ESPN college football writer Mark Schlabach explains why health reasons forced Gary Pinkel to resign as Missouri head coach.
It has clearly been an abnormal week in the life of Missouri football, and that continued Friday afternoon when the school made the surprise announcement that longtime coach Gary Pinkel would step down at the end of the season because of health concerns.
The school said Pinkel, 63, has been receiving lymphoma treatments since spring. The Tigers are 4-5 this season, but Pinkel has won 117 games since arriving at Missouri in 2001. He guided the program into the SEC, where it has won consecutive East Division titles.