ROD O’DONNELL (WASHINGTON COUNTY)
Quite simply, Rod O’Donnell is a coaching giant when it comes to the sports of track and field and cross country, with success taking place on both the collegiate and high school levels.
A 1966 graduate of Belpre High School, O’Donnell’s love for the running sports started as a Golden Eagle. After high school, he attended Ohio University before beginning an illustrious career as a running coach and teacher.
In the fall of 1971, O’Donnell started the boys cross country program at Caldwell High School. By 1972, his Redskins were the Ohio runner-up and the following season brought home the state championship.
He moved on to coaching at the next level for Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande). His 1974 squad placed 22nd in the NAIA National Meet (the highest finish in school history at the time).
In 1975, he started a women’s cross country program at Marshall and had four All-Conference performers right out of the gate.
In 1977, his Thundering Herd men’s cross country team won the Southern Conference title. O’Donnell was the SC Coach of the Year in both 1977 and 1984.
While at Marshall, he had 25 SC cross country champions. Three of his runners qualified for the NCAA nationals.
O’Donnell left Marshall for Kent State, where he was twice named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. He was named the 1991 Ohio Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. At Kent, O’Donnell had 27 NCAA qualifiers for both track and cross country. During his time with the Golden Flashes, he had the pleasure of coaching 11 All-Americans.
In 2001, he returned to the prep scene at Hudson High School, where he quickly won a state championship in his first season at the helm. For his efforts, he was named the Ohio High School Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Returning to the Mid-Ohio Valley, O’Donnell took over the boys track and field program at tradition-rich Parkersburg High School in 2014 and once more had a beginning most can only dream of by leading the Big Reds to the Class AAA state title (49 years from the school’s last title. O’Donnell’s 2021 team brought him home yet another Class AAA state crown.
O’Donnell is indeed a true Hall of Famer. In recent years, he has been inducted into the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Hudson High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the OATCCC Hall of Fame.
Rod O’Donnell Video
Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame 