Over the years… (Is this the opening of a John Denver song? Sounds like it.)
Anyhow – over the years, I worked with a ton of folks in the Athletic Marketing Department at Wake Forest University. A TON.
A few were really good. One was extraordinary. (See: Jessie Harrison. Now, Jessie Harrison Pung.) Most were alright. Some were notably not good. Then, there was Michael.
Michael Odom. Mostly, he answers to “Mike.” His name is Michael.
He’s an NC State guy. Started at the bottom of the ladder at WFU. It was inevitable he’d move up. He was too good. Too responsible. Too dependable. Too ethical. Too everything to stay at the bottom.
Eventually, he left Wake. A travesty, if there ever was one.
He did baseball stuff for a while. Went to Creighton. And, as of the last few days, he is the newly anointed Director Of Athletics at Northern Kentucky University.
My distrust and dislike for people that consistently fail to do what they say they will do AND – OR fail to do what should be done stems from precisely THAT. Read the previous sentence again. Read it three or four times, if need be.
Michael Odom was the antithesis of all that.
Michael was as good as his word. If he said it, I had no reason to doubt it. If it needed to be done, Michael did it.
When most people chose to depart the WFU Athletic Department, I said, “bye.” When Michael started packing, I shed more than a couple tears.
He is the rarest of gems. We seldom cross paths with an individual about whom we never-ever, not-in-a-million-years hear a negative word. He is THAT good. THAT wonderful. THAT extraordinary.
Well, he ain’t perfect. I thought he should have fired a few people along the way, but, that’s a story for another day.
I married Vikki. He married Kasey. We welcomed Sophia and Miles. The Odom family now includes Max, Tate and Remi.
It’s 99.9% inevitable. Most – not all – but, most individuals fall short of the acclaim. They tend to be underwhelming.
Not Michael. He is better than advertised.
I don’t just trust him during ball games. (Although, he is singularly responsible for my unwavering commitment to “one minute,” during ACC basketball season.)
I stop to read his notes in the final minute of play. He wouldn’t interrupt if it didn’t matter.
I embrace the silence when his hand rests on my left arm. He has learned the art of knowing when to remain still.
I don’t send his phone calls to voicemail, because the words are always kind. Michael doesn’t know how to be ugly or mean.
He is one of the few for which I would rearrange life to be wherever, whenever, for whatever.
He doesn’t drive with a beer in the cupholder. I’ve never heard him utter a profanity. He has not appeared with Jerry Springer or Maury Povich.
The All-American boy. Rather, the All-American man.
Together, we learned how to create magical moments. For the fans. For the athletes. For the students. For the coaches. For the teams. For the school. For the community. For the league.
People love to talk about the Wake Forest basketball introductions. Wake Forest was one of the first collegiate programs to bring the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls pre-game energy to college basketball.
Skip Prosser. Pat Kelsey. Michael Odom. The three responsible for Tie Dye Nation, a black and gold Harley Davidson and the transformation that redefined Tobacco Road hoops.
Dick Vitale was ever-present in Joel Coliseum. ESPN called it, “the greatest introduction in college basketball.” And, Coach K hated every second of it.
Demon Deacon history. Another chapter in the ACC icon. Children asked for my autograph on the coliseum concourse.
“How did y’all come up with the motorcycle and all that?” A week rarely passes without the question.
Well. About ten minutes before tip-off, Odom made his way to his slightly-to-the-left-of-the-midcourt-line seat, beside me.
“Ever see a Bulls game, with MJ?”
I paused. “Yeah… once or twice.”
“Good. We’re gonna try something. Think, ‘Chicago.’ Wait for me. I’ll tell you when.”
That was it.
The lights went out and it was dark. Unexpectedly dark.
“Michael!”
He grabbed his cell phone and held it above my copy of the Wake Forest roster. It didn’t help much, but, it was all we had.
Two minutes later and we didn’t know we’d just made history. Fun times.
I don’t say it often. “That’s my guy.” He certainly is. I trust Michael in all things.
Michael Odom. He’s the one. In Michael I trust.
Jeffrey Griffin 