Aldine ISD Spring 2023

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EISENHOWER FOOTBALL

Ike Hires Former Aldine ISD Star Odell James

\\ By Matthew Ogle

If you get on the field at [W.W.] Thorne Stadium, you’ve got a chance to get yourself out of the neighborhood. “ ”

FORMER ALDINE MACARTHUR FOOTBALL SUPERSTAR AND BAYLOR ALUM ODELL JAMES IS RETURNING TO ALDINE ISD. ONLY THIS TIME, HE’S GOING TO BE THE NEW HEAD COACH FOR THE EISENHOWER EAGLES AND SWOOP NATION. Fresh off a Class 6A DI State Championship as the QB coach Duncanville High School, James will embark upon his first Class 6A head-coaching gig at Ike this Fall. He is looking to build the Eisenhower brand back to prominence. He was the head coach at Class 2A Bruni High School three years ago. “I’m very blessed to be back home … back to my roots,” said James. I want to bring tradition back to this new era.” Speaking of Duncanville, James learned from one of the best in the business – Panthers coach Reginald Samples. “Coming from Duncanville, I’m going to apply the dedication from the players and the coaches into this program,” he said. “I was very blessed to have worked for Coach [Reginald] Samples, and to see how he does things. Some people might not like how he demands excellence, both competitively and academically, but I do. He definitely kept a fire under our feet to make sure we remained challenged and didn’t become complacent. I want to bring a version of that here to Eisenhower.” Samples is just one of his coaching mentors. He worked at Prestonwood Christian Academy for Chris Cunningham, South Oak Cliff for Jason Todd, Corsicana and Baylor University. With a new head coach comes a new culture. Fortunately, for Ike football, they’ll be in good hands. “I intend to build a culture on hard work and dedication,” James said. “I want the players to be committed to the brand. You know, making sure that people understand the history of Eisenhower football and knowing that this was and is a powerhouse school. So that’s going to be the main thing we run with.” James not only wants to build a championship caliber team, but more importantly he intends to give his players the same opportunities that he had. “If you get on the field at [W.W.] Thorne Stadium, you’ve got a chance to get yourself out of the neighborhood,” he said. “That’s one thing that we always hope for them. You know, just working hard and getting the opportunity to move on to something bigger. That happened to me and it was a blessing when I went off to Baylor. Sure, there were some ups and downs with coaching, but I stayed focused on my game and my academics, just kept my head up and kept moving forward. That’s what I hope my guys can learn from.” There should be plenty to look forward to for Eisenhower come this Fall. Don’t be surprised if James drives the Aldine ISD school back to the future.

ALDINE ISD \\ 25

vype.com \\ SPRING 2023 \\