Odus Mitchell was a highly successful football coach, both at the high school, and collegiate levels. In 42 years of coaching, at all levels, he compiled a 289-129-7 record. In his 21 years as a high school coach, he coached at Slaton, Childress, Pampa, and Marshall, compiling a 165-44-8 record. At Marshall he coached Y. A. Tittle.

From 1946 to 1966, he was the head football coach at North Texas.

His highly successful career there gave him a 122-85-9 record there. From 1946 to 1952, the Mean Green enjoyed 6 consecutive winning seasons, which is a school record. His teams earned 10 conference championships, and played in 3 bowl games. In his 1966 season, North Texas went 8-2, which helped earn him National Coach of the Year honors. In 1986, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.