About GP M.A.D.E.

Making A Difference Every-Day in the life and future of children and youth facing difficult challenges.

Dear Friends,

From growing up in Akron to playing football to becoming a College Football Hall of Fame coach, and now to launching a foundation – there’s a common denominator across each and every milestone in my life’s journey. I love kids. I love giving kids opportunities, helping them grow, and challenging them to be better. It’s my “why,” every day. And it’s why I’m so glad you’re here.

In 2015, while head football coach at Mizzou, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. It was a wake-up call. Time – time with family, time with friends – became more important and valuable than ever before. Ultimately, I knew I had to retire and put all my energy into my own battle.

I will always live with lymphoma, and that’s a challenging reality. However, there’s good news – I know that working hard to be in good physical condition will help keep it under control. In order to best do that, I had to hang up my coach’s whistle, but giving up my life’s work as a coach wasn’t easy. We had worked so hard at building our Mizzou Made program to help our players get better on and off the field. After I retired, I really missed my players. I missed helping them develop into the best athletes and scholars they could be. So one day, my wife Missy said, “Why don’t you start a foundation?”

From that day forward, it has been my privilege to use my platform to help Missouri children through the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation. We are a non-profit organization that supports children in three pillars, all of which are close to my heart:

Children battling cancer
Children breaking disability barriers
Children and students overcoming poverty

In only a few short years, we have been able to provide over $390,000 in scholarships to low-income seniors, and we have distributed more than $285,000 in grants to local Missouri organizations like Love Columbia, Special Learning Center, MU Health Care, Camp Wonderland, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, United Community Builders, and many, many more. And we’re not done yet. The sky’s the limit when it comes to furthering our mission.

Former players, fans, friends, family – I invite you to join me as we work to make life better for Missouri kids. YOU can make a difference! From Mizzou Made to GP M.A.D.E. – it’s all about Making a Difference, Every-Day.

Thank you for your support and partnership. Let’s battle to help Missouri kids!

Coach Pinkel

Mission

Making A Difference Every-Day in the life and future of children and youth facing difficult challenges.

Support Objectives

Children battling cancer

Children breaking disability barriers

Children overcoming poverty

Gary Pinkel was born on April 27, 1952, in Akron, Ohio — the same state he’d begin his coaching career two decades later. At Kent State, where he played with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Pinkel was a two-time all-conference tight end and team captain. He worked as a graduate assistant in 1974-75 at his alma mater, until he moved on to work at the same position for the University of Washington (1976). Later, he moved on as a wide receivers coach for Bowling Green State University (1977-78). Pinkel returned to Washington in 1979, where he was an assistant coach for 11 years under his mentor and former Kent State coach, Don James.

Pinkel was later promoted to offensive coordinator at Washington (1984-90) before he moved on to his first head-coaching job at the University of Toledo in 1991. There, he holds the record with the most wins in school history (73-37-3) and was voted MAC Coach of the Year in ’95.

Pinkel’s next — and final stop — would be in Columbia, Missouri, where he took over a program with just one 10-win season in school history and two winning seasons in the previous 17 years. As the head coach at the University of Missouri from 2001-15, Pinkel lead the Tigers to five 10-win or more seasons, ten winning seasons, and earned the most wins in MU history at 118-73.