tigers Head Coach Gary Pinkel to Retire

Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel will retire at the end of 2015 due to health reasons, according to reports. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in May.

Pinkel is 117-71 up to this point in his tenure at Mizzou, including two SEC East championships, and arguably coming within a game of the national championship on multiple occasions. Under Pinkel, the Tigers finished in the AP Top 25 on five separate occasions, including a #4 finish in 2007 and a #5 finish in 2013.

In a statement, Pinkel said that he wants “to make it very clear that I am not doing poorly,” and that his lymphoma is “something he can still fight.”

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Pinkel began his coaching career at his alma mater, Kent State. While a player, he and Nick Saban were teammates. He coached as a graduate under Don James at Kent State from 1974-76, before he followed James to Washington; Pinkel spent 12 years as the Huskies’ offensive coordinator after a season at Bowling Green. In 1991, he took over the head coaching job at Toledo; in 10 years there, he took the Rockets to one top-25 finish. In 2001, he was hired as the Tigers’ head coach.

Pinkel will retire as the winningest coach in the history of both Missouri’s and Toledo’s programs.

Next: Mizzou Picks Up First 2017 Recruit, WR DaRon Davis

Head over to our Mizzou page for more news as the search for a new head coach begins.