Barry Odom named Missouri Tigers head coach

The Missouri Tigers promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom to the head coaching position, replacing Gary Pinkel who retired after 15 seasons.

Barry Odom is the next head coach of the Missouri Tigers after the school announced on Thursday evening they are promoting the defensive coordinator to replace Gary Pinkel who retired after 14 seasons.

“We are extremely excited to announce Barry Odom as the new leader of the Mizzou football program,” athletic director Mack Rhoades said, via mutigers.com. … “He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach. He has an undeniable passion for Mizzou, a strong track-record of success at each level of his career and a clear vision to mentor our student-athletes and lead our program to even greater heights.”

Odom was a former linebacker at Missouri from 1996-1999 and returned to Missouri in 2003 as a graduate assistant and stayed until 2008 when he was named the safeties coach at Memphis on Justin Fuente’s staff.

He moved up the defensive coordinator at Memphis before leaving Memphis at the end of the 2014 season to return to Missouri as the defensive coordinator on Pinkel’s staff.

With Pinkel announcing his retirement in November due to health reasons, Odom was one of the team’s initial candidates along with Houston head coach Tom Herman and Temple’s Matt Rhule.

When Herman agreed in principle to stay at Houston and Rhule withdraw from consideration it looked like Odom could be the last candidate standing.

“I’m tremendously honored to have this opportunity,” said Odom. … “I understand the responsibility we have to not only carry on the tradition of excellence that Gary Pinkel has built here, but also to help this program reach new heights. Mizzou means the world to me and to my family, and we couldn’t be more proud and excited to be in this position.”

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Missouri slumped to 5-7 in 2014 after winning the SEC East the previous two seasons.