Gary Pinkel is no longer coaching football at Missouri, but he said he's a believer in the school's rivalry with Arkansas.
"That's the last time you'll ever stand for a Missouri guy, I guarantee you that," Pinkel said after being introduced at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's luncheon Monday afternoon at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock.
Pinkel, who retired after 15 seasons with Missouri last year, spoke to the Touchdown Club crowd for more than a half hour as he discussed the Missouri-Arkansas rivalry, his relationship with former Washington coach Don James, his friend and Kent State teammate Nick Saban and his health.
Missouri joined the SEC in 2012 and the Battle Line Rivalry trophy was introduced for the 2015 game in Fayetteville. Arkansas won 28-3.
"It's the heaviest trophy in the world," Pinkel joked. "If you pick it up, you'll throw your back out."
Pinkel said he has high hopes for the Missouri-Arkansas series going forward. Missouri hosts this season's game Nov. 25 at Columbia, Mo.
"I think the Missouri-Arkansas rivalry is one that will grow to be a great rivalry," Pinkel said. "It will just take some time."
Pinkel, 64, went 118-73 in 15 seasons at Missouri and led the Tigers to five division titles (three in the Big 12 North, two in the SEC East). Missouri won the SEC East in 2013 and 2014, going 23-5 with victories in the Cotton and Citrus bowls.
Last November, Pinkel retired after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. On Monday, Pinkel said he's feeling good almost one year later.
"You can't cure it," Pinkel said. "I might get treatment in six months. I might get treatment in 15 years. But my body has reacted to the treatment really well.
"I've been blessed in so many ways. I wanted to de-stress my life and I wanted to spend more time with my family. I've got eight grandkids. I just had to adjust. I feel very, very good that I did it."
Since he retired, Pinkel has visited Hot Springs with friends as well as attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland earlier this year. Pinkel, a native of Akron, Ohio, joked that he and Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James are "two great athletes out of Akron."
But being away from the sidelines has been an adjustment for Pinkel.
"I went to my first tailgate at the first Missouri home game," Pinkel said. "I have never tailgated in my life. I had no idea what was going on there. That was really odd for me."
Pinkel played for James at Kent State and later coached on James' staff at Washington in 1979-1990. He said he shaped his programs at Toledo and Missouri after James, who died in 2013 at 80.
"Don James had high integrity," Pinkel said. "A first-class man. He just had a huge impact. He changed my life."
Another disciple of the James coaching tree is Alabama Coach Nick Saban, a friend and former teammate of Pinkel's. Saban has led Alabama to four national championships and Pinkel said he believes his success has changed college football.
"He's put a lot of pressure on coaches," Pinkel said. "He keeps winning the way he's been winning and the alumni will look at you like, 'What are you doing?' "
Pinkel said he has been impressed by Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema this season after a 3-0 start. The No. 17 Razorbacks face No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"He's doing a great job," Pinkel said. "He kept his team together last year. That's the sign of a great head coach. That's hard to do."
Pinkel recalled Washington's 28-17 victory over Oklahoma in the 1985 Orange Bowl on Monday. During that game, Oklahoma was penalized 15 yards after the Sooner Schooner went on to the field after Sooners kicker Tim Lashar kicked a 22-yard field goal. The field goal, however, was nullified because of a procedure penalty and with the extra 15 yards because of the Schooner's trip on the field, Lashar's 42-yard attempt was blocked and Washington went on to score 14 points in the fourth quarter to earn the victory.
So Pinkel had a message for next Monday's Touchdown Club speaker, former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth.
"You tell Boz we don't want any excuses," Pinkel joked. "You tell him. I'm not going to tell him."
Sports on 09/20/2016