Report: Missouri, Pinkel agree on extension

Nov 21, 2008 - 5:08 PM BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) -- Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel has agreed in principle to a lucrative contract extension that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, according to a report Friday on ESPN.com.

The length of the deal is not known, but the extension reportedly will include a sizable raise for an annual salary of approximately $2.5 million.

Pinkel, with a record of 58-39 at Missouri, stands as the third-winningest coach in the program's history.

Pinkel's name had been floated as a possible replacement for Ty Willingham at Washington, where he served as an assistant coach under longtime Huskies coach Don James.

Pinkel, in his eighth season at Missouri, has guided the Tigers to a 9-2 record in 2008 and to the program's second straight Big 12 Conference North Division championship - the first back-to-back conference or division titles at the school since 1941-42.