Pat O'Dea

Patrick John "Kangaroo Kicker" O'Dea (17 March 1872 – 5 April 1962) was an Australian rules and American football player and coach. An Australian by birth, O'Dea played Australian rules football for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA). In 1898 and 1899, O'Dea played American football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States, where he excelled in the kicking game. He then served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1900 to 1901 and at the University of Missouri in 1902, compiling a career college football record of 19–7–2.

Following his Australian Rules and American Football careers, O'Dea deliberately disappeared from the public eye, however he helped popularise Australian rules football in the United States as a participation sport while working in San Francisco by training schoolchildren in the kicking game.

O'Dea was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1962.

Early life O'Dea was born in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, to an Irish-born father and a Victorian-born mother. He was the third child of seven children. As a child he attended Christian Brothers College and Xavier College. As a 16-year-old, he received a bronze medallion from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for rescuing a woman at Mordialloc beach. O'Dea played Australian rules football for the Melbourne FC in the VFA before arriving at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to catch-up with his brother.

In the 1899 game, he returned a kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown, and he had four field goals. He was selected as an All-American team member in 1899.

O'Dea also competed in track and field for Wisconsin as a hurdler.

Coaching career

Notre Dame From 1900 to 1901, O'Dea coached at the University of Notre Dame, compiling a 14–4–2 record.

Missouri O'Dea was the tenth head football coach for the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, serving for one season, in 1902, and compiled a record of 5–3.

Later life O'Dea introduced Australian rules at the University of Wisconsin and while working in San Francisco also trained schoolchildren, resulting in the adoption of the field kicking game known as "field ball" by the San Francisco public grammar schools. He later appeared on Bob Hope's All-American football team announcement shows. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on 3 April 1962. He died the next day at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

Pat O'Dea died on 4 April 1962 at the age of 90 after an illness. While he was in hospital he received a get-well message from President John Kennedy. O'Dea's obituary in the New York Times commented on his kicking achievements including a 110-yard punt, though against Minnesota in 1897 and not Yale in 1899, and his 62-yard goal against Northwestern in 1898.

Head coaching record