Football: Excerpts From Gary Pinkel's Press Conference
11/30/2000 12:00:00 PM | Football
Nov. 30, 2000
Excerpts From Pinkel's Press Conference
On breaking the news to his players:
"This morning I had the toughest moment I ever had in my coaching career when I had to tell my players I was coming here. I want to publicly thank my players. They are the reason I am standing before you today. I expect them to win a championship next season."
On why he stayed at Toledo so long:
"We played Penn State earlier this year. I met with ESPN the night before. They looked at my record and asked me, Why are you still at Toledo? I told them Toledo is a great place, it's a great university, very committed fans, great people."
On how many of his current assistants he will bring with him to Missouri:
"I will probably bring some of those guys down. Many decisions need to be made quickly. I need to communicate with the guys at the university before I say anything publicly."
On what happens if Toledo makes it to a bowl game:
"We will find out Sunday if we are invited. I will not coach, but any assistants I have will honor that commitment, and we will get them back in time for the bowl game."
