A House Divided: Three Pokes Have Have Crossed The Border

LARAMIE -- Earlie Thomas, according to his Colorado State Hall of Fame plaque, allowed just one touchdown during his three seasons as a "shutdown cornerback" in Fort Collins.

His son Jeramie Thomas also lined up at wide receiver in the late 90's.

Get our free mobile app

Brian Singleton scored a pair of rushing touchdowns during the 1997 campaign. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound fullback helped lead the Rams to a Pacific Division title and a berth in the WAC Championship game. CSU would go on to knock off No. 19 Missouri in the Holiday Bowl.

Mike Hendricks was also a staple in the backfield during his playing days inside Hughes Stadium. He was part of a pregame melee with Wyoming before the 1978 meeting. His father, Joe Hendricks, was a lineman in the 1950's when the school was still referred to as Colorado A&M.

These men above also have another commonality -- a relative will be wearing the brown and gold of the Wyoming Cowboys Friday night during the 116th edition of the Border War.

"They were not happy," Jones Thomas said with a sly grin. "But I'm happy with where I'm at. They're now happy with where I'm at. We're Pokes now. We're UW fans now."

The decision became much easier, the redshirt freshman added, when CSU never inquired in the first place. The former Poudre High School standout was named the Front Range League Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 114 tackles and picking off four passes during his senior season.

His grandfather, Earlie Thomas, was known to impact a game or two from the secondary, earning runner-up for NFL Rookie of the Year in 1970 as a member of the New York Jets.

He possesses breakneck speed like his father, Jeramie Thomas, who set the state's all-time record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.68.

"They were excited for me," Jones Thomas continued. "We came on the visit and they wanted me to come here because of the coaches, the community and the tradition."

Malique Singleton said his father was fine with his choice to head to Laramie, too. In fact, he encouraged it. His mother is also a CSU graduate and his grandparents live just "20 seconds away" from the campus.

"I spent summers in Fort Collins, so I knew it very well," said the sophomore defensive back who claims East Anchorage, Alaska as his hometown despite playing at Grandview High School in Aurora, the same program that produced other UW stars like Eddie Yarbrough and Tanner Gentry. "That's kind of their thing. It's just a place."

CSU did recruit Singleton, who registered 100 tackles and snagged six interceptions as a senior, earning the title of 16th-best prospect in the state of Colorado, according to 247sports.com.

He said, with a smile, he never even entertained the thought of becoming a Ram.

"No," Singleton said when asked if he ever even went on a visit. "Quite honestly, I had no interest. I don't like ... Fort Collins is nice to visit, but I never want to live there."

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* CSU running back Avery Morrow has Wyoming's undivided attention

* Pokes' new 'gunslinger' has brought clarity, renewed vigor

* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 10

* Know Wyoming's Foe: Colorado State Rams

* Suiaunoa, Bertagnole looking to hoist Bronze Boot for fifth time

* GALLERY: Border War memories from the north side

* Wyoming Football: News and notes ahead of CSU

* A letter from Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman

* What happened to Wyoming's defense in Albuquerque?

* Breaking down why Sawvel and Co. waited to make move at QB

* MW Players of the Week: Anderson airs it out

Brian Hendricks currently serves as the defensive ends coach on Jay Sawvel's staff at Wyoming.

Before he put the headset on, though, he was a ferocious middle linebacker in Laramie with 309 career tackles on his college résumé. He added 10 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles, too.

Most important of all, he hoisted the Bronze Boot three consecutive years from 2009-11.

"Zero regrets," Hendricks grinned. "And when it comes to (my family) forgiving me, I couldn't care less. My folks are going to be at the game, and my dad is going to be decked out in brown and gold. They've always supported me through the whole thing. So, now that I'm back in a coaching role here, my dad has flipped back over to the brown and gold. So, no regrets. It's the best decision I have made."

Hendricks did eventually flip to the other side. For five months only, he made sure to point out, he served as a graduate assistant at CSU in 2013. He followed his former defensive coordinator Marty English south of the border. He has parlayed that experience into coaching stops at the Colorado School of Mines, Montana and Illinois State before landing back at UW in 2023.

Keeping that coveted traveling trophy in its current case is the task at hand. Hendricks is spreading the gospel to his younger players about the importance of this meeting.

"It's all about pride in our state, pride in our logo and pride in our colors," he said. "This game, to me, is not just about keeping that boot because it's against CSU, it's keeping the boot because we're Wyoming. We have to make it about us, and we have to erase what's happened in the past. We have to not think about what's in the future, we have to think about what's in the present.

"... To put it into words is hard, but our guys get it."

Kickoff between the Cowboys (2-7, 2-3) and Rams (6-3, 4-0) is set for 6 p.m. inside Canvas Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.