Gerald Odom, two-time high school football champion coach at Merritt Island, dies at 82

Gerald Odom, who led Merritt Island High School to two football state championships and also led programs at New Smyrna Beach and Cocoa, has died. He was 82.

Odom, born Feb. 5, 1941, attended Apopka High School and attended the University of Florida, where he played football and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education in 1964.

He was a three-year letterman for the Gators in 1960, 1962 and 1963 for coach Ray Graves. Odom played on both the offensive and defensive lines.

He became a teacher and coach after graduating.

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Odom was an assistant coach under Byrd Whigham at Melbourne High in 1966 when the Bulldogs won the Class 2A Championship Game.

In 1967, Odom joined Ed Feely’s staff at Merritt Island and was the defensive coordinator for the Mustangs in 1972 when the team won its first state championship.

He took over as head coach for the 1973 season and won back-to-back state titles in 1978 and 1979.

Odom stayed at Merritt Island until 1994, when he departed following the team’s state semifinal loss to Ocala Vanguard and future NFL star, Daunte Culpepper.

“Coach Odom was more than a coach to many of the youth that was fortunate to play for him. His impact will carry on for many years ahead,” said current Merritt Island High girls soccer coach Nate Trout, who was kicker for Odom on the 1994 state semifinal team. “For me personally, Coach O always believed in me, and that gave me the confidence to be the kicker I was and laid the foundation for me to have so much pride in MIHS and giving back to our community. He was more than a ball coach. He was a mentor to many leaders of today that spreads well beyond our MI community. Love you Coach.”

Odom finished with a 191-57-2 record at Merritt Island.

The Stadium was later renamed in his honor: The O-Dome.

Odom took the 1995 season off, then joined New Smyrna Beach in 1996. He went 55-17 in six seasons there before returning to Brevard County in 2002 to take over Cocoa High.

He was lured away by Cocoa High athletic director Chuck Goldfarb, who previously held the same position at Merritt Island.

“It was the best move I ever made as an AD was hiring Gerald Odom because he brought all those other Merritt Island guys with him,” said Goldfarb, now the associate athletic director for Holy Trinity Episcopal. “You can take all the football and all the accolades for football and throw those in the river between Merritt Island and Cocoa, because he was a better man with scruples, with a commitment to people, than he ever was a football coach.”

In three seasons there, Odom went 22-11, but he laid the ground work for what would become a state power program. Coach John Wilkinson, who played for Odom at Merritt Island in the 1980s, took over the Cocoa program and won three consecutive state titles, in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

For his career, Odom compiled a 268-85-2 record with two state championships in 33 years as the head football. He had two more as an assistant coach.

Odom was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000 and was honored by the FHSAA in 2007 as a member of its "All-Century Team" coaching staff.

Odom was named Florida Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1978 and 1979, and later was awarded a lifetime membership by the organization after serving stints as president and vice president.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Gerald Odom dies: Coach led Merritt Island football to 2 Florida titles