CHEYENNE — Do you ever see a number on a Wyoming football jersey and think of all the great players to wear it? Yeah, me too. In this daily series, I’ll give you my take on which Pokes’ football player was the best ever to don each number. The criteria are simple: How did he perform at UW? What kind of impact did he have on the program?

Hewgley-C.T.-1
loading...

No. 67 – C.W. "Wimp" Hewgley

Offensive tackle, 1949-50, Nashville, Tenn.

Résumé in Laramie
C.W. "Wimp" Hewgley won back-to-back conference titles during his two seasons in Laramie, including a 20-7 win over Washington & Lee in Wyoming's first bowl game, the 1951 Gator Bowl. Hewgley was named a second-team All-American and first-team All-Conference in 1950 and later returned to Wyoming to coach the offensive line under Lloyd Eaton. Hewgley was inducted into the UW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Why Hewgley?
C.W. "Wimp" Hewgley will always be remembered in Laramie as Eddie Talboom's lead blocker.

That's saying something.

Talboom was Wyoming's first unanimous first-team All-American, the 1951 Gator Bowl MVP, and at the time of his graduation, the NCAA's all-time career scoring leader.

Talboom wasn't the only All-American though. Hewgley was also awarded that honor in 1950.

Hewgley used brute strength and an unorthodox style to line up on both sides of the ball for Bowden Wyatt's Cowboys.

One game might have solidified Hewgley and Talboom as two of the best players in the nation. That came on Nov. 5, 1949, down the road in Greeley, Colorado. The 8-0 Cowboys and their single-wing offense rolled into town and rolled over the hapless Bears, 103-0.

Yes, 103-0. That equates to 15 touchdowns.

Up to that point, even the Wyoming men's basketball team hadn't scored that many points.

Scoring more than 100 points -- still a school record -- is impressive, but that was also Wyoming's sixth straight shutout. Then known as the Colorado State Teachers College, Northern Colorado was the defending Rocky Mountain State Conference champions.

After his playing days, Hewgley returned to Laramie as an offensive line coach. There, he helped lead the Pokes back to glory under Lloyd Eaton.

In the 1966 Sun Bowl, guard Dave Rupp and tackle Glen Lybarger, two of Hewgley's disciples, combined to blow open a gaping running lane for Jim Kiick in the third quarter. Kiick scampered 43 yards to give the Cowboys a 20-14 lead over Florida State.

They would never look back, knocking off the Seminoles 28-20 that day in El Paso.

Kiick was the MVP of the game after gashing the 'Noles for 135 yards on 25 carries. He also caught four passes for 42 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Rupp vividly recalls that go-ahead run to this day. And like his position coach, it wasn't standard techniques that got the job done.

"It was a sweep left," Rupp wrote to me on Facebook back in January. "I pulled and turned upfield, and dead ahead was the strong safety. As I approached him, I put my head on the outside of him, causing him to fight to get outside. I don't think I even touched him physically, but I did what was called in those days a reverse body (spun my body around to the inside of him). Jim read the block perfectly and took the inside path straight to the goal line ... Hewgley worked with us on many 'unusual' blocking techniques like this. I have to credit him for any successes I achieved that season and in future seasons."

Rupp went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs farm team, the Omaha Mustangs, despite weighing just 195 pounds.

Hewgley died in New Orleans in 2001 at age 75.

After a stint as a green beret in the U.S. Army and coaching stops at Miami, Nebraska-Omaha, Michigan State, Arizona State and the NFL's Chiefs, Hewgley was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery.

Delcorio-Dan-in-uniformcrop
loading...

Honorable mention
Dan Delcorio
(1996-99) battled guys like Patrick Chukwurah, Jeff Boyle and Brian Van Emmerick every day in practice. Going up against Ohio State, Georgia and Tennessee, no problem.

Delcorio helped lead a balanced offensive attack under then-head coach Dana Dimel. The Cowboys won at least seven games in each season the offensive lineman played. However, that's when bowl games weren't a sure thing. Delcorio learned that as a freshman when the Pokes went 10-2, played in the inaugural WAC championship game and were not invited to the postseason. It didn't happen the next three seasons either.

Delcorio blocked for quarterbacks like Jay Stoner and Matt Swanson. He busted open holes for the likes of Cliff Brye and Marques Brigham.

"He was probably a little undersized for an offensive guard, but came at you every time like a bulldog," Boyle said Tuesday night.

Who else wore No. 67
Ron Phillips
(G), Don Orr (G), Dennis Binkowski (LB), Tom Heydt (DE), Keith Mills (OG), Chris Galdabini (DT), Dan Jensen (OT), Kenny Johnson (S), Yancy Brown (DT), Luke McAlister (DL), Hunter Richards (OT), Zack Kennedy (OG), Ryan Lovelace (OG), Carson Kass (OL), Cole Turner (OL), Gil Bradfield

All available rosters and photos courtesy of the University of Wyoming. If we missed one, please email Cody@7220sports.com.

LOOK: Pokes' unis through the years

 

More From 7220 Sports