Jason Brian Odom (born March 31, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s. Odom played college football for the Florida Gators, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1995. He played professionally for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early life

Odom was born in Winter Haven, Florida in 1974. He attended Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida,

College career

Odom accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was an offensive lineman for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1992 to 1995. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88, 93, 97, 102, 125, 184 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011. Odom was a four-year starter, a senior team captain in 1995, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1994 and 1995, and a unanimous first-team All-American in 1995.2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012. In his four years as a Gator, the team won three consecutive SEC championships (1993, 1994, 1995), and played for a Bowl Alliance national championship in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. He was also the recipient of the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy, recognizing the best blocker in the SEC, in 1994 and 1995.

Odom graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science in 1996. In one of a series of articles written for The Gainesville Sun in 2006, the newspaper's sports editors selected him as No. 28 of the top 100 Gators from the first 100 years of Florida football.Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, " No. 28 Jason Odom ," The Gainesville Sun (August 6, 2006). Retrieved April 1, 2013. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2010." Eight Former Letterwinners Announced to be Hall of Fame Inductees ," GatorZone.com (October 15, 2009). Retrieved July 22, 2011.

Professional career

Odom was chosen in the fourth round (96th overall) of the 1996 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played offensive tackle for the Buccaneers for four seasons from to . He started forty-one of the forty-six Buccaneers games in which he played. He was placed on injured reserve on August 27, 2000, ending his career.

Life after football

Odom has served as a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy in Tampa, Florida since 2008.Thomas W. Krause, "Ex-Buc, Veteran Become Deputies", The Tampa Tribune, Metro Section, p. 5 (July 12, 2008).

See also

1995 College Football All-America Team Florida Gators football History of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers List of Florida Gators football All-Americans List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft List of SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy winners List of University of Florida alumni University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame

References