COLUMBIA, MO. • Barry Odom rarely passes on a chance to revisit history and compare his time as Missouri’s football coach to his years as Missouri’s middle linebacker.
In Odom’s sophomore season in 1997, Mizzou broke through with its first winning record and first bowl game in 14 years. The Tigers tasted success but were hardly fulfilled. The next season, with core players back on both sides of the ball including a nationally touted senior quarterback, a rugged offensive line and key playmakers on defense, MU toppled rival Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado and punctuated an eight-win season with a victory over West Virginia in the Insight.