Pokes Football: Best of Colorado – No. 19
LARAMIE -- No other state has been more of a recruiting hotbed for the University of Wyoming than Colorado.
This list will prove that.
Numerous UW Hall of Famers, NFL stars and program record holders began their football journey in that square to the south. The Cowboys' top rival, Colorado State, overlooked plenty of these guys. So did CU. Air Force even whiffed a time or two.
Some just flat out picked Laramie over Fort Collins, Boulder and Colorado Springs.
This summer, with the help of some longtime Wyoming football followers, we will count down the Top 25 Colorado products in program history. As always, what these guys did in professional football doesn't matter. This is all about production in Laramie.
No. 19 - Derrick Martin
Cornerback, 2003-05, Denver, Colorado
Résumé in Laramie
If Derrick Martin had stayed at Wyoming for one more season, he likely flirts with the Top 10 players to ever come from the State of Colorado. The dynamic cornerback from Denver registered 134 tackles in just 30 games for the Cowboys. He also snagged six interceptions, taking three in for touchdowns. In 2004, Martin earned All-Mountain West Second Team honors. He was named an honorable mention the following season. Martin's impact was felt almost immediately -- literally. On his first play from scrimmage in '03, he picked up a blocked punt and dove into the end zone in a 21-10 victory over visiting Montana State. Martin wasn’t only a shut-down corner, he also returned a punt for a touchdown – and a school-record second blocked punt for six. As a sophomore, he was a catalyst in the Pokes’ resurgence, which included a stunning 24-21 win over heavily favored UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. It was the program's first bowl victory in nearly four decades. Martin would leave school with one season of eligibility remaining. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Martin would play for five teams over his eight-year pro career, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Packers and Giants in 2010 and 2011, respectively. He became one of only three players in NFL history to win two championships in a row with different teams. He also played for New England and Chicago.
About Denver
The state capital and most-populous city in Colorado, the Denver Metro Area is home to nearly 3 million residents. The city itself is estimated at around 715,000. Sitting in the shadows of the nearby Rocky Mountains, the Mile High City is the 17th most-populous area in the United States and the fifth largest capital city.
Pokes Football: Best of Colorado series:
Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming series
(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.)
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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