There was a time when I did not like Gary Pinkel. It was nothing personal, I just lived in a family of Nebraska fans. My first experiences with him were not positive ones. The image in my head is of Brad Smith running past, around, over, and through the Nebraska defense, with Gary on the sidelines in his visor. Fast forward to me deciding to attend Mizzou and everything changed.

My first positive memory of Gary Pinkel comes from my freshman year at Mizzou, 2010. No, it wasn’t that opening win against McNeese State; it was Game day. Despite not having been a Mizzou fan for very long, I was still very familiar with Pinkel’s struggles in big games, especially big games against Oklahoma. From Gahn McGaffie’s opening touchdown, that night felt different. At the end of the day, the monkey was off his back and he treated me to the most fun football game I’ve ever been a part of.

Then Mizzou joined the SEC. I don’t think anyone expected the ups and downs of Mizzou’s first two seasons in the conference. And I definitely don’t think Mizzou would have had the success they did in 2013 without a coach like Pinkel. 2012 was almost a worst-case scenario and the popular opinion was that Mizzou and/or Pinkel couldn’t compete. But Gary didn’t panic. Gary and his staff just did what they do.

I could keep telling stories about Mizzou games over the past six years that had a profound impact on my college career, but I won’t. I think I can sum up what I’ve been trying to say pretty easily. I have never met Gary Pinkel. (I have dressed as him for Halloween for four years, but that’s a different story.) Despite having never met him, Gary Pinkel has had more of an impact on my time at Mizzou than about two other university employees.

Again, a man I’ve never met has provided me so many of my top memories from college. Like a lot of people, Gary Pinkel is the only Mizzou coach I’ve ever known. There have been a lot of players who I have really liked, but to me Gary Pinkel is Mizzou football. He’s a fiercely loyal man who has his flaws, but has turned the University of Missouri into a consistently good SEC team. Without hesitation, we would not be where we are today without Gary.

I hope Gary beats cancer; I hope Mizzou makes it to a bowl game to send him off the right way; and I hope Mizzou finds a new coach who cares about this school and his players as much as Coach Pinkel does.

M-I-Z