Sept. 1, 1999

Columbia, Mo. - Barry Odom is what most people would think of as a typical small town, Midwestern boy. The Ada, Okla. native is a reserved, very modest and determined person?off the field. On the field, he maintains the same determination, but he is a fierce competitor who puts everything he has into every game, and while he may be modest about his own accomplishments, he has much to say about what his team can and will do this season.

Odom, a senior linebacker, knew he wanted to be a Tiger from the first time he visited Missouri, after visiting three other schools.

?I knew this was the place I wanted to go,? Odom said. ?When I laid out all the pros and cons and the visits previous to Missouri the only bad thing about Missouri was distance from home. I was happy with the way Coach (Larry) Smith and his staff were doing things. I could see that they were going to get better and I wanted to be a part of that.?

Coach Smith returned the faith Odom showed in him, by showing Odom some faith of his own. After Odom tore his ACL during his senior year of high school. Smith gave him the option of coming to Missouri and starting school in August and getting the surgery done here. Odom wasn?t too keen on that idea. So he and Smith agreed that he would come to Missouri in January.

?I just didn?t want my college career to start off in the treatment room, not doing anything,? Odom said. ?Coach Smith was real supportive of that.?

Odom?s decision proved to be a wise one. He was able to make an immediate impact his freshman season, playing in 10 games and starting four. He has improved every year since that at both strongside and weakside linebacker. He has also overcome another torn ACL that occurred in April 1997, in his other knee. He worked with head trainer Rex Sharp everyday to be able to start in every game of the 1997 season.

?My knees feel great,? Odom said. ?They?re stable and strong. I?ve never felt better. Actually I really don?t think about it. It?s water under the bridge. I can?t worry about it. Worry is not going to get anything done.?

The team has improved every year since Odom has been at Ol? Mizzou as well. They went from a 5-6 record in 1996 to an Insight.com Bowl victory last season. Odom and the other seniors have set some goals that may seem lofty to some people, but to them just seem to be the next progression from the year before. The first is to improve their record, the second is to win the Big 12 Conference and the third is to win a BCS Bowl Game.

?When we win the Big 12, we could ultimately be competing for a national championship,? Odom said. ?That is where we want to be. There is a high level of confidence, but yet we still know that we have to prove it on the field. We can say we?re going to do this or we?re going to do that, but we have to produce on the field.?

Odom attributes the success of the past two seasons and high level of confidence to the camaraderie and unity of the team. He claims everyone on the team gets along and no players have problems with anyone else.

?Anytime you have 110 guys that get along like we do that?s pretty special,? Odom said. ?I don?t think you can go out and find 110 average people and they can get along for the amount of time that we spend together.?

There were also 90 players living in Columbia this summer which helped build more unity, as well as build excitement in the community for the upcoming season. Odom was the leader of this group in the weight room and in other off-season training activities. Odom is looking forward to the season beginning. He just hopes that the team continues to improve and can achieve the goals they have set for themselves, as well as Odom being able to achieve his one personal goal for the season.

?I just want to be a leader of the team, on defense especially, and take Missouri football to a level we haven?t seen in awhile. The thing is, we?re in this together, the players and the coaches, striving for one thing. As long as our team can come along and progress like we need to, I?ll be happy.?

Written by Heidi Johnson of MU Sports Information