Hall of Fame-bound former Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel honored during Tigers’ game vs. UGA

As Gary Pinkel was considering leaving his head-coaching job at Toledo and moving to Missouri, he got some advice from a former college football teammate.

“I remember Nick Saban saying, ’Don’t go there,’” Pinkel said. “I had a bunch of guys who told me that.”

Good thing Pinkel didn’t listen to the buddy who now coaches powerhouse Alabama. In 15 seasons at Mizzou, Pinkel became the program’s winningest coach and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

During the first quarter of Saturday’s game against top-ranked Georgia, Pinkel was recognized on the field for his Hall of Fame honor. He was flanked by several players who were part of his Tigers teams from 2001-15. Pinkel-coached Mizzou teams won 118 games, appeared in 10 bowl games and won four division titles: two in the SEC and two in the Big 12.

Pinkel won 73 games in 10 seasons at Toledo and was ready to coach at a major program. Saban, who played with Pinkel at Kent State, believed it would be a difficult job — and he was correct.

Missouri was coming off consecutive losing seasons under Larry Smith when then-athletic director Mike Alden made the change.

“I told Mike it was going to be difficult and I would need his help,” Pinkel said. “It was more difficult than I thought it would be because you’re changing a culture, changing how people think, uniting people as you do this.

“But we stuck with our program. I thought without question that it was going to work, I just hoped we’d have enough time.”

Missouri posted two losing seasons under Pinkel before turning in a winning record in his third season at Columbia. Mizzou then enjoyed winning records in nine of its next 10 seasons.

“When we took off, we won at the highest levels,” Pinkel said. “There’s a lot of things I could have done to win more games, have more success. But I really felt like, when I handed the keys over, Missouri football was at a much, much higher level than when I got it.”