It is hard to remember head coach Gary Pinkel as anything other than the leading man of the Missouri Tigers, thanks to his 15-year stint with the team. However, his pre-Missouri days have led to a big honor for the current Mizzou man.
Pinkel served as head coach of the Toledo Rockets from 1991-2000.
During that time, Pinkel led Toledo to a 73-37-3 record which included a handful of division championships and a MAC championship. Pinkel became the Rockets’ all-time winningest coach. Now, he is being remembered for his time with the school.
On Wednesday, Pinkel was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame.
“When I got the call that this happened I had tears in my eyes, that I could be honored like this,” Pinkel told Cleveland.com. “I am very, very appreciative of this award. This (getting to the dinner) was really important to me.”
As a player in the MAC, Pinkel also had some success. The then tight end earned All-MAC honor and an honorable mention All-American nod during his playing days.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports