3 athletes, 2 teams set to be enshrined

Robbinsville – A pair of hard-nosed gridiron stars; a coach that dared to break down traditional barriers; and teams that rounded out perhaps the dominant run in state history are all set to be recognized for their athletic endeavors.

Scott Odom, Todd Odom, Ronnie Postell, and both the 1982 and 1983 Robbinsville High School state-champion football teams will be inducted into the Graham County Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime of Friday’s Smoky Mountain Conference showdown against Hayesville.

A banquet for the inductees – past and present – will be held at the Old Rock Gym above Modeal Walsh Memorial (Big Oaks) Stadium at 6 p.m.

Scott Odom

No matter which side of the ball he was on, Scott Odom made an impact for the Robbinsville Black Knights.

A member of the 1977, 1979 and 1980 state-championship football teams, Odom had 55 receptions for 821 yards as a tight end – which included 10 touchdowns and seven, 2-point conversions. His defensive impact was felt by teams far and wide, as Odom led Robbinsville in tackles during both the 1979 and 1980 state-title games. He was named the 1980 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Smoky Mountain Conference and received an Honorable Mention for All-Western North Carolina in football.

He received a full scholarship to play tight end for the Western Carolina University Catamounts, where he started as a true freshman during the 1981 season – at the age of 17.

“My best memories involve sharing the field with some of the true greats in Robbinsville history: Reagan, Perkins, Laughter, McMonigle, Moody and Stiles. Those are times I will cherish forever,” Odom recalled. “I was fortunate to play on great teams that won three state titles. We were just trying to uphold the legacy that was established by the tough men who played the game before us.”

A standout in four sports (football, basketball, track & field, and baseball), Odom also won the MVP award for the 1980 Black Knights baseball season.

Odom has since relocated to Warner Robins, Ga., where he currently resides with his wife Candy, as well as their two sons Ty and Trey. Odom has worked in the aerospace industry for 33 years and is a production supervisor with Qarbon Aerospace.

“Like my parents, my greatest joy has been chasing my kids across fields, courts and courses as they pursued their dreams,” Odom said. “May God bless the Black Knights, as a huge part of who I am was determined by the lessons I learned under the Big Oaks. I want to personally thank coach Bergin Edwards for the time he invested in me and the difference he made in my life.”

Todd Odom

Adversity was not going to define Todd Odom’s future; rather, it would be a combination of gritty determination and Ritchie Trammell that molded Odom into one of the most successful coaches in Robbinsville High School history.

Despite becoming an amputee – the result of a horrific motorcycle accident at the age of 15 – Odom went on to wrestle, play football and even compete in track & field while at Robbinsville. He was an All-Conference grappler, winning the 1991 Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler distinction after prevailing in the 171-pound weight class. Odom was also a member of the 1992 conference dual and tournament-championship teams.

But his legacy with the Knights will forever lie in his post-high school pursuits. While Odom coached the middle school wrestling team for two years and was the receivers coach for the Black Knights football team for four years, he retired as head coach of the varsity wrestling program after the 2021-22 season with a coaching record of 374-147. He was 359-139 at Robbinsville, after cutting his teeth coaching at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva; and Odom’s teams went 115-4 in Smoky Mountain Conference duals.

Under his watch, the Black Knights built a wrestling dynasty that included 16 conference dual-team titles, 15 conference-tournament crowns, four Western Regional championships, five state finals appearances and one dual-team state championship: 2017.

Odom also won conference Coach of the Year honors 16 times; was the Asheville Citizen-Times Western North Carolina Coach of the Year on four different occasions (2008, 2017, 2018 and 2019); twice named the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 1A Coach of the Year (2008, 2017); recognized as the state’s National Federation of High School Coach of the Year in 2017; and selected as the head coach of the N.C. All-Star Team in 2019 and 2022.

All told, Odom coached 96 state qualifiers, 43 state places and 21 state champions.

“Being in the corner for any of the individual state champions I had the privilege to coach was absolutely special and will always be something I hold dear and hide in my mind,” Odom said. “However, just to be in the Robbinsville High School gym and to witness the explosion of energy when they slapped the mat in the last match to win the state dual-team title in 2017 will never be replicated or exceeded in Robbinsville sports history.”

Odom is married to Susan Crowe and together, their children include Logan, Ivy, Aynsley, Kyle, Jayden, D.J., Irvin and a ton of other adopted sons who keep in contact with him, which he calls his “Guys.” Odom is also the proud grandfather of Wrylee, Olivia, Xander and Sophia.

He has been in the insurance industry for 18 years, currently serving as the agency manager for Graham County Farm Bureau.

“I must thank coach Ritchie Trammell for introducing me to the sport of wrestling, because it truly saved my life,” said Odom. “His impact on my life is beyond measure and I wouldn’t be here today without him recruiting me to be a part of his team.

“Being a part of ‘The ‘Ville’ is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had in my life. God Bless ‘The ‘Ville’ and God Bless the Black Knights.”

Ronnie Postell

A 1958 graduate of Robbinsville High School, Ronnie Postell was a 3-sport letterman for the Blue Devils.

On the baseball diamond, Postell manned center field – before transitioning to shortstop. He batted .320 during the 1957 campaign – but missed out on his senior season because the Smoky Mountain Conference did not have baseball that year.

His junior and senior seasons as a basketball player included a nod to the All-Conference team in 1958. As a forward, he averaged 25 points a game – including one game where he scored 48 against Andrews before the 3-point line existed.

Modeal Walsh was both his basketball and football coach, and it was in the latter that Postell arguably excelled the most. Voted to be the team’s captain in 1957, his All-Conference selection during his senior year was for his work at halfback – though he was no slouch as a safety on defense.

Of note, Postell intercepted a pass from then-2A Bryson City, which sealed the Blue Devils’ first win over Bryson City in 10 years. Robbinsville also won its first-ever Smoky Mountain Conference title in 1957, clinching it with a win over Hayesville. The Blue Devils advanced to the postseason and were paired against the Marshall Tornadoes, champions of the Skyline Conference and winners of 10 in a row. The Asheville Citizen-Times’ recap of the game said that Postell was “one of the fastest and most deceptive runners seen in this section all season;” and later added that Postell “was one of the finest runners to perform in the Smoky Mountain Conference this year.” Marshall won the game 7-0, ending the Devils’ magical season at a mark of 7-3.

Postell went on to attend Mississippi State University and later the University of Southern Mississippi. His father, William Ronald Postell, Sr., was an aviator in the U.S. Navy and as a result, Ronnie and his family moved frequently. He landed in Robbinsville in 1956, where he lived with his grandmother Ruth Postell, and found both stability and fulfillment in sports. Never one to quit, Postell overcame his smaller stature with speed and a tenacious attitude for competition.

Ronnie married Melba Langston – the Robbinsville High School Homecoming Queen in 1960 – the following year, in 1961. The couple has now been married for over 60 years. Together, they have one son: Larry, who serves as the town manager of Greensboro, Ga. Ronnie retired from the Ford Motor Company in Atlanta after a 30-year career in 1996. Ronnie and Melba moved back to Graham County in 1998, where they have remained since.

The couple attends Lone Oak Baptist Church.

1982 title team

To reach the mountaintop for the fourth-straight year, Robbinsville persevered through some obstacles during the 1982 season.

The Black Knights went 11-2 overall, which included season-opening victories over Swain County and Murphy. After a 4-0 start, Robbinsville fell in back-to-back games: an 8-7 heartbreaker against Hayesville and a 10-7 loss to Franklin.

Refusing to linger on the defeats, Robbinsville ran the table from that point on, including a resounding 28-0 shutout against Hayesville to avenge the loss. Deron Shuler found the end zone on three different chances to aid the cause.

In the playoffs, the Knights defeated Rosman, 6-0; Edneyville, 41-20; and Bath in the state-championship game, 21-6. Scott Anderson had a 57-yard interception return against Rosman, while Bucky Brown powered through an injured ankle for a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half of a muddy game against Edneyville.

The patented “Black Knights Swarm” was on full display in the title game. Anderson sacked Pirates quarterback Jeff Tuten on 4th down, at the Robbinsville 1-yard line. In the closing moments, Freddie Teesateskie recovered a fumble and Ronnie Williams soon ran in the final Knights touchdown with 1:35 left in the game to seal the deal.

Brown rushed 21 times for 136 yards against Bath.

“I really don’t know why we have been so successful,” head coach Bob Colvin told The Graham Star after the state game. “Just the fact that the players look up to the teams before them. They get up for the games because they want to do as well.”

1983 title team

The end of the 5-year state championship streak for Robbinsville played out in a similar fashion as the year before.

The 1983 Black Knights once again went 11-2, with their only blemishes coming in a 70-20 loss to Sylva-Webster and a slim 22-21 loss to Andrews. Once again, Robbinsville avenged its only loss to a conference team by defeating the Wildcats in the regular-season finale, 13-6.

The Knights defeated Tryon in the first round of the postseason, 21-12; before running into the Rosman Tigers in the second round. In a game many recall as one of the greatest ever played, Robbinsville prevailed after four overtime periods, 34-33. Deron Shuler connected with Rex Smith for the go-ahead touchdown; Terry Winfrey’s point-after kick proved crucial, as the Tigers went on to score on their next chance, but the Black Knights halted Rosman’s 2-point conversion attempt to win the battle.

A 28-6 win over Creswell wrapped up Robbinsville’s 11th state championship in a 14-year period. Mark Smith recorded a 43-yard rushing touchdown to jumpstart the Knights’ offense; Winfrey later entered the end zone three times to wrap up the 1A crown.