Darryl Odom’s football story began in 1967 at I. Terrell Junior High under Coach Lawson Smart, a Morgan State graduate who taught him discipline, teamwork, and the importance of embracing the grind. At Kashmere High School, Darryl anchored the line, earned All-District 19-4A honors, captained the team under Coach Johnny B. Felder, and helped lead Kashmere to the 1972 19-4A district championship.
In 1973, Darryl took his dream to Morgan State University on a football scholarship. There, he was part of back-to-back MEAC championship teams (1975 and 1976), and he suited up for a history-making moment: the first NCAA football game ever played outside the Western Hemisphere, when Morgan State met Grambling State University in Tokyo, Japan. In the classroom, he finished strong, was recognized as the MEAC’s top graduating academic starter, and completed his Master of Public Administration (1977).
Darryl then poured that same focus into public service with the City of Houston Health and Human Services Department, helping deliver more than 250,000 service units to families in Houston’s southeast area. He later followed a call to the ministry, being ordained first as a deacon and then as a preacher in 2009 at Greater St. Peter’s Church in Hempstead, Texas. He also completed a Community Education degree from the College of Biblical Studies in Houston.
He stepped away from the field in 1977, after conversations with Philadelphia Eagles chief scout Jackie Graves; he chose not to pursue a free-agent contract, as he decided to embark upon his professional career. Darryl remains grateful for every coach, teammate, teacher, and church member who shaped his journey. The wins were sweet; the lessons were sweeter.
