On July 7, 2025, Gary Pinkel, the former head football coach of the University of Missouri, was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated in Camden County, Missouri. The arrest, reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, occurred at 11:46 p.m. and marks the second DWI incident for Pinkel, who previously pleaded guilty to a similar charge in 2011. This latest development has sparked discussions about the legacy of a celebrated coach and the personal challenges he faces in retirement.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Pinkel, now 73, was taken into custody late Monday night near Lake of the Ozarks and held at Camden County Jail before being released the following morning. While the arrest report lists driving while intoxicated (alcohol) as the charge, no formal charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon, per court records. Details surrounding the incident, such as the circumstances leading to the traffic stop or whether field sobriety tests were conducted, remain undisclosed. Pinkel’s attorney, Bogdan A. Susan, issued a statement indicating that the former coach will plead not guilty, emphasizing Pinkel’s right to a defense and the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
This is not Pinkel’s first encounter with a DWI charge. In November 2011, while still coaching at Mizzou, Pinkel was arrested in Boone County after deputies stopped him for lane and signal violations near U.S. Highway 63 and Broadway in Columbia. He admitted to consuming two “jumbo” glasses of wine and declined a field sobriety test. Pinkel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI, receiving a 30-day suspended jail sentence, two years of unsupervised probation, and a fine. The University of Missouri suspended him for one game, froze his salary for a year, and required him to donate a week’s pay to the school’s Wellness Resource Center, perform 50 hours of community service, and issue a public apology.
In a 2011 press conference, Pinkel expressed remorse, stating, “I’ve taken full responsibility for my lack of judgment and poor decision. I’ve hurt and disappointed a lot of people. … This will never, ever happen again.” The recurrence of a DWI arrest 14 years later raises questions about whether Pinkel has struggled to uphold that promise.
Gary Pinkel is widely regarded as one of the most successful coaches in Mizzou football history. Leading the Tigers from 2001 to 2015, he compiled an official record of 113-73, though five wins from his final season were vacated due to NCAA violations. Under his leadership, Missouri reached back-to-back SEC Championship games in 2013 and 2014, a remarkable achievement for a program transitioning from the Big 12 to the SEC. Pinkel’s overall career record, including his tenure at Toledo, stands at 191-110-3. His contributions to college football earned him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022, and he currently serves on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Pinkel announced his retirement in 2015 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
