Gary Pinkel

Gary Robin Pinkel is a former college football player and coach. He is the founder and president of of GP M.A.D.E. Foundation. The Foundation's main goal is Making A Difference Every-day (M.A.D.E.) in the life and future of children and youth facing difficult obstacles, such as disabilities, diseases, and economic challenges.

Pinkel has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee for the 2024-25 season.

He is a former college football head coach for the University of Missouri Tigers football team.

Formerly, he was a player at Kent State, where he played with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Pinkel was a two-time all-conference tight end and team captain. He worked as a graduate assistant in 1974-75 at his alma mater, until he moved on to work at the same position for the University of Washington (1976). Later, he moved on as a wide receivers coach for Bowling Green State University (1977-78). Pinkel returned to Washington in 1979, where he was an assistant coach for 11 years under his mentor and former Kent State coach, Don James.

Pinkel was later promoted to offensive coordinator at Washington (1984-90) before he moved on to his first head-coaching job at the University of Toledo in 1991. There, he holds the record with the most wins in school history (73-37-3) and was voted MAC Coach of the Year in ’95.

Pinkel’s next — and final stop — would be in Columbia, Missouri, where he took over a program with just one 10-win season in school history and two winning seasons in the previous 17 years. As the head coach at the University of Missouri from 2001-15, Pinkel lead the Tigers to five 10-win or more seasons, ten winning seasons, and earned the most wins in MU history at 118-73.