LARAMIE – Josh Allen is not the only athletic phenom drafted by the Buffalo Bills who is also a member of the 2025 Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame class.
A decade before Allen's spectacular career with the Cowboys led to becoming the seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft and a franchise NFL quarterback, John Wendling parlayed his superhuman skills into being selected by the Bills in the sixth round in 2007.
Before social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram were created, Wendling went "viral" after being filmed taking a couple steps and clearing a 66-inch adjustable hurdle during a summer workout at UW.
Wendling, a versatile, hard-hitting safety, became a special teams standout with the Bills (2007-09) and spent another four seasons racking up tackles with the Detroit Lions (2010-13).
"We were doing it workouts, and coach just wanted to do it as a part of a recruiting deal. But then it turned into a lot more than that," Wendling said of the video, which was widely circulated ahead of his appearance at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "It's funny, it really helped get my name around and at the combine I was answering questions about it.
"It was kind of neat and turned into quite a deal to help kind of get my name out there."
Cowboy fans were already aware of Wendling's greatness on and off the field.
Wendling helped lead UW to the upset of UCLA in the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl, which was the program's first bowl win in 38 years. He was an honorable mention all-Mountain West Conference selection as a sophomore and junior.
During his senior year, Wendling was a team captain and an all-conference first team selection. He finished his career with 259 tackles, seven interceptions and 14 passes defended in 44 career games.
"He's really taken over the defense and just been the glue to anything we've done better on defense," Joe Glenn, who was UW's head coach during Wendling's four seasons playing following a redshirt year in 2002 under Vic Koenning, said before the Pokes stunned the Bruins at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Wendling, of course, cherishes that dramatic comeback win over a talented UCLA team that was loaded with future NFL players like running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Sweeping a home-and-home series with SEC opponent Mississippi in 2004-05 and smothering Border War rival Colorado State 24-0 in 2006 also stand out as cherished memories.
"We won some big games and were in some big games," Wendling said. "I felt really fortunate to be part of the Cowboys at that time. It was really a turnaround point for the program. … I'd say the Vegas Bowl is probably one of the most memorable games, but being a Wyoming kid anytime we can beat CSU was always a memorable moment. Shutting them out my senior year, that was a big one, too. And then beating Ole Miss."
Wendling was born in Cody and became a star at Rock Springs High School. Growing up he considered Laramie, where his grandfather worked at UW and his family lived for a year when his father was getting a doctorate degree, as a second home.
"I really looked up to University of Wyoming athletics and all the sports we were able to watch," Wendling said. "It's a hometown thing almost for me."
Wendling ranked 10th in UW history for career tackles at the end of his decorated career. He was named a second-team All-American by the College Football News after leading the Pokes with 78 tackles as a senior.
The academic honors were even more impressive.
Wendling earned a post-graduate scholarship by being named a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation (NFF) to the top football scholar-athlete in the country. He was given another of the nation's top academic honors when ESPN The Magazine named him a second team academic All American in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Now Wendling will be enshrined in the UW Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 6 along with Allen, Casey Bramlet (football, 2000-2003), Curt Jimerson (men's basketball, 1961-63), Hugh Lowham (wrestling, 1962-64), Mike Mulvaney (baseball, 1985-88) and Lori Kline Waddell (women's basketball, 1979, 1981-83).
"Being a Wyoming kid, born and raised, and growing up watching the Cowboys it was a dream for me just to play for Wyoming," Wendling said. "Now to be recognized for something like that, I was just really humbled, extremely honored by it. It's really hard to put in words.
"It's one of those things I think that I'll probably be most proud of. But also understanding that it's a reflective thing for me to look back and understand all the people who are part of my life, including family and coaches and teammates, that helped make that possible, because it wouldn't have been without them."
Following his NFL career, Wendling started a wheat farming operation. He is currently the loan portfolio manager for the Wyoming Business Council and living in Sheridan.
(Editor's note: This is the fourth in a seven-part series profiling the 2025 UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame class. Tickets to the induction banquet on Sept. 6 in the Gateway Center can be purchased here:https://one.bidpal.net/wyohalloffame2025/welcome)
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes.
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