As part of the fun extra material I put together for “A Century of Fridays,” the book I put out last winter about Wyoming high school football, I chose the “Wyo 100.”
The book and the “Wyo 100” were released to roughly coincide with the 100th birthday of Wyoming high school football. The 1921 season represented the first real statewide effort at having football statewide. Wyoming went from seven high school football programs in 1920 to 18 in 1921. By the end of the 1920s, the number was in the mid-30s. With 100 years of play behind us heading into 2021, now seemed like a perfect time to tackle a project like this.
This list contains the top 100 Wyoming high school football players of the past 100 years. The list was formed with the help of fans across the state, who made their nominations to the wyoming-football.com Facebook page, to @wyomingfootball on Twitter and to the blog here on wyoming-football.com.
Nearly 200 players were informally nominated via social media and blog comments. However, the list contains both players who were and who were not officially nominated by readers.
The list represents a variety of schools, positions and eras. The list originally ran in “A Century of Fridays” upon its release in January.
Years listed below are the player’s final calendar year of play, not their graduation year. The table below is sortable on each column and searchable.
Wyo 100
| Player | School | Final season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Astle | Cheyenne Central | 1923 | Two-way tackle was Wyoming's first three-time all-state selection. |
| Ralph Cottrell | Worland | 1925 | Diverse threat on both sides later became head coach at his alma mater. |
| Buster Long | Buffalo | 1925 | A halfback for the Bison, Long later started at quarterback at Nebraska. |
| Vince Smith | Cheyenne Central | 1925 | Outstanding lineman was a three-time all-state player for the Indians. |
| Carl Dir | Worland | 1928 | Speedy back led Warriors to two state titles; later coached in the state. |
| Taft Harris | Natrona | 1928 | Two-time all-state end later became a part of the basketball team at UW. |
| Verle Harlow | Natrona | 1929 | Tackle was Natrona's only three-time all-state selection of the 20th century. |
| Lee Kizzire | Greybull | 1932 | Played both fullback and linebacker at UW before joining the Detroit Lions; killed during WWII. |
| Pete Sedar | Natrona | 1934 | Twice all-state, the guard found success playing with St. Mary's in California. |
| Johnny Winterholler | Lovell | 1934 | Bulldogs' all-around star made it big at UW; championed wheelchair sports after WWII. |
| Lucien Moncini | Sheridan | 1935 | Running back helped Sheridan to a title as a junior; starred in some lean years at UW. |
| Walter Cook | Natrona | 1937 | RB led Natrona to state title as a senior; was a contributor at Purdue as both an RB and DB. |
| Fred Marble | Cheyenne Central | 1939 | One of only a handful of two-time all-staters in the 1930s; helped found KOA Kampgrounds. |
| Vic Niethammer | Natrona | 1939 | Twice all-state and state champion; had a short college career due to WWII but played at Notre Dame. |
| Fred Taucher | Rock Springs | 1942 | A two-time all-state lineman, he became an all-conference center at UW. |
| Bob Wildermuth | Rock Springs | 1942 | Guard was state player of the year as a senior; died of drowning at age 19. |
| Babe Nomura | Heart Mountain | 1943 | Internment camp resident later became a valuable player at San Jose State. |
| Keith Bloom | Powell | 1944 | Was one of the last three-sport lettermen at UW; had a long career as a coach and AD. |
| Dick Campbell | Sheridan | 1944 | A QB in high school, he was captain of UW's undefeated 1950 Gator Bowl team as HB/DB. |
| Bill Roney | Powell | 1944 | A two-time all-stater, he was all-conference and team MVP at Montana State on the DL. |
| Ray Hobbs | Sheridan | 1946 | Played FB at Washington State; later became a successful coach in Washington. |
| Dewey McConnell | Laramie | 1947 | End blossomed into an all-America choice at UW; drafted by the LA Rams and played for Pittsburgh. |
| George Bozanic | Lander | 1948 | After leading the Tigers to a state title, he played admirably for Southern Cal. |
| Jerry Campbell | Rawlins | 1950 | Two-time all-state running back (and 1950 POY) was a coach and AD in Buffalo for decades. |
| Jim Crawford | Greybull | 1952 | Led the NCAA in rushing in 1956 for UW; Greybull's field is named for him. |
| Homer Scott | Sheridan | 1952 | Broncs' backfield star, injured in college, became a business behemoth in Sheridan. |
| Larry Zowada | Sheridan | 1953 | Helped Broncs win back-to-back state titles; became an all-conference QB for UW. |
| Howard Cook | Worland | 1954 | RB was an all-American as a senior; played for Colorado in college. |
| Boyd Dowler | Cheyenne Central | 1954 | Had a long NFL career, and won two Super Bowls, as a WR with the Packers after college at Colorado. |
| Jerry Hill | Lingle | 1956 | Running back starred for UW and played for 10 years with the Colts. |
| Bud Spicer | Douglas | 1957 | Bearcats star later played at UW and saw some time with the San Diego Chargers, BC Lions. |
| Mack Balls | Star Valley | 1959 | Became a team captain and all-WAC end while playing at UW. |
| Tom Wilkinson | Greybull | 1960 | Parlayed success at Wyoming into a long and illustrious career as a QB in the CFL. |
| Mel Olson | Star Valley | 1962 | A fullback in high school, he went on to be an all-WAC center for BYU. |
| Jim House | Laramie | 1964 | An all-state halfback, House became a star linebacker and later a coach at UW. |
| Lew Roney | Laramie | 1965 | 1965 player of the year is regarded as one of the state's top all-around athletes; played end at Yale. |
| Dennis Havig | Powell | 1966 | After CU, played six years as an offensive lineman in the NFL; made the 1972 all-rookie team. |
| Nick Bebout | Shoshoni | 1967 | Really took off at UW on the offensive line; spent eight years with three NFL teams. |
| Frosty Franklin | Powell | 1967 | Running back helped Powell win two titles, became a record-setter while at Wyoming. |
| Jerry Gadlin | Cheyenne Central | 1967 | Twice all-state at QB and state POY in 1967, Gadlin moved to wideout at UW. |
| Steve Cockreham | Lusk | 1968 | Tigers' do-it-all QB later led the wishbone attack and was a team captain at UW. |
| Keith Nate | Cokeville | 1969 | Earned all-America honors as a senior; helped Panthers to an unbeaten season. |
| Don Westbrook | Cheyenne Central | 1969 | Halfback at Central converted to wide receiver; played at Nebraska and five seasons in NFL. |
| John Kormylo | Thermopolis | 1971 | Wyoming's only ever Parade all-America selection played OL at both Colorado and BYU. |
| Gerry Geldien | Kelly Walsh | 1972 | Running back/defensive back started at SS at Arizona State as a freshman. |
| Kelly Sittner | Torrington | 1972 | Two-time all-stater worked his way into the starting offensive line at UW. |
| Dirk Bush | Riverton | 1974 | Star running back played at Nebraska, but injury limited college career. |
| Steve Dover | Kemmerer | 1974 | Wyoming's first 2,000-yard back played for high-powered Notre Dame in college. |
| Mike McLeod | Cheyenne East | 1974 | Played DB for Montana State; won three Grey Cups in CFL and played two seasons with the Packers. |
| Chuck Wilson | Natrona | 1974 | Twice all-state, he started at linebacker at Wyoming despite several injuries. |
| Jesse Johnson | Cheyenne East | 1975 | Highly recruited out of East as a RB/DB, he played DB at Colorado and in four seasons with the Jets. |
| Jim Eliopulos | Cheyenne Central | 1976 | A lineman at Central, he walked on at UW, became an all-WAC linebacker, and played in the NFL. |
| Mike Mees | Cody | 1977 | Recruited to play QB at BYU after stellar HS career, he became the Cougars’ punter. |
| Gil Winters | Pinedale | 1977 | Two-time all-stater worked his way into the starting lineup as a linebacker at UW. |
| Don Bracken | Thermopolis | 1979 | All-state DE found his calling as a punter at Michigan and in the NFL. |
| Allyn Griffin | Kelly Walsh | 1980 | WR helped lead KW to two titles; a big part of the passing game at UW; drafted by Detroit. |
| Steve Harshman | Midwest | 1980 | Helped Oilers win 17 consecutive games; a four-year starter, team captain at C at Black Hills St. |
| Bruce Mowry | Kemmerer | 1980 | Two-time all-stater for the Rangers became a captain at UW while playing linebacker. |
| Rock Mirich | Moorcroft | 1982 | Dominant senior season as QB/LB earned him a spot at UW; started at LB for the Cowboys. |
| John McDougall | Cody | 1985 | QB was a three-time all-state choice for the Broncs. |
| Ty Muma | Torrington | 1986 | Made big plays from the QB spot; grew into a solid DB at Wyoming before a knee injury. |
| Mike Rooks | Jackson | 1986 | Three-time all-state, Gatorade POY RB/LB led Jackson to championship. |
| Terry Jackson | Kelly Walsh | 1987 | KW's first two-time all-state pick was the state's player of the year as a senior. |
| John Godina | Cheyenne Central | 1989 | Olympian in throws (silver and bronze medalist in shot put) was a star lineman in high school. |
| Troy Dumas | Cheyenne East | 1990 | Running back at East developed into an NFL-caliber LB at Nebraska. |
| Blaine Phillips | Sheridan | 1991 | Quarterbacked the Broncs to back-to-back state titles; Milward Simpson Award winner. |
| Kyle Smith | Torrington | 1991 | Started for Colorado's offensive line and led the way for a Heisman winner. |
| Je'Ney Jackson | Guernsey-Sunrise | 1992 | Vikings' Mr. Everything was a return dynamo and DB while at UW. |
| Jim Talich | Pine Bluffs | 1992 | Twice an all-state selection, he grew into an all-conference linebacker at UW. |
| Lee Vaughn | Cheyenne East | 1992 | Thunderbirds' DB/KR excelled at UW in similar roles. |
| Kevin Homer | Natrona | 1993 | One of the best LBs in Chadron St. history; played in NFL Europe. |
| Ben Phillips | Sheridan | 1993 | Two-time 4A Back of the Year quarterbacked Broncs to back-to-back titles; drafted by the Yankees. |
| Jason Sanderson | Star Valley | 1993 | Defensive back and punt returner started for three years at Air Force. |
| Mike Fackrell | Evanston | 1994 | Two-time Super 25 RB is part of the Chadron St. athletics hall of fame despite injury. |
| Corte McGuffey | Riverton | 1994 | QB helped lead Northern Colorado to two Division II national titles. |
| Brett Keisel | Greybull | 1996 | DL played for a decade with the Steelers; Super Bowl champion. |
| Brady Poppinga | Evanston | 1997 | Linebacker enjoyed a long NFL career after playing at BYU. |
| Casey Bramlet | Wheatland | 1998 | Was a star QB and longtime starter at UW; still has several Cowboy records. |
| Ryan McGuffey | Riverton | 1998 | WR led Riverton to two state titles and later broke out at UW. |
| John Chick | Gillette | 2000 | Starred in the CFL for years and also had a stint with the Jaguars. |
| Casey Fosher | Lusk | 2000 | The only three-time Super 25 selection walked on at Nebraska, played at Chadron St. |
| Scott Muir | Rawlins | 2000 | Simpson Award winner, two-time all-stater led Rawlins to undefeated season as a senior. |
| Mike Vomhof | Gillette | 2000 | Unanimous 4A back of the year for unbeaten Camels, he played at CSU before injury slowed him. |
| Clint Oldenburg | Gillette | 2001 | A tight end in high school, he started on the OL at CSU and played briefly in the NFL. |
| John Wendling | Rock Springs | 2001 | Defensive back was a star at UW and played for Buffalo and Detroit in the NFL. |
| Erick Pauley | Green River | 2004 | Two-time Super 25 OL/DL was the last lineman to win Gatorade POY honors. |
| Chris Prosinski | Buffalo | 2005 | Bison star went from safety at UW to a seven-year NFL career. |
| Tom Earl | Natrona | 2008 | Mustangs' featured back had numerous big-yardage games; opted for basketball in college. |
| Austin Woodward | Sheridan | 2009 | Broncs' do-everything quarterback was a handful under center; won Milward Simpson Award. |
| Jordan Roberts | Gillette/Sheridan | 2011 | Holds the state 11-man record for rushing yards in a season (2,688). |
| Taven Bryan | Natrona | 2013 | DL left Florida early to enter NFL; was a first-round draft pick of Jacksonville. |
| Austin Fort | Gillette | 2013 | Converted from QB in high school to TE in college; on the roster for Denver despite injury. |
| Tevis Bartlett | Cheyenne East | 2014 | Dual threat quarterback/linebacker was a starter at Washington. |
| Logan Wilson | Natrona | 2014 | LB blossomed at UW and became a third-round draft pick of Cincinnati in 2020. |
| Theo Dawson | Jackson | 2015 | Had 2,283 rushing yards as a senior; has been on the roster for both UW and BYU. |
| Logan Harris | Torrington | 2016 | Offensive lineman (and shot putting dynamo) went on to start at UW. |
| Garrett Coon | Sheridan | 2019 | Sheridan's only three-time all-state selection was also the Gatorade POY. |
| Jeydon Cox | Jackson | 2019 | RB rewrote the record books as Wyoming’s only two-time 2,000-yard season rusher. |
| Graedyn Buell | Cheyenne East | 2020 | QB overcame injury as a sophomore to have two high-yardage passing seasons. |
| Andrew Johnson | Cheyenne Central | 2020 | First Wyoming WR to break 1,000 yard barrier in two seasons in a high school career. |
Garry MCLean from Evanston played at Wyoming for 4 yrs. why was he left off the list?
Randy, Garry was seriously considered. Only 100 spots to give, though.
–patrick