LARAMIE – It's officially "series season."
This summer, with the help of some longtime Wyoming football followers, we will count down the Top 25 homegrown products in program history.
As always, what these guys did in professional football doesn't matter. This is all about production in Laramie. A couple of the guys 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 put a bow on these selections, we'll move on to other states like Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, etc. You get the picture:
No. 8 – Chris Prosinski
Safety, 2007-10, Buffalo, Wyoming
Résumé in Laramie
You don't have to venture too far down the career tackles list at UW before you find Chris Prosinski's name. He's sixth (was fourth when he graduated) with 373 stops. Prosinski's 140-tackle performance in 2009 is still fourth best all time, behind only Galand Thaxton (158 and 143) and John Salley with 143. The Buffalo product picked off five career interceptions, forced two fumbles and broke up seven passes. He started the final 37 games of his career in Laramie and was twice named a Second Team All-Mountain West selection. He was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, also known as the “Academic Heisman.” Prosinski, who now lives in Sheridan and is a financial advisor, played seven years in the NFL after being selected in the fourth round of the 2011 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
About Buffalo
Located almost directly between Yellowstone National Park and South Dakota's Mount Rushmore, Buffalo is nestled into the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains inside Johnson County. Interstate 25 and 90 meet in the town of roughly 4,400 residents. It's mostly known for energy, agriculture and tourism. Wyoming's current governor Mark Gordon is from Buffalo. Former Cowboy football coach Joe Tiller once called this place home, too.
Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming series
* No. 25
* No. 24
* No. 23
* No. 22
* No. 21
* No. 20
* No. 19
* No. 18
* No. 17
* No. 16
* No. 15
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* No. 10
* No. 9
(Cody Tucker and Jared Newland both work for Townsquare Media, which owns 7220sports.com. Kevin McKinney has been a color commentator of Cowboy football for five decades. Ryan Thorburn now works for the University of Wyoming in a sports information role after spending decades in the newspaper industry, most recently at the Casper Star-Tribune. Sally Ann Shurmur, the daughter of former UW football coach Fritz Shurmur, is also a veteran of the newspaper industry, working as a journalist, columnist at the CST for 43 years. She currently writes for Cowboy State Daily.)
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
