Which Wyoming Cowboy wore it best? No. 99
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?
No. 99 – David Edeen
Defensive line, 1986-88, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Résumé in Laramie
David Edeen was one of the most feared defensive linemen in Wyoming history. Just ask BYU. Edeen still holds the school record for most sacks in a single game with five. He is also still in the top 10 in single-season sacks twice. Edeen, a Cheyenne Central graduate, was an All-Western Athletic Conference selection as a senior.
Why Edeen?
It was the first night game in War Memorial Stadium history.
It was the home opener.
It was BYU.
Ty Detmer might have a Heisman Trophy on his mantel, but he also has the memories of David Edeen plastering him into the turf a school record five times in 1988 during the Cowboys 24-14 upset victory over LaVell Edwards' Cougars.
Wyoming's fierce front seven got to Cougar signal callers nine times that night in front of a capacity crowd of 28,847. They held BYU to just 45 rushing yards on 41 attempts.
That, of course, includes minus-85 yards in sacks.
The defending Western Athletic Conference champions picked off back-up quarterback Sean Covey four times. Detmer tossed one.
The walk-on from Cheyenne even snagged an interception that night.
Wyoming would win its first 10 games in '88. They reached No. 10 in that national polls. Again, they were WAC champs and heading to the Holiday Bowl.
Edeen's name is still littered throughout the history books. His 23 career sacks is still seventh best, tied with teammate Doug Rigby. The 11 sacks he tallied in '88 ties him for fifth all-time in a single season. He made that list again with 10 sacks in 1987.
Edeen spent two seasons in World League with N.Y./N.J. Knights. He returned to Cheyenne where he operated a construction company. His son Seth Edeen played for the Cowboys in 2014.
Picking the best player to ever wear the No. 99 was not as easy as one might think. That's why we are sharing the honor to another UW standout, Kurt Whitehead.
The Montana product earned All-WAC honors in 1993 after helping lead the Cowboys to the Copper Bowl against Kansas State.
Whitehead led the Pokes in sacks with seven during the 1991 campaign.
You like hunting and fishing? Whitehead is your man. He is a guide at Treasure Hunter Lodge in Alaska.
You can check out his website right HERE.
Honorable mention
But wait, there's more. The No. 99 was also sported by big nose tackle Chuck Bradford, who anchored the Cowboys' defensive front in 1979 and '80.
The San Diego product was a two-time All-WAC selection. He played under Bill Lewis and Pat Dye in Laramie. His best season was his last. Wyoming finished just 6-5 overall but had wins over Oregon State, Utah and San Diego State.
Who else wore No. 99
Ken Miller, Mike Gains, Stuart Hanson, Drake Dbrrell, Brandon Jones, Kolby Drube, Josh Rollins, Chad Gardner, Alex Hays, Brent Gilliland, Jesse Hooper
*** All available rosters and photos courtesy of the University of Wyoming. If we missed one, please email Cody@7220sports.com. ***