Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, battling lymphoma, might use retirement to better

“We were together through the whole entire thing – everybody on this team”, junior linebacker Michael Scherer said.

After the Tigers played Vanderbilt on October 24, Pinkel had a scheduled PET scan on October 26 for reassessment. Afterward, he visited with his family and came to the decision the next day that this would be his past year coaching.

“Some people say they’d rather die on a football field than a beach”.

The 63-year-old Pinkel said his decision had nothing to do with the turmoil at Missouri, or with the team’s struggles this season. Under his watch, 32 Missouri players have been selected in the National Football League draft, including seven first-rounders.

Pinkel chose to resign late last month, but he wasn’t going to tell his team until this coming week. Former player Jeremy Maclin tweeted, “One of the best human beings I have ever been around!”

“My players and coaches had to be the first ones to know, and I was really upset about that”, Pinkel said. “My prayers go out to them”.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who had stood by his striking players, announced Friday that he would step down at season’s end. Jonathan Butler was on a hunger strike seeking the MU president’s ouster over indifference to racial concerns. “I’m not going to get there, but I planned to coach for a long time”. “I know he will fight”, Daniel expressed on Twitter.

It could be argued that the Cougars are two plays from being 0-5 (the Hail Mary at Nebraska and the two-point conversion at San Jose State) – but it is just as easy to argue that BYU are two plays from being 4-1 (the one-point loss at UCLA and the four-point loss to Missouri). “He really lives for his players”.

“It is very flattering”, Pinkel said.

“I just felt bad”. “I don’t know how many years I have left, but I want to turn my focus to life outside the daily grind of football”.

Pinkel is the only active coach who boasts the career record for wins at two FBS programs – Missouri (118-71) and Toledo (73-37-3) – and he’s one of three former SEC coaches with that distinction, joining Bear Bryant (Kentucky, Alabama) and Steve Spurrrier (Florida, South Carolina). He choked up when it came to discussing his team and during the multiple standing ovations from a crowd that included several assistant coaches who ignored his suggestion to concentrate on this week’s game plan and interim university president Mike Middleton and chancellor Hank Foley at the center court news conference at Mizzou Arena. “I love this university. That’s the neat thing about this business”. He also believes being outside the search process is proper.

Pinkel informed the public on Friday that he would be stepping away from his role with the Mizzou football program after the season in order to focus on his health.

“This is an unbelievable institution with great leadership. I’m humbled to be a part of it, and we’re going to move forward”, Rhoades said.

It was associate head coach/quarterbacks coach Andy Hill, “Somebody wants to see you down here”.

Witter initially reached the redzone, but the Tigers were penalized after the play, eventually leaving them with a crucial third and short near the BYU 30 yard line. When Missouri joined the SEC in 2012, the Tigers went 5-7 and there was speculation the school would look for a new coach if the team had another poor season. I’ve heard from a lot of guys I’ve known over the years in this business, coaches and different people all over, and guys I haven’t talked to for 20 years.