Video Links:
Induction Speech
Hall of Fame Video
1-on-1 with Gary Pinkel
Gary Pinkel, Toledo/Kent State (Football)
Gary Pinkel has a long association with the Mid-American Conference from his time as Toledo head football coach from 1991-2000, to his origins as a Kent State football player and graduate.
Pinkel’s 73 career wins is the most in Toledo school history and also ranks fifth in MAC history. His 53 Conference wins ranks fourth and his .659 winning percentage ranks eighth in league history. He was also named MAC Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1997.
He led Toledo to a MAC Championship in 1995, as the Rockets went 11-0-1, won the Las Vegas Bowl and ended the season ranked No. 22 in the final coaches’ poll. He also led his team to MAC West Division titles in 1997 and 1998. In his final season at Toledo in 2000, Pinkel’s Rockets went 10-1, including a 24-6 win at Penn State. Overall, his teams ranked in the Top 25 in three different seasons (1995, 1997 and 2000).
In Pinkel’s 10 seasons at Toledo, Rockets players were named to the Academic All-MAC team or Honor Roll 61 times, more than any other league school over that time period.
Pinkel left Toledo to accept the head coaching position at Missouri, leading the Tigers into the top 10 in 2007 and 2008, as well as SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014. He is also Missouri’s all-time leader in wins, making him the career wins leader at two FBS schools.
Pinkel was a three-time letter winner as a tight end at Kent State from 1971-73. In his senior season, he earned All-MAC and honorable mention All-America honors. He has the unique distinction of being in the Hall of Fame at both Kent State and Toledo, and now the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame.
