(Photo Courtesy: GaryPinkel.com)
Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel was officially named the head coach at Missouri State this evening. Steckel replaces former head coach Terry Allen in what will be his first head coaching stint since joining the league in 1982 where he was a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio.
Steckel has spent the past 14 seasons with the Tigers under head coach Gary Pinkel. He started in 2001 as the linebackers coach before being named the defensive coordinator in 2009.
The defense has been a staple for the Tigers since switching conferences to the SEC and has played a major role in their back-to-back SEC east division titles. Steckel’s defense also holds the longest streak of games with a defensive takeaway at 48. That streak came to an end this past season in Missouri’s 31-27 loss to Indiana.
Steckel has coached a number of NFL talents, which include Sheldon Richardson, Kony Ealy, E.J. Gaines, Aldon Smith, Sean Weatherspoon, and soon to be Shane Ray and Markus Golden.
Steckel, who made $600,000 as defensive coordinator at Missouri will make a base salary of $270,000 over five years as the new head coach at Missouri State.
I along with many others appreciate what Dave Steckel helped mold this Missouri team to become in the tough SEC, so thank you coach Stec, we wish you the best of luck!
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