By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Tim Odom is returning to Northern Kentucky high school football after 29 years as the first head coach at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger.
The school announced the hiring of Odom on Monday. He’s taking charge of a new program that plans to field a junior varsity team next season and begin competing on the varsity level in 2025.
“I’m so excited I can hardly stand it,” Odom said. “It’s a great honor, it’s a great challenge and St. Henry is a great school. They play hard in every sport, boys and girls, and the academics are out of sight. It’s just great energy and a great place to be.”
Odom, 59, began his head coaching career at Simon Kenton High School in 1990. His teams compiled an 18-35 record in five seasons before he resigned in 1994 to become head coach at Glen Este High School in Ohio. His best season at Simon Kenton was in 1993 when the Pioneers won their first-ever Class 3A playoff game and finished with an 8-4 record.
Odom was also an assistant coach at Moeller and Lakota West high schools in Ohio. In his playing days, he was an all-state offensive lineman at Moeller and went on to play center for Ohio State University.
St. Henry athletic director Jim Demler said Odom “is a perfect fit” to launch the Crusaders’ football program. After the holidays, he will be formerly introduced to the student body and faculty during a rally on Jan. 3.
“His leadership and extensive experience will provide a solid foundation for sustained success,” Demler said. “Tim is a tremendous leader, and he will work hard to establish a football program that the St. Henry Community will be proud of.”
Odom said the last time he was on a football coaching staff was 2009 at Lakota West. He left teaching to start his own business, but he always planned to return to high school coaching.
“I just missed it every day since I’ve been out of it,” he said. “I had plans on coaching for someone full-time next year. As a line coach, special teams coach, water boy, or whatever, I was going to get back into it. I’ve always felt I was called to help form young men. I’ve got a knack for it and I knew I was going to get back to that someday.”
Odom said he was one of more than 30 applicants for the St. Henry head coaching position. He decided to apply after visiting workouts the high school has been conducting for students who want to be part of the new football program. The team will practice and play home games on a modern synthetic turf field.
“We’ve got like 45 kids signed up for jayvee spring ball and we’ve got 165 middle schoolers signed up to play sixth, seventh and eighth-grade ball,” Odom said.
The high school is also organizing flag football leagues for grades 1 through 8 in their parish feeder schools. Odom said another good sign is a high percentage of the 180 students who signed up for St. Henry’s freshman entrance exam are from non-feeder schools.
“I would think football is a big part of that,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Odom expects St. Henry to be competing on the Class 2A level. The seven area schools in Class 2A this year were Beechwood, Walton-Verona, Carroll County, Owen County, Bracken County and Gallatin County.
Beechwood lost in the semifinals of the Class 2A playoffs this year after winning three consecutive state titles.
“It’s a physical group,” Odom said of Class 2A. “And, of course, Beechwood is one of them that’s the cream of the crop, so it’s going to be awesome. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”