DENVER — As Riley Odoms looked out at the grass at Empower Field at Mile High, he felt like his former self.
"I'm ready to suit up now," Odoms said Saturday before being inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. "I know I can't play anymore, but I still can catch the ball."
Odoms, who punished defenders during his 12-year career, may no longer sprint down the sideline for key touchdowns. And Steve Foley, who was also inducted into the Ring of Fame on Saturday, no longer patrols the center of the field.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar, who will receive his Hall of Fame ring on Sunday, no longer makes his presence felt in opposing backfields.
But on Saturday night at Empower Field at Mile High, you'd be forgiven if you flashed back to the primes of some of the greatest players in franchise history.
Surrounded by their 1977 teammates, Odoms and Foley were inducted into the Ring of Fame as the Broncos celebrated the first official reunion for Denver's first Super Bowl team.
Complete with a pop-up museum dedicated to the history of the 1977 team and its memorable run to Super Bowl XII, the evening offered a chance to reflect on the accomplishments of the team, celebrate being together and remember those who have passed.
Owner & CEO Greg Penner and Owner Carrie Walton Penner helped present both Foley and Odoms with their orange Ring of Fame jackets, and the two men spoke glowingly of their time in Denver.
Foley, who was inducted first, spoke of his teammates, coaches and family members who helped him on his journey.
"Not only is a great honor but to be back here with the 1977 team and all my teammates from that era, it's just phenomenal to be here," Foley told DenverBroncos.com. "It's a good night. It's a good night."
Odoms, meanwhile, reflected with gratitude on what it meant to be inducted in the Ring of Fame, and he highlighted a slew of teammates in attendance.
"I'll tell you what, I am just excited about it," Odoms said. "I've been wishing and wishing and wishing, and I finally got my dues. I'm just going to say I am overjoyed with love and happiness and everything."
From Craig Morton, Rick Upchurch and Haven Moses to Billy Thompson, Louis Wright and Tom Jackson, the 1977 Broncos were well represented as they supported their former teammates. Those men joined more than two dozen players, coaches and staff from the 1977 team at Saturday's event. And with laughter echoing throughout the room and stories being shared, the Broncos' Breckenridge Bourbon Club perhaps felt more like the Broncos' 1977 locker room.
As Odoms called for Morton to throw him one more pass, Saturday night seemed like a long-awaited look back in time.
