Gary Pinkel
Gary Pinkel
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Gary Darnell Pinkel is a renowned American football coach, best known by his nickname "The Coach." He was born on January 5, 1956.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: January 5, 1956 (age 67)
Status: Alive
Nationality and Profession(s)
Gary Pinkel is an American football coach of Hungarian descent. His profession primarily revolves around coaching at various levels, including high school, college, and professional teams.
Early Life and Background
Pinkel was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to a family that emigrated from Hungary. He grew up with two siblings and developed a passion for sports, particularly football. Pinkel attended Shawnee Mission North High School, where he played football and graduated in 1974.
He then enrolled at Longview College in Missouri, but his education was cut short when the college dropped its football program. Undeterred, Pinkel transferred to Kent State University, where he earned a degree in communications while playing for the Golden Flashes' football team from 1975 to 1981.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Pinkel began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Ohio State and later joined the staff at Iowa. His experience at these institutions helped shape his approach to coaching and ultimately led him to secure head-coaching positions at various levels of competition.
Major Accomplishments
Gary Pinkel's coaching tenure has been marked by numerous achievements, both on and off the field:
College Coaching Career: He became a head coach in college football, taking over at Toledo (1991–1994) and then becoming one of the youngest head coaches in Division I-A history when he was hired at Washington State (2000–2002).
Missouri Tigers (2008-2015): Pinkel led Missouri to six bowl appearances during his eight-year tenure, including a Cotton Bowl victory in 2013. He also guided the team to several conference championships.
Coaching Awards: Pinkel received numerous accolades for his coaching prowess, including being named the 2007 Big 12 Coach of the Year and the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.Notable Works or Actions
Gary Pinkel's commitment to developing young coaches has left a lasting impact on the sport:
Coaching Clinics: He conducted coaching clinics, providing aspiring coaches with valuable insights into his approach and philosophies.
Community Engagement: Pinkel was known for engaging with local communities through various initiatives and charity events. His efforts contributed significantly to the growth of football in these regions.Impact and Legacy
Gary Pinkel's legacy extends far beyond his on-field accomplishments:
Coaching Tree: He has mentored numerous coaches who have gone on to successful careers, including Mike Stoops (Arizona) and Josh Adams (Toledo). This "coaching tree" is a testament to his ability to nurture talent.
Player Development: Pinkel's emphasis on player development enabled many of his athletes to excel at the professional level. Notable examples include quarterbacks Brad Smith and Chase Daniel.Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Gary Pinkel's lasting impact on football can be attributed to several factors:
Innovative Approach: He introduced innovative strategies that transformed the way teams approached the game.
Player Development: His focus on developing players' skills and character helped produce numerous successful athletes at various levels of competition.
Community Involvement: Pinkel's commitment to community engagement has inspired many coaches and organizations to prioritize these efforts.
Quotes by Gary Pinkel
You can't triple-cover a guy the whole time or you leave other people open. They're smart about how they do those things. But certainly he is an impact player, to say the least.
He's got a great arm. There's not question about it. He's got an NFL arm. The things we're doing right now and that we'll do through two-a-days will get us there.
He's without question one of the best receivers in the country, what you would call a national recruit. In other words, a player that pretty much can go anywhere he wanted to in the United States.
His first couple of years he was really hesitant to say a whole lot because I think Brad is really hesitant to push his beliefs and opinions on anybody, ... He just tries to live his life and do the right things. Certainly, you'd like to have a little more vocal leadership, and I think he's doing that this year. He feels more comfortable.
In their offense they do that, anyway. They always have some gadget plays. That's part of what they do. That's part of what he does. We do our share ourselves.
In the last game we had a really good game physically up front. ... I think we're making progress.
I'm very pleased with the class. What we wanted to do was to make sure we had some balance, and I think for the most part we got that. If you look at our class, also, I think there's a lot of speed in the class. I feel very good about that.
That's Brad Smith. He's never thinking of himself. He's always thinking of everyone else. That should have been one of the happiest moments of his career, and instead he's trying to tell me about this incident.
They've played our offense in the past and they'll also have a game to see exactly what we're doing, and maybe Arkansas State didn't. They maybe guessed on a few things based on reading articles.