THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR INDIANHILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Rickey 'Odell' Watson's All-American season helped lead the Indian Hills Football team to its first-ever conference championship in 1971. Watson will officially be inducted into the Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 22 at halftime of the men's basketball game at the Hellyer Center in Ottumwa.

A two-time captain for the Golden Falcons program, Watson guided the Indian Hills Football squad through its heyday in 1970 and 1971. Despite just 12 seasons of existence for the football program, Watson becomes the seventh former Golden Falcon inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame.

Watson came to Indian Hills in 1970 by way of Pittsburgh, PA. A member of both the basketball and football teams during his rookie campaign, Watson excelled on the gridiron for head coach Al Daniels' squad. The Golden Falcons finished the 1970 season with a 5-3-1 overall record as Watson, a defensive back, led the team in tackles and was selected to the Iowa Junior College Conference and Des Moines Register's All-Conference squads.

Watson once again excelled in his sophomore season as the program put together its most dominant season to date. The star defender anchored the program to a 6-2-1 record, including a 5-0-1 conference mark as the Golden Falcons posted three shutouts on the year. Indian Hills also earned signature victories with a win over No. 3 ranked Grand Rapids Community College (MI) and a win over No. 14 ranked Iowa Central Community College. The unbeaten conference record sealed the team's first-ever Iowa Junior College Conference championship as Watson and the Golden Falcon defense shut out Ellsworth Community College in the season finale.

Watson once again led the team in total tackles on the year. For his efforts as a sophomore, Watson earned first-team All-Conference accolades, was selected as the conference's Co-Defensive Player o the Year, and was selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Honorable Mention All-American team.

The 1971 championship squad returned to Indian Hills with a special reception to commemorate the feat at the Hellyer Center in 2016. As was the case on the football field, Watson led the charge to gather the former teammates for the special occasion. In an interview with the Ottumwa Courier in 2016 regarding the reunion, Watson stated, "I just felt like it was something where we needed to honor what we accomplished. We had a group of guys that came from all over the country, but we were just a band of overachievers. Everyone on the team had to come together to accomplish something this great."

Former Indian Hills teammate Tom Mitchell on Watson

"To describe Odell Watson, two words - destiny and faith. We only grew up 39 miles away from each other, but never met. A very athletic star in Pittsburgh came to Centerville, IA in 1970. From that very first practice we became friends. That's faith. Some players have volume but no heart. Odell Watson played the game with heart, determination, preparation, passion, and volume.

Odell always carried out his assignments, he never missed one. Some games he was hurting. Whether it was a blitz or dropping back in coverage, Odell always gave you 100 percent. One example, when coach called a blitz, we always looked at each other and said 'meet you at the quarterback' before we broke the huddle and most of the time we got to the quarterback. By his performance on and off the field, he was named our captain. And now we celebrate another milestone - Indian Hills Community College Hall of Fame 2022. Congratulations, my brother and God bless!"

Former Indian Hills teammate Reggie Tehel on Watson

"Odell is the player that kept our team together. Odell was an excellent football player, and Indian Hills had many very good players those two years. But Odell stayed in contact with his teammates over the years, and I'm sure we all appreciated it. Odell was not only an excellent football player, but a better person. Good luck in the future! Your friend, Reggie Tehel."