You can say the 2010 football season starts today for the Wyoming Cowboys with the first of 15 spring practices in Laramie.
So as the Cowboys begin a new decade of football, I thought it would be fun to go back and choose an all-decade team for 2000-09.
I picked 11 guys on offense, 11 on defense and three specialists. At the end you will find my choice as Player of the Decade.
It was kind of rough decade for UW football as it went 42-76 overall and 20-55 in the Mountain West Conference with three different coaches. There were only two winning seasons and one other at .500,and only two seasons at or above .500 in conference play.
But the Cowboys won two bowl games in a decade for the first time since the 1950s.
For the offense I choose just one running back, three receivers and a tight end since UW threw the ball most of the time.
For the defense I went with four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs.
So here we go:
Offense
QB: Casey Bramlet (2000-03):The Wheatland product is the career leader in six statistical categories, including total yards (9,575), passing yards (9,684) and touchdown passes (54).
RB: Devin Moore (2005-08): Career leader in rushing yards (2,963) and third-best single-season mark (1,301).
WR: Jovon Bouknight (2002-05): Second in career receptions (250), third in receiving yards (3,626) and in receiving touchdowns (29). Owns two of the top 10 single-season receiving marks in school history. Also was in the top 25 nationally in career catches and receiving yards. Caught at least one pass in a school-record 47 straight games.
WR: Ryan McGuffey (2000-03):2,679 career yards and 13 touchdowns, which ranks in the top five in school history for the Riverton High graduate.
WR: Malcom Floyd (2000-03): One of the tallest (6-6) receivers in UW history and playing for the San Diego Chargers. 2,411 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career.
TE: Wade Betschart (2004-07): Two-time Second Team All-MWC. The Torrington product walked-on at UW before earning a scholarship. Was best known for his blocking.
OL: Adam Goldberg (1999-2002): Has played in the NFL since 2002 with Minnesota and St. Louis. A two-time First Team All-MWC selection.
OL: Chase Johnson (2003-06): One of the most durable offensive tackles UW has seen in recent memory. Hardly missed a play over his four-year career.
OL: Trenton Franz (2001-04): Center on the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl winning team. He was a team captain, a four-time Academic All-MWC pick and an Academic All-American.
OL: Kyle Howard (2005-08): Another durable lineman that played both guard and tackle.
OL: Jason Karcher (2003-06): Like Howard played multiple positions on the line at center and guard.
Defense
DL: John Fletcher (2006-09): Finished fifth in school history and third in MWC history with 24 quarterback sacks. Finished with 175 tackles and 26 for loss. Was a First Team All-MWC pick and a two-time Second Team selection.
DL: Mitch Unrein (2006-09): A three-time Honorable Mention All-MWC selection. Outstanding Defensive Player in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl. Had 162 tackles and 12.5 sacks in his career.
DL: Zach Morris (2001-04): A First Team All-MWC pick as a senior in 2004 on the Cowboys’ Las Vegas Bowl winning squad.
DL: Patrick Chukwurah (1997-2000): Most of his career was in the 1990s, but as a senior in 2000 he was a First Team All-MWC pick on a 1-10 team as a rush defensive end. Was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and played for four different NFL teams from 2001-08.
LB: Ward Dobbs (2005-08): UW’s most prolific tackler of the decade. Finished with 343 for his career, which is fifth in school history. Had two games with 18 tackles. First Team All-MWC in 2008 as a senior. One of three players in school history to have two interception returns for touchdowns in one season (2008).
LB: Tyler Gottschalk (2000-03): Sixth in career tackles with 334.
LB: Gabe Knapton (2008-present): One of two current members of the Cowboys on the team. In just two seasons has 220 tackles, and was second on the team in tackles each of the last two seasons. Will move to defensive end this season.
CB: Derrick Martin (2003-05): UW’s first player (at least in the modern era) to leave after his junior season for the NFL. Was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and is currently with the Green Bay Packers. Also scored a school-record two touchdowns off of blocked punts in his career.
CB: Julius Stinson (2004-07): Had the most interceptions of any player during the decade with nine, including five in 2007. First-team All-MWC as a senior.
S: John Wendling (2003-06): Arguably the best overall athlete to play for the Cowboys during the decade. Tied for seventh in career interceptions (seven). The last UW player to be drafted by an NFL team, the Rock Springs product played for the Buffalo Bills from 2007-09.
S Chris Prosinski (2007-present): The second current player on this team. In three seasons, the Buffalo resident has 265 tackles, including a team-best 140 last season. He returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown last season, and also has been a standout on special teams throughout his career.
Special Teams
K: Deric Yaussi (2002-05): Sixth in career scoring with 219 points and he made 39 field goals.Was a First Team All-MWC pick in 2004.
P: Billy Vinnedge (2006-07): Had the two of the three best single-season averages of the decade. In 2006 he averaged a decade-best 43.2 yards per punt, and in 2007 he averaged 42.7.
Return Specialist: Jovon Bouknight (2002-05): UW’s career leader in all-purpose yardage due in large part to a school-record 2,016 yards in kickoff returns. Also holds school marks for most kickoff return yards in a game (219) and most career kickoff returns (87). Bouknight earned all-confernce consideration all four years of his career as a return specialist.
Player of the Decade: I’m going with Bouknight for the versatility he showed over his career, as well as his durability. Teams knew he was going to get the ball and he always produced. He is tied for ninth in school history with 180 points.
So what do you think? Did I miss anyone? Any thoughts on the guys on this list? Would love to hear your opinions.
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