Barry Odom takes vicious hit while bull riding to raise money for UNLV football program

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•03/03/24
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You know what they say. Desperate times for desperate measures. UNLV head football coach Barry Odom took that advice to heart, willing to do nearly anything for his football team. In one of the more insane fundraising efforts you’ll ever see, Odom decided to ride a bull on Saturday night.

That’s a risky proposition, even with a helmet. And unfortunately, Odom took a vicious shot while riding the bull. Once the gate opened, the bull immediately bucked Odom off, drilling him with the back of its horns.

I think it’s pretty safe to say you won’t see other college football coaches across the country lining up to do that, regardless of their program’s financial situation. But nothing but respect for Coach Odom for having the courage and fearless mindset to actually ride the thing. Even if he didn’t last for very long.

Keep in mind, he did that with zero training.

The bull’s name was ‘Widowmaker,’ and after watching it in live action, it’s easy to see why. The bull riding event was at the intermission of the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour at South Point Casino. After the ride, Odom said in an article via brobible.com, “He was in control from the start. I tried to catch up. Just couldn’t get there.”

Fans of the Runnin’ Rebels could buy a $150 ticket package that included a meet and greet with Odom and Hedeman. The package also included a happy hour. All of the money from ticket sales went to the Rebel Football Foundation. It’s made to support UNLV’s athletics programs through uniforms, facilities, etc.

UNLV featured one of the most explosive offenses in the Mountain West Conference this year and Odom brought home MWC Coach of the Year honors. The Rebels had a highly successful season, punching their tickets to the 2023 MWC Championship Game against Boise State. UNLV finished their 2023-2024 season with a 9-5 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference.

Odom came to UNLV after wrapping up his third season at the University of Arkansas, working as their associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and safeties coach. Before working with the Hogs, he spent four years as the head coach of the Missouri Tigers. He took two of his teams to bowl games and finished with an overall record of 25-25 from 2016-2019. The 2018 Missouri team finished ranked 23rd in the country in the regular season version of the College Football Playoff poll.