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:

Jim Crawford led the nation in rushing in 1956 with 1,104 yards. He was named an All-American for that effort./ UW courtesy photo

No. 5 - Jim Crawford

Running back, 1954-56, Greybull, Wyoming

Résumé in Laramie

Jim Crawford earned All-American honors (first, second and third team by numerous outlets) in 1956 after leading the nation in rushing with 1,104 yards. Crawford, who was named the Skyline Conference Back of the Year, was also the first Cowboy tailback to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark in program history. Wyoming went 10-0 during Crawford's senior season and finished 19th in the Associated Press polls. Still, the Pokes were left out of the postseason. The year prior, they weren't. Crawford was named the MVP of the Sun Bowl after rushing for 103 yards on 18 carries in a 21-14 victory over Texas Tech. Standing 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Crawford played five seasons with the AFL's Boston Patriots and was a member of the first team in that franchise's history. The Greybull product was inducted into the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame back in 1995.

About Greybull

Featuring a population of less than 2,000 residents, Greybull is a town in Big Horn County in the most northern central part of the state. "City limits" has a total area of 1.83 square miles. Actor Wilford Brimley once called the town home. So did future NFL standout Brett Keisel and former MLB pitcher Bill Wilkinson.

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

(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