Gary Pinkel, James UW Assistant and Missouri Coach, Makes CFB Hall of Fame Ballot

Former Washington offensive coordinator Gary Pinkel, later Missouri's highly successful head coach, has been nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame. Pinkel is an important part of the Don James coaching tree.

Gary Pinkel was a tight end for Don James while at Kent State and joined James' staff as a graduate assistant in 1974. Pinkel later became part of James' Washington staff as a tight ends coach in 1976.  

He coached at Washington a second time, following a quick stop as a Bowling Green wide-receivers coach, and stayed in Seattle until 1990.

Over three different stints, he played or coached for James for seventeen years between 1970 and 1990.  The Ohio native became a head coach at Toledo, where he won a championship, and at Missouri, becoming a national coach of the year selection.

From the College Football Hall of Fame Press Release

Gary Pinkel-Toledo (1991-2000), Missouri (2001-15)-Winningest coach in history at both Missouri and Toledo…Led Rockets to 1995 MAC title and boasts nine conference division titles between both schools…Took teams to 11 bowl games, with 7-4 overall record in the postseason…Earned FieldTurf National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year honors after leading Mizzou to its first No. 1 national ranking since 1960 during the 2007 season. From the College Football Hall of Fame

The above video is Gary Pinkel's recent appearance on Mark Pattison's "Finding Your Summit" Podcast.  They discuss Pinkel's fascinating journey from Akron, Ohio, to beating cancer and how he continues to make a difference after football.