GARY PINKEL 
“SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR”
Gary Pinkel capped a remarkable 2013 run as coach of the University of Missouri football team with a 41-31 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. That game, however, was but one of three highlights last season for the Akron, Ohio, native.
In his 13th year as head coach at Mizzou, Pinkel’s Tigers won their first Southeast Conference division championship and he became the all-time winningest coach in Mizzou history when he passed Don Faurot. Pinkel notched his 102nd victory with the Cotton Bowl win. He also passed legendary coach Dan Devine’s record for victories during the season.
Missouri’s football program was down when Pinkel took over in 2001. But he quickly turned things around. In just his third season at the Tigers’ helm, Pinkel began a string of eight bowl appearances in nine years. The Tigers only missed out in 2012, which was their inaugural season in the SEC and included a roster decimated by injuries.
That all changed in 2013. With a healthy roster, Pinkel’s Tigers posted a 12-2 record, including the SEC East championship and the Cotton Bowl triumph. In a seven-year span, Mizzou has notched 65 victories. Included are three Big 12 titles and a school-record seven-consecutive bowl game appearances (2005-11).
Pinkel’s success was instrumental in the school’s move to the SEC in 2011 and led to approval of a $200-million construction project master plan by the Missouri Board of Curators. The majority of those funds will go to improving and expanding the university’s football facilities.
Pinkel’s strong track record of success was a determining factor in Mizzou’s decision to hire the highly motivated coach. In 10 seasons as head coach at Toledo, Pinkel (who served as an assistant to Don James at the University of Washington) posted a 73-37-3 record with four Mid-American Conference championships in his last six seasons at the school. In 1995, Pinkel’s Rockets finished undefeated, 11-0-1, won the Vegas Bowl and were ranked in the 
Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll.
The fact that Pinkel’s teams have posted at least eight victories each season from 2006-11 is testament to the consistency that Pinkel and his staff have created at Mizzou. The school is only one of six universities in BCS-AQ conferences to accomplish that feat. Others in this select group include LSU , Oklahoma, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
In 13 seasons under Pinkel, the Tigers have a record of 102-63 (a winning percentage of .620), have had nine winning seasons and appeared in nine bowl games. Over the last eight seasons, Mizzou has a winning percentage of .692 and ranks 18th nationally with 72 victories. Beginning with the 2002 NFL draft, Pinkel has had 21 players selected, including five first-round choices since 2009.