When former Broncos star tight end Riley Odoms is in Denver again this weekend, he will think back a year ago to the happiness of his wife Alnetia.

Odoms on Oct. 6, 2024, was inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame at halftime of a game against Las Vegas at Empower Field at Mile High. But the next day, after leaving Denver to drive back to their home in Houston, Odoms, Alnetia and her cousin, Zack Glynn, who was at the wheel, were involved in a car accident. Alnetia suffered serious injuries and she died Feb. 10, 2025, at the age of 73.

“That was the last time I saw her smile,’’ Odoms, who will arrive Friday in Denver for the Broncos’ Alumni Weekend, told The Denver Gazette about last year’s ceremonies. “And she was very, very happy. … Everything was good (at the time).”

But the next day tragedy struck for the three, who had driven up for the big weekend from Houston and then pulled out for the expected return trip.

“It was Monday morning that we left, and it just went sour from there,’’ Odoms said of Oct. 7, 2024.

Near Castle Rock on I-25, Glynn was driving with Odoms in the passenger seat and Alnetia in the backseat behind Glynn. Odoms said Glynn lost control of the car.

“He was trying to exit,’’ said Odoms, 75, who starred for the Broncos from 1972-83 and made four Pro Bowls. “We didn’t hit anybody. He hit a barricade and it spun us around on the off ramp.”

Odoms was not hurt seriously, suffering what he said were “scratches and stuff on my right arm.” He was treated and released at a hospital in the Denver area.

But Glynn and Alnetia were badly injured. Glynn, who lives in a Houston retirement home, suffered chest, leg and neck injuries that Odoms said are still bothering him.

Alnetia Odoms ended up being hospitalized in the Denver area until Dec. 24. Odoms, who was married to her for 53 years, remained in the area the entire time.

“She was banged up,’’ Odoms said. “She had three cracks in her skull. They had to go in there and fill that up and seal the leakage. She had a broken neck. She had a broken hip. After a period, she couldn’t swallow so they had to start feeding her through a tube and stuff. It was all bad.”

Odoms said his wife during her time in the hospital had three strokes. That further delayed her being able to go home to Texas.

“Every time we got ready to head back to Houston, she had to have another procedure,’’ he said.

Alnetia had previous health issues, having had two previous strokes and a heart attack. Odoms told The Denver Gazette last year that because of her health issues, she preferred not to fly and that’s why the three had elected to drive from Houston, which is just over 1,000 miles from Denver.

When asked if Alnetia’s injuries in the car accident led directly to her death in Houston, Odoms said, “That I can’t say. … I’m not the doctor.”

Odoms recalled with anguish what it was like when his wife died at a medical facility.

“They called me that morning,’’ Odoms said. “They said, ‘Try to get here as quickly as possible because we got her back breathing but she’s not going to be that long.’ When I got there, I made contact with her eyes and she saw me and I saw her. And that was her last breath.”

Odoms said there was a “big turnout” at her memorial service. There are plenty of online tributes to the woman who was nicknamed “Tootie.”

“I know a lot of people loved this lady,’’ Odoms said.

The last year has been difficult for Odoms, but he expressed gratitude for the support he has received from friends and family members in the Houston area. Many of his former Denver teammates have checked in regularly since the accident.

“Pretty much all of them have at any given time, and I’m so thankful to have teammates like that as friends,’’ he said.

Quarterback Craig Morton, Odoms’ teammate from 1977-82, has been talking to Odoms.

“That was just a horrible deal,’’ Morton said of the accident.

Defensive back Steve Foley, Odoms’ teammate from 1976-83, has been keeping in regular touch with him. Foley was inducted into the Ring of Fame last year along with Odoms, who had not previously attended a Broncos Alumni Weekend.

“He seems to be doing OK now,’’ said Foley, who spoke to Odoms last Saturday. “But that’s a big loss. … After (the accident) happened, I was in touch with him quite a bit then. That was quite a shock. That’s just a tough thing to go through, especially after you receive such a beautiful award, Ring of Fame, and then to have that happen.”

Foley is happy Odoms will be back for Alumni Weekend. The Broncos will hold a 10-year anniversary celebration for the Super Bowl 50 champions and the late Demaryius Thomas will be inducted into the Ring of Fame at halftime of Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants.

“I told him it’s great that he’s coming and I look forward to seeing him there and I’m so glad that he’s doing better,’’ Foley said of his conversation with Odoms.

Odoms’ plane from Houston is scheduled to arrive Friday morning. He plans to be joined by a friend who will help him get around. Odoms last year was in a wheelchair during Ring of Fame events due to having an ailing left knee that still needs surgery, and he said that again will be the case this weekend.

Odoms would welcome this weekend talking to family members of Thomas, a Broncos wide receiver from 2010-18 who died at age 33 in 2021 from what was believed to have been a seizure.

“It’s Demaryius Thomas’ moment,’’ Odoms said of this weekend’s Ring of Fame ceremonies. “I’ll go there, I’ll meet his family, and I’ll try to give as much help as I got. It’s a loss for them, too.”

Odoms is looking forward to again seeing former teammates and to see Wade Phillips, who was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos in 2015 and will arrive Friday for the reunion. When Odoms played at the University of Houston and was on the freshman team in 1968, Phillips was a senior on the varsity. And in 1969, when Odoms was on the varsity, Phillips was a Cougars graduate assistant.

“I haven’t seen him since he was (Denver’s) defensive coordinator the first time,’’ Odoms said of Phillips, who was the Broncos’ defensive coordinator from 1989-92, their head coach from 1993-94 and again defensive coordinator from 2015-16.

Phillips was pleased to hear Odoms will be at this weekend’s events.

“Oh, yeah. I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other,’’ said Phillips, who, like Odoms, long has lived in the Houston area. “He was a great player.”

Indeed Odoms was. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection who had 396 catches for 5,755 yards in 12 seasons in an era when tight ends weren’t targeted nearly as much as they are now.

Odoms, honored to finally have made the Ring of Fame 41 years after he retired from the NFL, plans to continue attending Alumni Weekend in future years. Foley is hopeful Odoms eventually will have another reason to come to Denver.

Foley was announced last week as a 2026 inductee into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He considers Odoms also worthy of enshrinement.

“He should definitely be in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame,’’ Foley said. “He had an incredible career here and that would be fitting.”