Pokes Football: Best of Colorado

LARAMIE -- No other state has been more of a recruiting hotbed for the University of Wyoming than Colorado.

This list will prove that.

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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.

Former Wyoming placekicker Cory Wedel has accounted for the fourth-most points in program history with 301./ UW courtesy photo

No. 24 - Cory Wedel

Kicker, 1994-97, Burlington, Colorado

Résumé in Laramie

Until a guy named John Hoyland arrived on campus, Cory Wedel was accountable for the third-most points from a placekicker in Wyoming football history with 301. That comes courtesy of 54 made field goals and 139 extra points. It helped that he played in one of the nation's best offensive schemes under head coach Joe Tiller. Wedel owns four single-game school records: total points (20), extra-point attempts and makes (9) and field-goal attempts (6). Wedel made 99 percent of his extra-point attempts (139 for 140), including 128 straight from 1995-97. The Burlington, Colo., product booted through five game-winning field goals during his career, none bigger than a 41-yarder to seal a Cowboys 1996 victory at Iowa State in the program's first overtime game. Wedel was named All-Western Athletic Conference three times. He earned All-WAC academic honors during every one of his seasons in Laramie. He was also a finalist for the Lou Groza Award twice. Wedel was inducted into the UW Hall of Fame back in 2018.

About Burlington

A stone's throw from the Kansas border -- 12 miles to be exact -- Burlington is home to more than 3,000 residents. German immigrants settled this town, which is the county seat of Kit Carson County.

Pokes Football: Best of Colorado series:

No. 25

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

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players