Scott Pingel (born May 9, 1977) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who holds multiple

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

receiving records. He played college football at Westminster College. Pingel is the first player in NCAA history to accumulate over 2,000 receiving yards in a single season. Pingel is only one of two individuals to accomplish this feat. The 2,157 receiving yards Pingel totaled during the 1998 season remain an all-division NCAA single season record. Pingel played professionally in the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

, and overseas in the

German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is a professional American football league in Germany. The league was formed in 1979. In 1999, the league changed to its current name from American-Football-Bundesliga.

(GFL).

Early life

Pingel attended St. Vincent High School in Perryville, Missouri where he played football and basketball. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2016.

College career

As a four year starter at

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

Westminster College, Pingel enjoyed a uniquely prolific career that would shatter several long-standing NCAA records. His most statistically successful year came during his junior season in 1998, during which he became the first NCAA player at any division to gain 2,000 receiving yards in a season. Pingel finished the year with 2,157 total receiving yards, which still stands as the all-time NCAA record. He remains only one of two players in NCAA history credited with this accomplishment.

Trevor Insley Trevor Insley (born December 25, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack from 1996 to 1999. Insley is the only p ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

became the second player to accumulate over 2,000 single-season receiving yards in 1999. During the first game of his senior season against

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois but the first to grant a degree (in ...

, Pingel caught the 302nd pass of his career. This broke

Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter ...

's all-division NCAA record of total career receptions. Pingel held this record from 1999 to 2011. It was surpassed by Michael Zweifel during the 2011 season. At the conclusion of his career, Pingel owned the NCAA career records for total receptions (436), receiving yards (6,108) and receiving touchdowns (75). Future Super Bowl MVP

Cooper Kupp Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles, winning the Walter Payton ...

broke Pingel's receiving yards record in 2016 while at

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...

, while Dallas Mall of Division II

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars and Sport utility vehicle, SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Crickle ...

surpassed the touchdown record in 2004. Pingell was named a Division III All-American in three consecutive seasons. He was also named to the All-SLIAC second team in men's basketball in 1997 and 1998.

Professional career

Pingel played indoor football with the Black Hills Machine where he was positioned at receiver and kicker. Although he had a workout for

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

scouts, Pingel was not selected in the

2000 NFL draft The 2000 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Theat ...

. The

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

signed Pingel as an undrafted free agent. The Bills released Pingel on August 22, 2000. In 2001, Pingel joined the

's Rüsselsheim Razorbacks. He spent one season with the team, accumulating 107 receptions, 1,852 yards and 23 touchdowns in 16 games. He played in Germany with his former college record setting quarterback Justin Peery. The Razorbacks reached the GFL playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals. Pingel joined the

RiverCity Rage The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in ...

(then known as the Show-Me Believers) of the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, ...

in 2002. He was named all conference receiver in three consecutive seasons. He held the league's record for receiving yards in a season and total receptions in a season. His #10 jersey was retired by the team in 2006.

Coaching career

Pingel's coaching career began at his alma mater Westminster, initially as a graduate assistant and wide receiver coach. He would later become the team's offensive coordinator. Pingel is currently the head football coach at

Christian Brothers College High School Christian Brothers College High School (CBC High School) is a Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Lasallian Catholic Church, Catholic University-preparatory school, college preparatory school for young men in Town and Country, M ...

and has held the position since 2008. He has led the school's football program to five

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

state championships. Ahead of the 2022-23 school year, Pingel was promoted to athletic director at Christian Brothers College High School while retaining his position as the football team's head coach.

Career accomplishments

Accolades

* 3x Division III All-American (1997-1999) * SLIAC Football Offensive MVP (1997-1998) * Melberger Award (1999) * SLIAC Hall of Fame Inductee (2009) * #10 retired by Westminster College football program

All-division NCAA statistical records

* Most yards receiving, season (2,157 in 1999) * Highest receiving yards per game, season (215.7 in 1999)

Division III NCAA statistical records

* Most receiving touchdowns, career (75) * Most yards receiving, career (6,108) * Most receiving touchdowns, season (26, tied with Jack Phelan of Hartwick)

References

External links

Scott Pingel
on Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Pingel, Scott Living people Westminster College (Missouri) alumni Buffalo Bills players American football wide receivers High school football coaches in Missouri Westminster Blue Jays football players American football players with retired numbers American expatriate players of American football German Football League players Indoor Football League players 1977 births American expatriate sportspeople in Germany RiverCity Rage players