Top five Missouri Tigers football coaches all time
COLUMBIA, Mo. (BVM) — The Missouri football program has seen a lot of change throughout the years, consisting of 33 head coaches since the program began play in 1890. The Tigers have seen plenty of success as they have won multiple bowl games, 15 conference titles and four division titles, also appearing in two SEC championships since joining the conference in 2012.
An important part of a program’s success is the leadership. The Tigers are currently on their 33rd head football coach as they have had Eliah Drinkwitz on the sidelines since 2020.
There are many Missouri football coaches who have contributed to the program’s success, but who are the five that stand out the most? Let’s take a look.
5. Gwinn Henry (1923-1931)
Henry coached at multiple universities such as Howard Payne University, the College of Emporia and the University of New Mexico. Prior to coming to Missouri, Henry was named the first head football coach at Howard Payne where he spent two seasons and went 5-7-3.
During his time with the Tigers, Henry compiled a 40-28-9 record and led Missouri to the Los Angeles Christmas Festival Bowl in 1924. Under the leadership of Henry, the Tigers also won three Missouri Valley Conference championships in four years.
Henry then went on to coach professionally as he was hired to take over the NFL’s St. Louis Gunners in 1933, and went back in the college ranks to coach New Mexico and Kansas after that. The head coach eventually retired with a 100-78-16 college football record.
4. Warren Powers (1978-1984)
After retiring from the AFL, Powers decided to return to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, where he became an assistant coach under both Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. After seven years with the Cornhuskers, Powers got his first head–coaching job with Washington State. In his lone season with the Cougars, Powers recorded a 7-4 overall record which eventually helped him land the Missouri job.
During his time in Columbia, Powers put together a 46-33-3 record in seven seasons. Powers also led the Tigers to five bowl game appearances including victories in the Liberty, Hall of Fame Classic and Tangerine Bowls. The head coach earned the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in his first season with Missouri in 1978 as well.
Warren Powers served as Missouri's head football coach from 1978-1984. He led the Tigers to some huge wins in that era, defeating Notre Dame 3-0. Leading MU to 5 Bowl games, back when it was a lot tougher to get to a Bowl game. https://t.co/BTDmK45zrf
— Rod Smith (@RodKRCG13) November 3, 2021
3. Dan Devine (1958-1970)
Devine started his college coaching career at Michigan State where he served as an assistant for five seasons and helped the Spartans win a national championship in 1952. Devine then accepted his first head–coaching job with Arizona State in 1955. During his time with the Sun Devils, the head coach recorded a 27-3-1 record, including a 10-0 campaign in his final season.
Devine was able to turn the culture around in Columbia pretty quickly. The head coach turned Missouri into a competitive program, finishing with a top-20 ranking nine times, winning two conference titles, and finishing with a 93-37-3 record. Devine led the Tigers to four bowl game victories, including the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl, and currently ranks third in most wins in school history.
The successful head coach went on to coach the Green Bay Packers in the NFL, and then returned to the college level with Notre Dame where he eventually won a national championship in 1977 with Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
2. Don Faurot (1935-1942; 1946-1956)
After graduating college, Faurot was appointed as head coach at Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University) where he posted a record of 63-13-3 in nine seasons. During his time with Kirksville State, Faurot won seven MIAA conference titles and won 26 straight games from 1932-1934. This run led Faurot to the head coaching job at Missouri following the 1934 season.
In 17 years as Missouri’s football coach, Faurot put together a 101-79-10 record which is the second–most wins in school history. One of Faurot’s best teams was in 1939 when he won his first Big Six Conference title and received a bid to the Orange Bowl. Another strong team in Faurot’s tenure was in 1941, winning another Big Six title and appearing in the Sugar Bowl. Faurot led the Tigers to three conference titles and four bowl game appearances overall.
After a last-second victory against Kansas in 1956, the head coach announced he was stepping down to focus on his duties as athletic director at Missouri. When Faurot retired, Memorial Stadium’s capacity had doubled to 50,000 through five different expansions, and the field is currently called Faurot Field in honor of his legacy.
Early morning in Columbia. The statue is of Don Faurot, former Missouri coach and AD who the field is named after.
GIC/MIS spotting for @MizzouFootball vs. @VandyFootball on @SECNetwork at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. #ESPNCFB #VANDYvsMIZ #SECFB #ShowMe #MIZ #AnchorDown #RTI pic.twitter.com/2AVUEH7XhM
— Kevin Buerge (@kdbuerge) November 10, 2018
1. Gary Pinkel (2001-2015)
Before coming to Columbia, Pinkel was the head coach of Toledo where he posted a record of 73-37-3 with three MAC West Division titles and a conference championship.
During his time at Missouri, Pinkel led the Tigers to six bowl victories including wins in the Alamo and Citrus Bowl. Under Pinkel’s leadership, Missouri won five division titles and almost played for a national championship in 2007 before ultimately falling to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game.
In 2008, the head coach guided Missouri to back-to-back Big 12 North titles and double–digit win seasons. After the Tigers joined the SEC, Missouri appeared in two straight conference championships. The head coach also put together the best recruiting class in school history at the time, which was ranked No. 18 in 2015. Pinkel serves as the winningest coach in Missouri history as he finished with a 118-73 record.
In 2015, Pinkel announced that he would retire after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Pinkel’s successful tenure at Missouri earned him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame as he was inducted in January.
Congrats to legendary @ToledoFB & @MizzouFootball coach Gary Pinkel (@GaryPinkel) on being named to the 2022 @cfbhall Class!#cfbhall #GoRockets #MIZ
🔗https://t.co/uVQjMgRsAG pic.twitter.com/uIxFPMcKf3
— National Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) January 10, 2022
