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:

Nick Bebout was a three-time All-WAC selection at tackle from 1970-72./ UW courtesy photo

No. 9 - Nick Bebout

Offensive tackle, 1970-72, Shoshoni, Wyoming

Résumé in Laramie

As a senior, the 6-foot-5, 261-pound sledgehammer, Nick Bebout, was named a team captain. He also earned Preseason Playboy and Sportscene All-American honors. His UW Athletics Hall of Fame plaque reads: "Quick, mobile and an overpowering blocker." That's just part of the reason he was selected in the sixth round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Bebout was also the first offensive lineman to make it to the school's Hall of Fame. Bebout, a product of Shoshoni High School, was actually born in neighboring Riverton. He was one of the few bright spots in the wake of the Black 14 scandal. He was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference squad three times. Bebout played for the Falcons, Seahawks and Vikings during his eight-year NFL career.

About Shoshoni

Shoshoni is a town of less than 500 residents in Fremont County. The blink-and-you-miss-it one-stoplight juncture is a stop on the way to Riverton, Casper and Thermopolis on US Highway 20-26. Just a stone's throw from Boysen Reservoir, Shoshoni is known for ranching and oil and gas extraction. The town is named after the Shoshone Indian Tribe that lives on the nearby Wind River Indian Reservation.

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