On the field when the ball is snapped there are few receivers better than Beckham Here is how Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman described Beckham during his rookie year in 2014 One of the best defenders of the last decade Sherman has seen his fair share of talented wideouts as wide receivers are also known and broke them down in a piece for the Players Tribune in 2016 He started his analysis by talking about Beckham in a game they played two weeks before his famous catch against the Cowboys on November 23 2014 In that Week 10 game against the Giants I had been out on the field for a few plays when Odell came in fresh off the bench He ran a stop-and-go and I had it covered pretty well When he made his first cut I was right in his pocket Then he came out of the second part of his break and he just exploded like he had been shot out of a cannon and he caught the ball for a big gain I was like O K Now I know No one can deny Odell Beckham Jr s ability on the field But there is much more to Beckham than one extraordinary catch against the Dallas Cowboys or a touchdown celebration that upsets fans The son of athletes grew up to be an athlete himself and a remarkable one But his growth as a player and a person is what makes his young career so interesting 6 ODELL BECKHAM JR PRO BOWL WIDE RECEIVER
Growing Up a Tiger Odell Beckham Jr was born in Baton Rouge Louisiana on November 5 1992 Sports were a constant in his family His father Odell Beckham Sr was a star running back in high school His mother Heather Van Norman was a track standout Both athletes attended LSU where they first met Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University LSU in Baton Rouge is home to Tiger football Odell Beckham Sr was a running back for the Tigers 7 CHAPTER ONE
Odell Beckham Jr right poses with his mother Heather Van Norman at a charity event Heather was a track star when she was a student at LSU 8 ODELL BECKHAM JR PRO BOWL WIDE RECEIVER
Odell Sr played running back for the LSU football team for three seasons from 1989 to 1992 Heather was a track star there as well Later in life Beckham’s mother went on to coach track in college He said his mother would often send him tips about his running even when he was in college himself Growing Up a Tiger QUICK FACT Odell Beckham Sr was so good in high school he was mentioned in a famous football book He attended Marshall High School in Texas and played against the Permian Panthers team featured in Buzz Bissinger’s 1990 book Friday Night Lights She’s been a track coach for a while I remember her texting me after games I had decent games and she’s texting me Oh your form looks great Beckham said to reporters in 2014 It’s funny to hear coming from her She’s a track coach It’s not like That’s a nice catch She’s talking about running form Odell Jr is the oldest of three children He has a younger brother Kordell and a younger sister named Jasmine Sports and athletes were a huge influence on Odell’s life growing up Another LSU sports star basketball player Shaquille O’Neal acted like an uncle to him while he was growing up Following Footsteps Odell went to high school in New Orleans and he excelled as an athlete at a young age He played football and basketball and ran track at Isidore Newman High School Odell was one of the most talented players on his football team so he played many different positions wide receiver quarterback running back and cornerback He had some very impressive statistics in high school During his senior year he caught 50 passes for 1,010 yards and 19 touchdowns he also ran for 331 yards and six touchdowns passed for an additional touchdown and scored on two punt returns In 2011 Odell was selected to play in the US Army All-American Bowl a showcase for some of the 9
