Former OU, Southeastern player Brian Odom got his start in Ada

“We felt like we were probably the best team in the class, but that's why you play the games.”

Odom would sign with the University of Oklahoma after high school and redshirted during the 2000 national championship season.

In 2001, he played on special teams in every game for the Sooners except one, a game he missed after suffering a concussion the previous week. After that season, however, Odom decided to transfer to Southeastern.

“I wanted to get somewhere I could carry the ball,” he said. “It was going to be a situation where I would have done the same thing (play on special teams) all four years.

“It was a hard decision for me to leave. I liked the situation we had. Obviously, we were a great team and I had a lot of friends on the team. I really liked the coaches and respected the coaches. I just wanted a chance to carry the ball.”

Odom doesn't regret the decision to transfer.

“It turned out to be the right decision,” he said. “I played on three pretty good teams (at Southeastern), and the last year I was there we played in the playoffs.”

Odom is still a Cougar, but now he is a Houston Cougar. He heads the strength and conditioning program for the University of Houston.

After leaving Southeastern, Odom took a graduate assistant's job on Gary Pinkel's staff at Missouri where his older brother, Barry, was the recruiting coordinator.

He stayed at Missouri one year before joining the University of Arizona and becoming one of its strength and conditioning coaches.

He remained at Arizona until Mike Stoops and the coaching staff was replaced by Rich Rodriguez. Odom landed the Houston job in January.

Odom, 31, said it was Oklahoma's strength and conditioning coach, Jerry Schmidt, who inspired him to take his current career path.

“He is the reason I wanted to do this,” Odom said. “He is the godfather of this business in the weight room. The program he ran, I really respected it.”

Odom hasn't attended an Ada football game since the last one he played, but follows the school's success through the media.

In 1999, Odom was the Tulsa World's high school “Player of the Year.” The Oklahoman's selection was Wes Welker of Heritage Hall.

When reminded of that, Odom laughed and said, “Looks like the Daily Oklahoman made a good decision on that one.”