When former defensive back Steve Foley and tight end Riley Odoms were announced last Thursday as inductees to the Broncos Ring of Fame, Foley told reporters his former teammate’s nickname was “The Judge.”

“He was judge and jury when he caught a pass,” Foley said. “He would punish a defensive back. We gave him that nickname.”

Later that day, Odoms said on a conference call that the nickname was given to him by quarterback Craig Morton, also a star on Denver’s first Super Bowl team of 1977.

But it turns out there is more to the story about Odoms’ nickname.

“I did give him the nickname,” Morton told The Denver Gazette. “My whole nickname for him was ‘Tanqueray Judge.’ He had a nip of gin every once in a while.”

Reached at his home in Houston after Morton said that Odoms let out a big laugh.

“Yeah, those were fun days,” Odoms said. “Any time (Morton) would see me, I was drinking some Tanqueray.”

Odoms said when he attended the University of Houston, he and his buddies called each other “Judge” as a way of saying hello. After he joined the Broncos in 1972, he called others “Judge.”

After Morton arrived in Denver in 1977, he began calling Odoms “Tanqueray Judge.” After a while, the nickname was shortened.

“So first it was ‘Tanqueray Judge’ and then everybody just started calling me ‘The Judge,'” Odoms said.

When “The Judge” was in session in Denver, he made four Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro nods from 1972-83. On Oct. 6, at halftime of Denver’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High, he will be inducted into the Ring of Fame along with Foley, who played with the Broncos from 1976-86 and is the franchise’s all-time interception leader with 44.

When Odoms returns to Denver, he said it will be his first visit since the 1990s. And he will run into Morton for the first time in decades.

Morton is planning to be on hand during the Alumni Weekend, when the Broncos will honor former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, a 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, and have a reunion for their first Super Bowl team. Gradishar and Foley on defense and Morton and Odoms on offense were pivotal players when the Broncos went 12-2 in 1977 and made the playoffs for the first time in their 18-year history before losing 27-10 to Dallas in Super Bowl XII.

“I haven’t been to Denver in 25 to 30 years,” Odoms said. “Guys were always calling me and saying, ‘When are you going to come back?’ They’re not calling anymore. But I’ll be back October 6 of this year.”

On Friday, though, Foley tracked down Odoms’ number and called him. The two congratulated each other on being bound for the Ring of Fame and they shared memories of their eight seasons as teammates.

“We had a great talk,” Foley said. “Just laughing. Just rehashing the good teammates, we had and the times that we had, I’m like, ‘Riley, you had better numbers than (tight end) Dave Casper and that guy got into the Pro Football Hall of Fame so long ago.’ Riley’s numbers are phenomenal.”

Odoms, who has received little consideration for the Hall of Fame, had 396 catches for 5,755 yards to 378 for 5,216 yards for Casper, a 2002 inductee. But Casper won a Super Bowl with the Raiders and made five Pro Bowls and had four All-Pro nods.

“(Foley) was saying he was shocked by the overall numbers from some different players in the Hall of Fame and wondering why I hadn’t gotten in there,” Odoms said. “I can’t answer that. But all I can do is sit back and just be thankful that I had a great career with the Denver Broncos, and I enjoyed playing there.”

And Odoms finally will be back in Denver in October. With that in mind, he was asked if he still drinks Tanqueray gin.

“No,” he said. “Mostly just Coors Light beer.”