Former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel is facing a class B misdemeanor after a July 7, 2025, DWI arrest in Camden County, and court documents say the stop began when he waved down a state trooper for help.
The probable cause statement, reviewed by the Tribune, says the trooper saw Pinkel flagging him down around 11:30 p.m. in the Big O Tires parking lot on Bagnell Dam Blvd. in Lake Ozark. Pinkel was outside a tire shop after blowing a tire on his car, and the officer wrote that the back right tire on the SUV had been driven on the rim “for a significant distance based on the damage.”
Once the trooper started asking questions, the encounter quickly shifted. The officer reported a “strong odor of an intoxicating beverage emitting from (Pinkel’s) breath and person,” along with slurred speech and swaying while he talked.
Pinkel first said he had “just a very small drink” and had stopped drinking three hours before the tire blew. He later told the trooper he had “like two drinks” and that his last drink was two hours earlier.
Field sobriety testing did not go well for the former coach, according to the statement. The trooper wrote that Pinkel could not recite the alphabet beginning at E and stopping at R, and also could not count backwards from 78 to 62. The officer also noted “lack of smooth pursuit” when asking Pinkel to follow his finger with his eyes.
A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.128%, above Missouri’s legal limit of 0.08%. Pinkel was arrested, held at Camden County jail and later released.
Pinkel, 74, coached Missouri from 2001-15 and led the Tigers to multiple Big 12 North and SEC East division titles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
This was not his first DWI case. Court records show Pinkel previously pleaded guilty to a DWI in Boone County after a Nov. 16, 2011, arrest.
He has been summoned to appear in Camden County court on July 28, 2026, and plead to the charge.
In Other News...
Cowboys Early Roster Projection Puts Familiar Names In Serious Danger
With July approaching, the Cowboys first pass at a 53-man roster already hints at a lot of familiar names getting squeezed. The projection is less about locking anything in and more about mapping the competition at every spot, from quarterback to the back end of the defense, while also weighing which rookies can push their way into bigger roles before the season arrives.
One of the trickier calls sits behind the starting quarterback, where Dallas may end up carrying three passers but still has to sort out a backup pecking order. The same uncertainty runs through the rest of the roster, with a few players who logged real snaps last season suddenly looking vulnerable and others, including rookies like Jaishawn Barham and LT Overton, offering the kind of long-term promise that can make these early projections feel more like a warning than a prediction. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Are Suddenly Getting The Respect Fans Never Expected
The Cowboys have spent plenty of recent offseasons under a cloud of frustration and second-guessing, but this one is drawing a different kind of attention. Around the league, several personnel executives are looking at Dallas as one of the NFLs most improved teams, with the roster moves and coaching decisions giving the franchise a steadier, more credible feel than it has had in a while.
A big part of that perception comes from how the defense has been upgraded and how the staff has been shaped, including Brian Schottenheimers choice to bring in Christian Parker to run the unit. There is also a sense that the front office has handled the business side more cleanly, from the George Pickens situation to contract decisions that no longer seem to linger as distractions, which is why some evaluators are now discussing Dallas in a way fans have not been used to hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Already Took A Hit Where This Roster Could Least Afford It
The Cowboys have spent enough time talking about ceilings and upside this spring, but the latest reminder of how thin the margin can be came in a place Dallas could least afford it. With Dak Prescott coming off a strong 2025 season, the bigger picture still points toward a roster that needs its quarterback to keep playing at that level while the front office tries to manage what comes next on the cap. At the same time, the defensive side is being shaped by Christian Parkers expected Vic Fangio-style approach, which puts even more pressure on the line to create disruption without much blitz help.
That is why the early look at a rookie edge rusher such as Malachi Lawrence matters so much to this team. Dallas needs pass rush juice to show up quickly, and it needs it from players who can fit into a system built around patience, discipline and pressure from the front four. If that kind of help is going to come, it has to come soon, because the roster does not have many obvious places left to absorb another hit. [Read more 🡒]