Gary Pinkel's legacy at Missouri will be everlasting.
During his tenure in Columbia, he guided the Tigers to six bowl victories, five division titles, and five seasons with at least 10 victories. Pinkel's career record of 118-73 makes him the winningest coach in program history.
While it'd be a bit premature to believe new head coach Barry Odom would pick up right from where Pinkel left off, the former head coach has faith in Odom to do the job.
"I'm thrilled. Barry Odom, he's got the intangibles," said Pinkel. "I'm very, very high on him. I think he'll do an exceptional job. He'll probably break all my records. That'd be awesome if that would happen."
Odom's ties to the program run incredibly deep. He was a linebacker during the 1990's in Columbia, and also worked within the program since 2003 (with a three-year spell at Memphis in between). Suffice it to say, but he understands the dynamic at the school, and appears to be the person best suited for a smooth transition away from Pinkel.
"I don't think there's a better guy out there we could have put in this position than Barry right now," said Pinkel. "He's a young guy, but I think he's very well-prepared for this."
(h/t Columbia Daily Tribune)
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