COLUMBIA, Mo. • When former Mizzou athletics director Mike Alden set out to hire his next football coach after the 2000 season he considered a variety of candidates.
He looked at high-profile assistant coaches, from Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt, Purdue offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove.
He looked at head coaches in the mid-major conferences, like Western Michigan’s Gary Darnell and TCU’s Dennis Franchione. His eventual choice came from the second lot: Toledo head coach Gary Pinkel.