1. Barry Stephen Odom was born on November 26,1976 and is an American college football coach and former linebacker who is the head football coach at Purdue University.
46 Facts About Barry Odom
1. 2.
Barry Odom previously served as the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 2023 to 2024, and the University of Missouri from 2016 to 2019.
3.
From 2000 to 2002, Barry Odom began his coaching career as an assistant at Ada High School before being named the head coach at Rock Bridge High School.
4.
Barry Odom left Missouri in 2012 for the first time to become the defensive coordinator at University of Memphis.
5.
Barry Odom accepted the job as head football coach for the University of Missouri Tigers in 2015.
6.
Barry Odom led the team to two consecutive bowl games before being relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
7.
On December 19,2019, Barry Odom was named the defensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas.
8.
Barry Odom helped guide the Razorbacks to back-to-back bowl victories in 2021 and 2022.
9.
Barry Odom was named the head coach at Purdue University on December 8,2024.
10.
Barry Odom's father was a teacher and high school football coach.
11.
Barry Odom finished his senior season with 39 touchdowns and 1,477 yards rushing.
12.
Barry Odom was named a Class 4A East All-Star by The Oklahoman as a linebacker.
13.
Barry Odom was additionally a track and field star, finishing as the runner-up in the Oklahoma 4A 400-meter dash with a time of 48.64.
14.
Barry Odom hoped to stay in-state to play football for Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, but both programs fired their head coaches, and he suffered a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his right knee, which caused his recruitment to be stunted.
15.
Barry Odom originally signed a national letter of intent to play football at East Central.
16.
When Barry Odom arrived, Smith informed Barry Odom that his days of playing fullback were over, he would be transitioning to linebacker.
17.
Barry Odom wore No 39 to honor the year the university started, 1839.
18.
Barry Odom found himself in the defensive rotation as a true freshman, playing in behind Joe Love.
19.
Barry Odom led the Tigers in tackles in one game over the course of the season.
20.
Typically a 9-month recovery time for an ACL surgery, but Barry Odom was able to be on the field again in three and a half months, participating in the Missouri fall preseason camp.
21.
Barry Odom finished the 1997 season second on the team with 103 total tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and an interception.
22.
Barry Odom was selected as an Honorable Mention All-12 Conference, as well as Missouri's Defensive MVP.
23.
Barry Odom earned his bachelor's degree from MU in 1999, and a master's degree in education from MU in 2004.
24.
Barry Odom returned to Columbia, Missouri the following year, taking over as head football coach at Rock Bridge High School in February 2001.
25.
Barry Odom helped the program turn around, which hadn't had a winning season since 1997.
26.
In 2003, Barry Odom returned to Missouri as an administrative graduate assistant.
27.
Barry Odom stayed at Missouri until 2012, serving in numerous different coaching and administrative positions.
28.
From 2006 to 2008, Barry Odom helped run Pinkel's program administratively as his director of operations.
29.
In that role, Barry Odom oversaw coordination of the team's budget, travel plans, compliance issues, facilities operations and scheduling, as well as assisting with recruiting operations and managing the day-to-day overall operations of the program.
30.
In 2009, Barry Odom took over as safeties coach under Pinkel, filling the gap in the coaching staff left by Matt Eberflus leaving for the Cleveland Browns.
31.
In 2012, Barry Odom left Missouri to become defensive coordinator of the Memphis Tigers under head coach Justin Fuente.
32.
Barry Odom became well known due to his performance during three years directing Memphis' defense from 2012 to 2014.
33.
Barry Odom's Tigers ranked ninth in the nation in total defense, allowing just 302.0 yards per game.
34.
Barry Odom was named the head coach of the Missouri Tigers football team on December 3,2015, after former head coach Gary Pinkel retired after 15 seasons due to health-related issues.
35.
At 38, Coach Barry Odom was the second youngest head coach for the Missouri Tigers.
36.
Barry Odom became the first Missouri coach to make a bowl game in his second year since Warren Powers did so in each of his first two seasons in 1978 and 1979.
37.
Barry Odom's Tigers finished a regular season ranked No 23 in the College Football Playoff poll with eight wins, reached a second-straight bowl game, and achieved another road win.
38.
Barry Odom is only the fourth coach in Mizzou history to reach bowl games in two of his first three seasons at MU, joining College Football Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine in that category, as well as former coaches Al Onofrio and Powers.
39.
Barry Odom's raise paid him $3.05 million a year which ranked 11th among 14 head coaches in the SEC Conference.
40.
Barry Odom convinced transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant to become a Tiger.
41.
Barry Odom was fired the next morning, citing a lack of momentum coming from the Tigers 5 game losing streak the section half of the season.
42.
On December 16,2019, Barry Odom was hired by new Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman as defensive coordinator.
43.
In March, 2020, it was announced that Barry Odom would be given a pay raise to $1.3 million due to another undisclosed SEC team trying hire him.
44.
Under Barry Odom's watch, the Razorbacks' 18 takeaways during the 2020 campaign ranked 25th nationally.
45.
Barry Odom's helped 2022's squad earn a bid to the Liberty Bowl, there was speculation of him leaving to become the head coach at Tulsa.
46.
On December 6,2022, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Barry Odom was named head football coach at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.