Jeffrey Lee Odenwald September 04, 1946 – March 18, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card Jeffery Lee Odenwald, one of Major League Baseball’s most innovative marketers, equally known for his business acumen, died of natural causes at his home in Charlotte, NC. He was 73. Odenwald left his mark during his years in MLB—the Greenwood Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, the Seattle Mariners, the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers—in sales, broadcasting and public relations.
He will be remembered for everything from being the father of Funny Nose Night to being the man who first hired the San Diego Chicken to his innovative trade marking with the Chicago Cubs that set a precedent that changed the use of professional sports team logos, names, and images. Odenwald was described by Scott Nickle, a long time associate who now serves as Director of Partnership Sales and Corporate Marketing with the Philadelphia Phillies, as a vivacious salesman with a genius for promotion and a personality that made him a favorite of management, players and fans alike. In 2018 Odenwald, a 1969 graduate of The Ohio State University and the recipient of the George Smith Distinguished Alumni Award, shared stories at a Sigma Phi Epsilon ceremony about a colorful career as an executive in Major League Baseball that earned him two World Series rings (with Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine) where he worked side by side with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Sparky Anderson.
“When you’re a kid going nowhere as a player, well I was so blessed to have been with some of the greatest names in the game,” he said. The career started with a letter to every General Manager in Major League Baseball that read, “I’m a frustrated third baseman who can’t hit the curveball. Would there be a chance that I might come and work for your ball club.
I’ll start anywhere in your minor league system—pop the corn, mow the grass, swab the locker room”. He received one response. Paul Richards, the then General Manger of the Atlanta Braves simply said, “Dear Jeff.
Our outfield grass is getting a little long with our A ball team in Greenwood, South Carolina, please report for duty as our GM and bring your lawn mower! ” And Odenwald would grow with the grass—Group Sales in Cincinnati in the ‘60s, the introduction of Major League Baseball to the Pacific Northwest with the Seattle Mariners in ’77, then Director of Merchandising and Broadcasting with the Chicago Cubs. And finally, Sr. Vice President for Marketing & Communications with the Detroit Tigers.
Following his impressive career in Major League Baseball Odenwald would go on to serve as the Director of Marketing and Business Affairs with USA Baseball, the national governing body for the U.S. Olympic Committee. There were years later with SMI Properties, a marketing enterprise associated with NASCAR. But perhaps Odenwald’s greatest contributions, including all his innovations in everything from promotions to trade marking, was his silent behind the scenes volunteerism—where he worked with inmates in local penitentiaries, visited children in hospitals and spoke to elders in local nursing facilities in the Charlotte area.
Bob Huck, of Charlotte, NC, a fellow volunteer, said of Odenwald, “He loved the unlovable in ways not many were privileged to see. He was a willing mentor to those who needed special guidance through difficult times. He brought his own personal wisdom to anyone who asked for it.
He never said no to someone in need. “Jeff had a wonderful sense of humor. His presence would lighten the room.
He will be terribly missed by those who were blessed by his company. Odenwald, the son of Jim and Lee Odenwald (both deceased), was married to the late Karen Auten Odenwald and is survived by his son Ryan of Atlanta, Georgia. Contributions, in lieu of flowers, can be made to Harrisburg United Methodist Church, Harrisburg North Carolina.
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