Byron Bode
Coach Bode joined EMS ISD’s coaching staff from Northwest ISD where he served as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Byron Nelson High School for seven years.
Bode’s coaching career began in 1999 as a middle school coach in Plano ISD. In 2001, he was hired at Allen High School as a freshman coach along with coaching the varsity kickers. The following year, he was moved to the high school full time where he coached the receivers and was part of a program that won 14 playoff games and four district championships, as well as a state semi-final appearance in 2003. Coach Bode left Allen in 2006 to take his first offensive coordinator role at Van Alstyne High School, a program that was making a jump in classifications to the 3A level. While at Van Alstyne, the program qualified for the post-season in 2008, the school’s first playoff appearance and seven-win season in class 3A.
In 2009, Coach Bode had the unique opportunity of being an integral part of starting a program from scratch when Byron Nelson opened. During his seven years as the Offensive Coordinator, the Bobcats qualified for the playoffs three times and in their second varsity season, in 2011, Byron Nelson won the first playoff game in the history of Northwest ISD.
Coach Bode is an alumnus of San Angelo Central High School where he was a two-sport letterman in football and baseball for three years. As an athlete in high school, he was a member of the football team that made it to the semi-finals in 1991 and the quarterfinals in 1992, as well as being named to the Associated Press First Team All-State as a punter in 1993. Due to his success in high school, he was awarded a scholarship to play football and baseball at Ranger Jr. College.
At Ranger, Coach Bode’s kicking career began to take off and he was selected as an All-Conference punter two years in a row, voted as team MVP, and named an All-American in 1995. He transferred to Angelo State University in the spring of 1996, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology, on a scholarship to kick for the Rams. Coach Bode continued to excel on the football field while at Angelo State and was named to the Lone Star Conference All-Conference Team in 1996 and 1997 and the All-West Region Team in 1997. The football team made it to quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Football Championships and he capped his senior year off by being selected to play in the National All-Star game.
Byron and his wife, Allison, have two daughters: Blake and Parker. Both girls are involved in sports and dance. In their spare time, the Bode’s enjoy spending time in the outdoors in northern Arkansas and in the Texas Hill Country.
