Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming

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.

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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.

So, let's get this party started:

Cory Talich/ UW courtesy photo

No. 25 - Cory Talich

Linebacker, 1990-93, Pine Bluffs, Wyo.

Résumé in Laramie

Cory Talich was named second-team All-Western Athletic Conference during his sophomore season in Laramie back in 1991. That year the Pine Bluffs product finished with 64 tackles, including 11 for loss. He also forced two fumbles and picked off a pass. Talich racked up 167 tackles during his tenure in Laramie. All but five of those stops came during his final three seasons. He brought down the ball carrier 16 times behind the line of scrimmage and capped his career with two quarterback sacks and three interceptions. Talich's brother Jim also played linebacker for the Cowboys from 1994-97. His son Nathaniel suited up for the UW basketball team in 2022-23.

About Pine Bluffs

Just a stone's throw from the Nebraska border on Interstate-80, Pine Bluffs is home to roughly 1,100 residents. The town is located in Laramie County, just 42 miles east of Cheyenne.

(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