This is the final installment in a series profiling NIU Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell

After his stint at Minnesota, Gerald O’Dell ended up at NIU. He said he enjoys the job when he counts his blessings, but it is a high pressure job.

“I feel like I’m living on the edge because you can’t predict what’s going to happen. It’s a pressure I feel because I want to do the right things,” he said.

What qualifies O’Dell to be the AD? “I have a vision. I have a very strong background in Division I athletics. I’ve been at Oklahoma which had controversial programs and I’ve been in that type of an environment.”

How does he make some of the tough decisions? “I ask each day just to be wise. That’s how I start off each day. I have to stay focused on what our priorities are and try to minimize mistakes.”

What does he see as a strength of the NIU athletics? “We have a quality institution. We are at a close proximity to large population centers. We have quality coaches, administration, and students.”

What are the weaknesses? “We have antiquated facilities and we lack in identity. What are we all about here? I don’t think athletics can build the identity by itself. We need to manifest what a Huskie is, not just in athletics, but with the entire institution. Athletics can bring a great notoriety to a school, but we can do it both ways. Duke is a great example. They’re a quality institution with a great athletic program.

“We have people all around us who are ready to participate. It’s our job to open up a line of communication and give them the chance to participate and that’s what our chapter program is designed to do,” O’Dell said.

O’Dell handles his pressures by getting away from them with his wife Barbara. He considers himself an outdoorsman. He loves to fish, hike, bike, run, and canoe. “We have a cabin up in Wisconsin. We get to go up there five or six times a year. We call it power resting. We like to go backpacking and canoeing; we like the wilderness,” he said.

O’Dell discovered his love for the wilderness when he was playing nosetackle for Southeastern Oklahoma State. The school is located in Dorant, Ok., which is an outdoor recreation area. One of the assistant coaches, Richard “Red” Rutherford, introduced the world of fishing to O’Dell. “He (Rutherford) took me fishing once and I fell in love with it. It’s just so peaceful. I just haven’t been able to go as often as I like to,” he said.

But, back in the real world, O’Dell has a huge task. Will he get to complete it? That became a big question this summer when rumors started that O’Dell was feeling the heat from La Tourette. “I was dissappointed. I don’t know who would start such rumors about me. I asked the president how that rumor got started, and he just told me to let it blow over. There are rumors flying all over the place, that one just happened to concern me,” he said.

O’Dell said his ultimate goal is to be happy. That happiness will depend on the success of his job and his personal life, he said. But O’Dell already knows the way to success. It hangs on the wall of his office. It’s a quote by Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. “The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure.

Can people trust me to do my best?

Am I committed to the task at hand?

Do I care about other people and show it?

If the answers to these questions are yes, there’s no way you can fail.”