After fighting to keep his driver's license for more than a year, former University of Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel will lose it Saturday.
Pinkel filed a lawsuit last year after a DWI in Camden County led to the revocation of his license. He was stopped July 7, 2025, near Camdenton at the Lake of the Ozarks after summoning a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper to check a blown-out tire.
According to court documents, the trooper noticed that Pinkel was slurring his speech, had abnormal pauses and stutters, and smelled of an intoxicating beverage.
Pinkel refused to submit to a chemical test that would determine his blood alcohol content. Under Missouri law, refusal of an alcohol or drug test will result in the suspension of driving privileges for one year.
Two days after the stop, Pinkel’s attorney submitted a motion to stay the revocation of his license, and Camden County Circuit Judge Michael Gilley granted the stay on July 11, 2025.
A series of hearings on the matter were scheduled for the next 11 months without resolution. In late June, Pinkel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated with a recommended fine of $1,000 to be imposed plus related court costs.
Meanwhile, a decision in the lawsuit was still pending. A bench trial for Pinkel was set to begin Monday in Camden County, but no one appeared on his behalf, according to court records.
Gilley dismissed the petition and set the effective date to begin the suspension of Pinkel's license for Aug. 1.
The former coach also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in 2011 and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records show.
