In mid-October, no one around the Missouri football program was having fun and, if anything, it seemed as if head coach Barry Odom was nearing the proverbial "hot seat." That comes with the territory with a 1-5 record and five consecutive defeats but, from that point forward, the Tigers rattled off six straight wins in impressive fashion and, at the end of the season, that run was apparently good enough to garner an extension for Odom.
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On Saturday, Missouri formally announced a two-year contract extension that will keep him in place through the 2023 campaign and Director of Athletics Jim Sterk had the following to say about the move:
"We are pleased that we were able to reward Coach Odom for his performance this season with a two-year contract extension. Coach Odom and his staff are building a strong foundation for Mizzou Football that will ensure continued academic and athletic success for our student-athletes."
"Mizzou Football has great momentum on the field with six-straight victories heading into the Texas Bowl, one of the top football Graduation Success Rates in the Southeastern Conference and ground-breaking for the new Memorial Stadium South End Zone Building slated for early next year. Coach Odom has tremendous passion for Mizzou and I look forward to watching him lead our football program for many years to come."
Odom also noted that he is "excited for the future of this program" after his first two-year stint at the helm.
Even if the six-game winning streak coincided with a favorable schedule, Missouri going to a bowl game after a 1-5 start is impressive. Now, we will see how Odom and his staff can follow that up in 2018.
