Missouri Tigers Barry Odom gives fiery speech after loss to Auburn

Barry Odom addressed the media after Missouri’s 51-14 loss to Auburn at home:

I want to get one thing real straight, I’m going to win here, that’s going to happen, we will win. This is a turnaround, any way you slice it or dice or want to look at it, this is a turnaround process and unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I’m built for this because I’ve been in a whole heck of a lot of it my entire life.

I want to go back to the year 1997 and ‘98 when Larry Smith was here. Alright, his ass went and fought for 14 years and finally broke down the wall, he did it. Alright, and there’s a lot of people who went and sacrificed and did a lot of things to get that turned around but I was part of it I was in the locker room — I saw it -- I was a captain. I know what it takes, okay.

Fast forward to 2004 everybody want to run Gary Pinkel out of town. Okay that’s pretty damn foolish alright because he’s all he’s done to become winningest coach in program history. That was a turnaround, it took time, that’s where we’re at. OK. It’s a turnaround. I don’t like it, I want to win right now. But that’s not the hand I’m given. OK, we’re doing a lot of really good things in this program. Our kids are working extremely hard. We’re not winning games yet, but we will. I’m the man to go get it done, with this staff, with this team, with this program. There’s not anyone left standing after 2015 alright, I am. I know what it takes.

You talk about dark days, I heard that over hear walking cross the street, I’ve seen a damn dark day. July 12th, 2005. Ok — Aaron O’Neal — that’s a dark day. This ain’t dark days, this is when the going gets tough you build it together you fight together and you go find a way to get it done. And that’s where we’re at. It’s part of a turnaround process that is not going to be easy.

Our team knows that, I know that, our program knows that. Ok. But I got a guy that’s the third team left tackle from Rock Bridge High School that’s got a twitter account he’s got 12 followers and he wants to put out how terrible we are. Alright that’s the way this society is, that we go and we read and we think ‘oh my gosh Missouri Football we’re this and we’re that’ — we haven’t won yet but I got a group of guys that went over to the hospital yesterday that took care of a kid ok. I’m building a future for this football team and this program and our kid’s life that they’re going to go be successful for the next 40 years of their life. They’re going to have adversity in their life and they’re going to go back to this point on how they respond. So I’m good. I’ve got a platform to be able to go build it. I know what I’ve got in the locker room. We’re going to win — that’s going to happen.

Want to fast forward a little bit longer. 2012. Went to Memphis. Ok, maybe historically at that point was the worst program in the country. In 2012 we won four games. Alright. 2013 we were a hell of a lot better but we won three games so everyone thinking oh they went backwards — no we didn’t go backwards, we were better in a lot of spots. And then 2014 we lined up and won 10 games, won a bowl game, won our conference championship, and at the end of the year ain’t nobody in the damn country that wanted to play our ass, I guarantee it because we were playing the way you’re supposed to go play.

It was a turnaround. Justin Fuente did it. I was part of it. Ok. So — and then fast forward to 2015, ok. That was a tough year alright. That built me for who I am today. That built our program, we’re going to get there, that’s the narrative that’s the turnaround that’s the state of our program. I’m disappointed, I’m frustrated, all the above, but I’m right where I want to be build this team with a whole bunch of guys who want to go do it the right way, the right way in every aspect of our organization.”

Some players chimed in after the game as well: