The (Strange) Life and Times of Pat O'Dea

Arguably the first gridiron great, Australian-born Pat O'Dea made his impact on American football while at the University of Wisconsin.  Known as the "Kangaroo Kicker,"  in four years at UW (1896-99) O'Dea averaged 50 yards a punt. He also played fullback and defensive back. Not only was Pat an accomplished football star, but he was also a member of his brother Andy's UW crew team and was a track & field participant. 

After leaving UW in 1900, Pat served as the football coach at Notre Dame from 1900-01 in what proved to be a short tenure in South Bend despite a 14-4-2 record. Interestingly, Pat brought his squad to Madison on November 10, 1900 where the Badgers summarily dumped the Irish, 54-0. During his subsequent 17-year disappearance from Wisconsin and the mid-west, Pat lived in the San Francisco Bay area. During this time, however, Pat was not known to friends and acquaintances as Pat O'Dea, but as Charles Mitchell.  Soon after he resurfaced in 1934, Pat explained that he had grown tired of being known as a former Badger football star .  A story in the San Francisco Chronicle included the following quote by Pat O'Dea:

"I was very happy as Mitchell for a while.  Later, I found it rather unpleasant not to be the man I actually am.  So, if you want to write that I'm going to be Pat O'Dea for the rest of my life, write it."

The letter on the right is dated February 5, 1962 and is quite possibly the last written correspondence to one of Pat's many adoring fans. In it, he refers to his famous exploits in games versus Minnesota in 1897 and 1899.  Pat made numerous trips back to the mid-west in the 1940s and 50s and, in an ironic turn of circumstances, often basked in the attention he received at alumni events and football rallies.  A memorable photo taken in the fall of 1957 shows Pat and another college football legend, Red Grange, posing at Camp Randall Stadium before a game vs. the Illini.  In it, Pat kicks a football while Grange serves as his holder.  The image clearly depicts a spirit far removed from Pat's wishes of anonymity in an earlier era.  But Pat's ego seemed as strong as his leg. 

Pat O'Dea died on April 4, 1962 at the age of 90.  He was a remarkable Badger on the field and off.

Photos:  Top right:  Pat O'Dea penned letter to Frank Scandrett.  Scandrett attended the Wisconsin - Minnesota game in Minneapolis in November, 1899.  O'Dea recounts his famous running drop kick over Gil Dobies' head.  Above: Football pocket schedule signed by O'Dea at a Badger booster event in Minneapolis on the eve of the 1951 game vs. the Gophers.  Right:  O'Dea and Red Grange playfully pose for the camera at Camp Randall Stadium in September, 1957.

For more information on the life and times of Pat O'Dea, visit www.Irishlegends.com where the late Herb Juliano chronicled much of O'Dea's life. 

Special thanks to Michael Shutko, O'Dea researcher and friend, who has researched Pat and Andy O'Dea since 1982.