Rain doesn’t put damper on Gary Pinkel’s eighth-annual golf tournament
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
After a morning filled with rain - and a whole lot of it - in Columbia, former Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel had to cancel the golfing portion of his eighth-annual Par 3 Golf Tournament.
"It's been a rainy day," he said. "I used to live in Seattle once and it seems like we got as much rain here as we used to in Seattle. We've had a good day today, though."
Although the rain made golfing impossible, it didn't put a damper on the whole event. The tournament, which is a fundraiser for the College Football Hall of Famer's G.P. Made Foundation, still hosted its annual lunch and silent auction and will also have a dinner for all those who signed up, on Monday night.
"What we're trying to do is we're trying to help young kids and that's why the G.P. Made Foundation was made, so I can make a difference every day in the lives of kids," Pinkel said. "It's something that I did when I quit coaching here, that's what I did for my whole life. But now I wanted to, you know, do it in a different level and that's those that are in high school or in college."
Year-in and year-out, the Par 3 Golf Tournament is one of Pinkel and company's most successful fundraisers of the year, as his foundation works to fulfill their mission of making a difference in the lives of everyday children.
While Coach Pinkel was still at the helm of Tiger football in 2015, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He has said that his diagnosis was a wake-up call for him to spend more time with family and friends, while also using the platform he built to help children.
His non-profit organization works to support Missouri kids with three pillars that are close to his heart:
- Battling Cancer
- Breaking Disability Barriers
- Overcoming Social Economic Challenge
Over the years, there's been no shortage of his former players coming out to support that mission. Former Tiger stars ranging from Kurtis Gregory to Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman and even former coach Andy Hill have all come out to support their former leader, over the years.
"The bond that you have in coaching isn't easy all the time. I remember my mentor...Don James told me that you treat them as young men and you help them be better people. You know, we won championships and everything else, I even get chills thinking about it," Pinkel said. "So, I tried to apply that in my coaching here and when I quit coaching here because because of some personal things and really the emphasis on helping kids in the many, many ways that we can. I feel like it's worthy, what I'm doing, and I think it's important what I'm doing and all the people around me that do a phenomenal job."
