COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has added former Mizzou standout and NFL tight end A.J. Ofodile (owe-FAH-delay) to his staff, as announced today. Ofodile, who has been a successful head coach at Columbia’s Rock Bridge High School since 2003, will serve as the football program’s Director of Recruiting Operations. Details of Ofodile’s appointment will be released once finalized, pending the completion of human resources procedures.
Ofodile, 42, served as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator for Odom at Rock Bridge during Odom’s head coaching stint there from 2001-02. After Odom joined Mizzou’s coaching staff prior to the 2003 season, Ofodile took over as the program’s head coach. In 2013, his Bruins were state runners up, reaching the state championship game for the school’s first time since 1993.
A first-team All-Big Eight selection in 1993 for Mizzou, Ofodile was a three-year letterwinner (1991-93), and finished his Tiger career with 73 receptions for 851 yards and six touchdowns. After an outstanding 1993 season which included 55 catches for 589 yards and four TDs, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft by Buffalo, and spent six years in the league with Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Baltimore through 1999.
“I’m very excited to have A.J. joining our staff, he will be a huge part of our entire program, and specifically our recruiting efforts,” said Odom. “I have tremendous respect for A.J. as a person and as a mentor and I’m excited for how he will represent our program and university. He cares deeply about Mizzou, and shares a lot of the same beliefs that I have on building Mizzou into a championship program,” he said.
“I’ve been very set about if I was to ever make the move to the college level, that who I was going to be working for was the most important aspect, and it couldn’t be a better situation for me at Mizzou with Coach Odom,” said Ofodile. “I have a world of respect for him, he’s a first-class person and I believe in his vision and the work that he and his staff are doing to build something special. Naturally, it’s very special for me to be coming back to my alma mater. Mizzou holds a very special place in my heart and I am very excited about doing anything I can to contribute to it,” he said.
A Detroit, Mich. native, Ofodile earned his bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Mizzou in August of 2001. His family includes wife Dianna, daughter Jasmyn and son Alex.
