Gary Pinkel Gary Robin Pinkel ( born April 27 , 1952 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is currently the head football coach at the University of Missouri , a position he has held since the 2001 season . From 1991 to 2000 , Pinkel coached at the University of Toledo , where his team won a Mid - American Conference championship in 1995 . Before becoming a head coach , he was an assistant at the University of Washington , where he served as Don James ' s offensive coordinator . Early years . Pinkel graduated from Kenmore High School in Akron , Ohio , and received his bachelor of science degree in education from Kent State University in 1973 , where he played tight end under James . Pinkel and Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban were college teammates . Pinkel took over the head coaching job at Toledo in 1991 when Saban left to become defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns . His roommate at Kent was Pittsburgh Steelers great Jack Lambert . He did post - graduate studies at Kent and Bowling Green State University . He was inducted into the Kent Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 . Coaching career . Missouri . Since arriving at Missouri in November 2000 , Pinkel has guided the Tigers to eight bowl games in 11 years , winning four . The first was in 2003 , a 27 – 14 loss to Arkansas , and the second was a thrilling 38 – 31 come - from - behind win over the University of South Carolina on December 30 , 2005 . Missouri then lost to Oregon State , 39 – 38 , in the Brut Sun Bowl . In 2007 , a historic year for the Mizzou program , Pinkel led his team to a # 1 AP ranking at the end of the regular season after finishing 11 – 1 . They then fell to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship game , and played in the Cotton Bowl Classic against the University of Arkansas . The Tigers throttled the Razorbacks , strolling to an easy 38 – 7 victory and a final season ranking of # 4 in the AP Poll . Pinkel ' s other accomplishments while at Mizzou include ending the Tigers 24 - year losing streak to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2003 with a 41 – 24 win in Columbia , Missouri . Since this win , the two schools have had an intense rivalry , with the teams splitting the series at 3 – 3 . In 2006 , Pinkel led the Tigers to a 6 – 0 start , the team ' s first 6 – 0 start since 1973 . However , the team finished 8 – 5 . During the 2007 season , Pinkel guided the Tigers to a 12 – 2 season with an average of 40 points per game , a Big 12 North Championship , and a 38 – 7 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Arkansas . The season ' s most memorable moment came when Missouri defeated rival Kansas 36 – 28 on a nationally televised game at Arrowhead Stadium . The win propelled Missouri to the # 1 ranking and ruined Kansas ' previously unbeaten record . The only losses during the season were against the Oklahoma Sooners . The first loss was in Norman , Oklahoma and the second was in the Big 12 Championship . Pinkel ’ s Tigers were tied with the Sooners at half time but ended up losing . If the Tigers had won they might have retained their then number one BCS ranking and could have played for the BCS National Championship . In 2008 , Pinkel guided his Tigers to a second consecutive Big 12 North title and a chance to have back to back double digit win seasons . Despite four tough losses , the 2008 campaign concluded with a Big 12 North Championship , the first back to back 10 win season in Missouri history and an Alamo Bowl Championship . On November 25 , 2008 , Pinkel signed a new seven - year contract that would bring him $ 2 . 3 million per year , from January 1 , 2009 through December 31 , 2015 . On October 23 , 2010 , Pinkel guided the Tigers to their first win over the Oklahoma Sooners since 1998 , winning 36 – 27 . The Sooners were ranked # 1 in the BCS Poll at the time , leading to the third straight week that a # 1 team lost . Pinkel is the third winningest coach in Mizzou history , behind only Hall of Famers Don Faurot and Dan Devine . Personal . Pinkel lives in Columbia , Missouri . He was divorced from Vicki Pinkel in October 2012 . The couple has three grown children . An avid motorcyclist , he is often spotted on the Columbia streets riding his Harley Davidson . On November 16 , 2011 , Pinkel was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated . He later plead guilty to the charges and was disciplined by the school which included ; a one game suspension , salary frozen for a year , no bowl bonus , and approximately $ 300 , 000 in fines .