Former Mizzou football coach gives update on cancer treatment

Former Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel said he’s undergoing cancer treatments again. He shared the update with ABC 17’s sports department on Sunday night during an interview on SportsZone.

“I’m doing good. I had to get treatment again for the first time in four years. My cancer came out of remission, and so I had treatment last month. I’m doing fine,” Pinkel said. “With my type of lymphoma, you’ll never be healed. But that’s kind of why I retired when I did – I just wanted to not go back and regret working 85 hours a week, 35 weeks out of the year when I could be doing other things with my family and my eight grandkids.”

Pinkel was initially diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May of 2015. He retired from coaching after the 2015 season.

“You keep battling it. I’m going to battle it, Pinkel said. “I’ve got a very positive approach to it, and I’m around a lot of good people that are helping me. There’s a lot of people out there with a lot worse cancers than Gary Pinkel has, and so prayers to all of them.”

Pinkel remains in good spirits. He recently started his own foundation, GP M.A.D.E. His goal is to provide support for kids with cancer, physical challenges or youth facing economic and social challenges. Pinkel said he hopes to raise $365,000 per year to help the youth in the community.

“I can’t imagine a nine-year-old looking in the mirror, you know you’ve got leukemia or lymphoma,” Pinkel said. “The importance of research is huge.”

On Monday, Pinkel will host the GP M.A.D.E. Foundation Inaugural Par 3 Golf Rally at the Club at Old Hawthorne. He’ll have former players such as Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman and Beau Brinkley playing in the event.

You can watch our full SportsZone interview with Coach Pinkel below.