MU details former football coach Gary Pinkel’s new role with athletic department

Missouri has defined a new role for former football coach Gary Pinkel.

The University of Missouri System Board of Curators approved a three-year, $950,000 contract that transitions Pinkel, who has retired as Mizzou’s football coaching victory leader, into a fundraising/public relations role.

“I am very grateful to the Board of Curators and to President (Michael) Middleton, Chancellor (Hank) Foley and to (MU athletic director) Mack Rhoades for this opportunity,” Pinkel said in a release from the athletic department. “I’ve said all along that when my coaching days were done I would still need to be involved in a meaningful way, and this does that for me. I’m excited to be in this role where I can still provide an impact for a place that means so much to me and my family.”

Pinkel, who was the second-longest tenured coach in MU history, was hired in 2001 and helped Missouri reach national prominence with five division titles and 10-win seasons since 2007, including back-to-back SEC Eastern Division championships in 2013 and 2014. He announced Nov. 13 that he had follicular lymphoma, a non-Hodgkin form of cancer, and would retire at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Pinkel will receive $350,000 in 2016 and 2017 and $250,000 in 2018 to assist with fundraising opportunities, including donor/fan engagement as well as public appearances, according to the athletic department. Pinkel, if he remained the football coach, was set to make $4.12 million plus possible incentives with a $100,000 automatic annual raise under the terms of a contract extension he signed last April.

“We’re really pleased to have Coach Pinkel continue as part of our team,” Rhoades said in the release. “It was very important for us to find the right way to keep the winningest coach in Mizzou history engaged, and we’re excited for the value Gary can bring to the table going forward. Schools around the country are finding ways to keep institutional treasures like Gary Pinkel, (former Virginia Tech football coach) Frank Beamer and (former South Carolina football coach) Steve Spurrier in the fold even after they are done carrying a whistle.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 1:54 PM with the headline "MU details former football coach Gary Pinkel’s new role with athletic department."