Pinkel's players, even now, would hold umbrellas over his head. Everywhere I've gone, we've created that vision for winning. Anywhere I go, I have to win. I just can't stand for anything else. I cannot stand losing.
Players know that very quickly.
And when Alden left that meeting, he knew that Pinkel meant some serious business. III Pinkel will tell you point-blank that he's no great genius. He doesn't have some super-complicated offense that will dazzle everyone or a whole bunch of funny lines that will sound good on television. He's just a hard-working man from Ohio who believes, in his heart, that he knows how to coach kids and win football games. On the other side of the room are a few Missouri players who got to meet Pinkel briefly.