Bucknell's Odell Is Penn's Coach

The University of Pennsylvania has signed Bob Odell, former Quaker All-American, as its new head football coach. Odell, who made an Eastern small-college power out of the Bucknell football team, will attempt to rebuild Penn's lagging football fortunes.

Odell is replacing John Stiegman, who was fired after his team registered only one victory and a last-place finish in last year's Ivy football race.

The Quakers haven't had a winning season since they took the Ivy League title in 1959 and have been on the losing end for 11 of the last 12 seasons.

Recrulting Program

The 42-year-old Odell promised "to do everything we can to get respectable," including the undertaking of an "aggressive recruiting program" to attract top athletes.

Odell is the first Penn alumnus to coach the Quakers since George Munger, who retired after the 1953 season. Under the coaching of Munger, Odell won All-American honors in '43.

As a coach at Bucknell he led his teams to a record of 37 wins and 26 losses in seven years. Last season Bucknell won the Lambert Cup as the leading team among small Eastern colleges and beat Harvard 24-31.