Dave Odom

For the baseball player, see Dave Odom (baseball).
Dave Odom
Odom in Kuwait, 2006
Sport(s) Basketball
Current position
Title Head coach
Biographical details
Born October 9, 1942 (1942-10-09) (age 69)
Playing career
1961–1965 Guilford
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1965–1967
1967–1969
1969–1976
1976–1979
1979–1982
1982–1989
1989–2001
2001–2008		 Goldsboro HS (asst.)
Goldsboro HS
Durham HS
Wake Forest (asst.)
East Carolina
Virginia (asst.)
Wake Forest
South Carolina
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NIT Tournament Championship (2000, 2005, 2006)
ACC Tournament Championship (1995, 1996)
ACC Regular Season Championship (1995)
Awards
SEC Coach of the Year (2004)
ACC Coach of the Year (1991, 1994, 1995)

Dave Odom (born October 9, 1942) is a retired American men's college basketball coach, who most recently coached at the University of South Carolina. He had previously held the same position at East Carolina University and Wake Forest University, and was an assistant coach at the University of Virginia.

Contents

Playing career

Odom began his career in sports at Goldsboro High School, in North Carolina, as the captain of his American football, basketball and baseball teams. After graduating in 1961, he attended Guilford College where he played quarterback on the football team for three years, as well as playing basketball for all four years. As a senior in 1965, Odom was named the college's most outstanding athlete. He was also inducted into the Guilford College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983.

Early career

After graduation in 1965, Odom accepted a job as the coach of Goldsboro High School while enrolled at East Carolina University in pursuit of a masters degree in physical education. Odom coached Goldsboro High School for four seasons between 1965 and 1969. After graduating from East Carolina in 1969, Odom took a job at Durham High School. He coached at Durham for seven years (1969–1976) where he was voted his league's coach of the year five times.

Early collegiate career

Odom began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Wake Forest University in 1976 under head coach Carl Tacy. After three years at Wake Forest (1976–1979), Odom became the head coach at East Carolina University, where his squad compiled a 16-11 record, the university's best since 1965. Odom stayed with the program until 1982, when he was offered a chance to return to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as an assistant at the University of Virginia.

As an assistant at Virginia (1982–1989) under head coach Terry Holland, Odom participated in some of the university's most successful seasons, including five National Collegiate Athletic Association berths and a trip to the Final Four in 1984. During this time, Odom coached future No. 1 NBA draft pick Ralph Sampson, who graduated in 1983. Odom served as acting head coach when Holland missed several games due to illness in the 1988-1989 season. Odom left Virginia in 1989 to return to Winston-Salem as the head coach of Wake Forest University.

Wake Forest

Upon his arrival in Winston-Salem, Odom inherited a team that had suffered four straight losing seasons under head coach Bob Staak. In his 12 seasons(1989–2001) as head coach, Odom compiled a record of 240-132, making him the second-highest winning coach in Wake Forest history, as well as the second highest winning percentage in school history. During this time, Wake Forest earned 7 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship.

Odom was named ACC coach of the year in 1991, 1994 and 1995. He led his team to consecutive ACC Championships in 1995 and 1996. Much of the success during these two years is attributed to star center Tim Duncan, whom he recruited as a player in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1994. In 1995, led by Duncan, the team put up a 26-6 overall record and defeated North Carolina by the score of 82-80, with the victory coming from a last second shot by point guard Randolph Childress. In 1996, the team successfully defended its title with a record of 26-6 by defeating Georgia Tech by a score of 75-74.

South Carolina

Odom left Wake Forest to accept the job as head coach of the University of South Carolina in 2001, replacing former coach Eddie Fogler. During his tenure at South Carolina, his team earned one NCAA tournament bid, and made three appearances in the NIT, winning the championship in 2005 and 2006. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2004. On January 2, 2008, Odom coached his 400th collegiate victory as a head coach. Later that month, on January 18, he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2007-2008 basketball season, his seventh at South Carolina. He coached his final game for USC on March 14, 2008, in the SEC tournament.

Head coaching records

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
East Carolina Pirates (Independent) (1979–1982)
1979–80 East Carolina 16–11
1980–81 East Carolina 12–14
1981–82 East Carolina 10–17
East Carolina: 38–42
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1989–2001)
1989–90 Wake Forest 12–16 3–11 8th
1990–91 Wake Forest 19–11 8–6 T–3rd NCAA Second Round
1991–92 Wake Forest 17–12 7–9 6th NCAA First Round
1992–93 Wake Forest 21–9 10–6 T–3rd NCAA Sweet 16
1993–94 Wake Forest 21–12 9–7 3rd NCAA Second Round
1994–95 Wake Forest 26–6 12–4 T–1st NCAA Sweet 16
1995–96 Wake Forest 26–6 12–4 2nd NCAA Elite 8
1996–97 Wake Forest 24–7 11–5 T–2nd NCAA Second Round
1997–98 Wake Forest 16–14 7–9 T–4th NIT Second Round
1998–99 Wake Forest 17–14 7–9 4th NIT Second Round
1999–00 Wake Forest 22–14 7–9 5th NIT Champions
2000–01 Wake Forest 19–11 8–8 5th NCAA First Round
Wake Forest: 240–132 101–87
South Carolina Gamecocks (Southeastern Conference) (2001–present)
2001–02 South Carolina 22–15 6–10 T–5th NIT Runner Up
2002–03 South Carolina 12–16 5–11 5th
2003–04 South Carolina 23–11 8–8 3rd NCAA First Round
2004–05 South Carolina 20–13 7–9 T–4th NIT Champions
2005–06 South Carolina 23–15 6–10 5th NIT Champions
2006–07 South Carolina 14–16 4–12 6th
2007–08 South Carolina 14–18 5–11 5th
South Carolina: 128–104 41–71
Total: 406–278

      National champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference tournament champion
      Conference regular season & conference tournament champion       Conference division champion

References

External links