“It all changed… when we started winning”: How Hall of Fame tight end Riley Odoms assisted the Broncos in erasing the past and setting the norm for championship play.
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado: It wasn’t like him to lose.
Riley Odoms was a standout student at the University of Houston prior to his Ring of Fame career. He amassed 883 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons while leading the Cougars to a 26-8 record.
Odoms was used to winning, and when he moved to Denver in 1972, he had no idea what hardships he would soon encounter.
Odoms and the Broncos lost as many games by the middle of November in his rookie year as he did in his whole college career. The fan base’s outrage was evident, and it was a sharp awakening.
Odoms recalls flying back from a preseason road game and seeing a placard waiting for the team.
The sign said, “Welcome home [to] the Denver Donkeys,” Odoms remembered.
According to Odoms, “I wasn’t used to that kind of negativity,” on Thursday. “I’m going, ‘What did I get myself into?'”
The Broncos had no past team success to fall back on at that point. The greatest season they had previously had was 1962, when they began the season 7-2 but lost their next five games to end up with a.500 record.
However, Odoms would contribute to bringing about change and creating the benchmark that the franchise still adheres to today. The Broncos had their first winning season in 1973. A few seasons later, in 1977, they would make their first playoff appearance and Super Bowl trip.
Odoms, the fifth-overall selection in the 1972 NFL Draft, was crucial to the turnaround. From 1973 to 1975, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound player appeared in three straight Pro Bowls. In the latter two seasons, he was selected to the first team of the Pro All-Pro selection. In five different seasons, he scored five touchdowns on receptions, and from 1973 to 1975, he amassed at least 500 receiving yards.
Odoms concurred with a reporter’s assessment on Thursday, suggesting that he might have had a role in the revolution of the tight end position. Odoms concluded his career with the third-most receiving yards of any tight end in NFL history.
“My speed and coordination did me very well over the years, from high school to the Denver Broncos,” Odoms stated. “Did I make that revolutionary? Indeed, I was able to get along with everyone at the time.”
To put it another way, Odoms had a distinct advantage against cornerbacks due to his large stature and athleticism, and he would frequently demonstrate this on the field. Odoms was referred to as “Judge” by former quarterback Craig Morton, and fellow Ring of Fame inductee Steve Foley claimed Odoms was frequently the jury as well.
“He was judge and jury when he caught a pass,” Foley stated. “He would penalize a back on defense. He was an excellent pass catcher and blocker, in addition to being a ferocious tight end.
Best images from Hall of Fame tight end Riley Odoms’s Broncos career from the archives
At Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on November 28, 1976, during a game against the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos tight end Riley Odoms (88) sprints with the ball after making a reception.
Before a Denver Broncos game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 20, 1981, Riley Odoms (88), a tight end with the team, greets Broncos owner Edgar Kaiser.
Riley Odoms (88), a tight end for the Denver Broncos, sprints with the ball after making a reception during a play at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
Odoms promised no one could stop him from scoring six points once he got a pass along the sideline.
“If I can get to that sideline, then I’m getting to that end zone,” Odoms added. “No one was going to shove me off my routes or on anything down that sideline, or stop me. All I did was search for that goal line.”
Owner and CEO Greg Penner surprised Odoms on Thursday by calling to inform him that he had been elected to the Ring of Fame. Odoms will be formally honored during the Broncos’ Week 5 matchup with the Raiders.
“I’m overjoyed,” Odoms declared. “I’m relieved that there’s no longer any waiting. It’s merely the chance. I’m in a wonderful mood right now. I’ve always enjoyed playing in Colorado, so I feel fantastic. I cherished the audience, and I never got the chance to express my gratitude for having them as my audience.”
He’ll have that opportunity in October, and after Odoms helped the Broncos move past the Denver Donkeys era, he can be confident that a team will be grateful and appreciative in return. Rather, he assisted in setting the stage for the franchise’s winning squads.
“It all changed,” stated Odoms. “It all changed in one season when we started winning.”
