March 10, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Coach Gary Pinkel has finalized his plans to reorganize duties on the defensive side of the ball, following the recent departure of former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Dave Steckel, who has been with Pinkel all eight seasons at MU as linebackers coach, will become the new defensive coordinator for the Tigers, in addition to maintaining his linebacker coaching duties. He replaces Eberflus, who had filled the coordinator role from 2001-08, prior to taking an assistant coaching position with the NFL's Cleveland Browns in February.
Steckel's linebackers have blossomed at Mizzou under his tutelage. He has coached a Tiger to 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors in four of the last five seasons, including each of the last three years. His star pupil, Sean Weatherspoon, has been 1st-Team all-conference in both 2007 and 2008, and will begin the upcoming season on the short list for numerous national honors. Other 1st-Team All-Big 12 players under Steckel have included Marcus Bacon (2006) and James Kinney (2004). Kinney ended his career as Mizzou's career tackles leader (434).
Eberflus' departure also gave Pinkel an opportunity to promote Barry Odom to an assistant coach. He will now serve as the safeties coach, after serving as director of football operations for the past three years. Odom, a 1999 graduate of Mizzou, was a standout linebacker for the Tigers under the late Coach Larry Smith. Odom's replacement in the operations position will be announced at a later date.
Odom joined Pinkel's staff in 2003, after a very successful stint as head coach at Columbia's Rock Bridge High School where he led the Bruins to a conference championship in his first year, and followed with a semifinal appearance in the state championship playoffs the next year.
“I have always been a firm believer in promoting from within if you have the right people on board, and I feel very confident that we have the right people to step in and help advance our program,” said Pinkel, who is the third winningest coach in Tiger history, with his 59 wins. “These guys are outstanding coaches who are great leaders and even better examples to our kids. They will work very hard and represent the University of Missouri in a first-class manner,” he said.
“This is a great opportunity, and I'm very honored and humbled to have Coach Pinkel's confidence in my abilities,” said Steckel. “We've got a really talented group of kids who are busting their tails every day to improve and I'm excited about the possibilities for the future. I'm looking forward taking the things that Coach Eberflus built and adding my twists to the mix to help us move forward,” he said.
“I'm really excited to be a part of this coaching staff,” said Odom. “Over the past six years, Coach Pinkel has given me a lot of opportunities and I'm grateful for this next one that gives me a chance to help develop our players as students, athletes and young men,” he said.