LARAMIE – It’s officially “series season.”
This summer, with the help of some long-time Wyoming football fans, we’ll be counting down the 25 best local products in program history.
As always, it doesn’t matter what these guys have done in professional football. This is production in Laramie. Some of the kids on this final list may not have been born here, but they grew up in Wyoming and graduated from an in-state high school.
Once we bow to these picks, we’ll move on to other states like Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, etc. You get the idea:
Former Wyoming running back Jerry Hill is our pick for best homegrown player in Cowboy football history./Photo courtesy of UW
Former Wyoming running back Jerry Hill is our pick for best homegrown player in Cowboy football history./Photo courtesy of UW
No. 1: Jerry Hill
Runner, 1958-60, Lingle, Wyoming
Laramie Resume
Jerry Hill was named Wyoming Football Player of the 20th Century during fan voting in 1992, according to his Hall of Fame plaque. He received the call to the hall the following year, becoming one of the first players in Cowboys history to be enshrined, joining names like Jay Novacek, Mike Dirks, Fennis Dembo, kenny sailors and others in that inaugural class. That shows his importance to Cowboys football. Hill’s Cowboys went 25-6 during his three years in Laramie and posted a 14-6 Sun Bowl victory over Hardin-Simmons after going 8-3 in 1958. The UW team 59 pitched four shutouts and held their opponents to seven points. or less in eight games with a 9-1 record. They did not receive an invitation to the postseason. The Lingle product never lost a game to rivals BYU or Colorado State. Hill claimed back-to-back All-Skyline Conference honors during his final two seasons on campus. He also led the team in rushing and scoring, scoring 86 points. Hill was also an honorable mention All-American in those two seasons. He finished his career with 1,374 rushing yards on 288 carries. Hill was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in 1961. He was also selected by the Denver Broncos in the AFL Draft. They chose him in Round 2. Hill eventually signed with the Colts and played eight seasons for the franchise, winning a Super Bowl in 1971. He still ranks eighth on the team’s all-time rushing list with 2,668 yards.
About Lingle
Lingle, with fewer than 500 residents, is a rural farming and ranching town in Goshen County. Just a stone’s throw from Torrington and Fort Laramie, the famous Oregon Trail passes through this “small but proud” community.
Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming Series
* No. 25
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(Cody Tucker and Jared Newland work for Townsquare Media, owner of 7220sports.com. Kevin McKinney has been a Cowboys football commentator for five decades. Ryan Thorburn now works for the University of Wyoming in a sports reporting role after spending decades in the newspaper industry, most recently at the Casper Star-Tribune. Sally Ann Shurmur, daughter of former University of Washington football coach Fritz Shurmur, is also a veteran of the newspaper industry and worked as a journalist. and CST columnist for 43 years. He currently writes for Cowboy State Daily.)
The 50 Greatest University of Wyoming Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolades earned outside of the University of Washington are irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This is not a one-man job. This task required a panel of experts. Joining Cody Tucker from 7220 are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let the computer averages do the work. Think BCS, only we hope this catalog is fairer.
Do you disagree with a selection? Feel free to chat on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– Top 50 University of Wyoming Football Players
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