Odus Mitchell
 Mitchell pictured in The Yucca 1951, North Texas State yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1899 |
| Died | July 5, 1989 (aged 90) Denton, Texas |
| Playing career | |
| 1921–1924 | West Texas State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1941–1945 | Marshall HS (TX) |
| 1946–1966 | North Texas State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 122–85–9 (college) 165–44–8 (high school) |
| Bowls | 1–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 LSC (1946–1947) 5 GCC (1950–1952, 1955–1956) 3 MVC (1958–1959, 1966) | |
James Odus Mitchell (1899 – July 5, 1989) was an American football player and coach. As a coach, he was successful both at the high school and collegiate levels. In 42 years of coaching, at all levels, he compiled a 289–129–17 record. In his 21 years as a high school coach, he coached at Slaton, Childress, Pampa, and Marshall, compiling a 165–44–8 record. At Marshall he coached Y. A. Tittle. From 1946 to 1966, Mitchell was the head football coach at North Texas State College, now the University of North Texas, compiling a record of 122–85–9. From 1946 to 1952, the Mean Green enjoyed seven consecutive winning seasons, which is a school record. His teams earned 10 conference championships, and played in three bowl games. In his 1966 season, North Texas went 8–2, which helped earn him National Coach of the Year honors. In 1986, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Texas State Eagles (Lone Star Conference) (1946–1948) | |||||||||
| 1946 | North Texas State | 7–3–1 | 1st | W Optimist | |||||
| 1947 | North Texas State | 10–2 | 6–0 | 1st | L Salad | ||||
| 1948 | North Texas State | 6–4 | 4–2 | 2nd | |||||
| North Texas State Eagles (Gulf Coast Conference) (1949–1956) | |||||||||
| 1949 | North Texas State | 8–4 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 1950 | North Texas State | 7–2–1 | 2–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1951 | North Texas State | 8–4 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1952 | North Texas State | 7–3 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1953 | North Texas State | 3–6–1 | 1–1 | ||||||
| 1954 | North Texas State | 4–6 | 1–1 | ||||||
| 1955 | North Texas State | 5–4–1 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1956 | North Texas State | 7–2–1 | 2–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| North Texas State Eagles (Missouri Valley Conference) (1957–1966) | |||||||||
| 1957 | North Texas State | 5–5 | 1–0 | 2nd | |||||
| 1958 | North Texas State | 7–2–1 | 2–1–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1959 | North Texas State | 9–2 | 3–1 | T–1st | L Sun | ||||
| 1960 | North Texas State | 2–6–1 | 0–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1961 | North Texas State | 5–4–1 | 1–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1962 | North Texas State | 6–4 | 2–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1963 | North Texas State | 3–6 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1964 | North Texas State | 2–7–1 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1965 | North Texas State | 3–7 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1966 | North Texas State | 8–2 | 3–1 | T–1st | |||||
| North Texas State: | 122–85–9 | ||||||||
| Total: | 122–85–9 | ||||||||
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