LARAMIE — At long last, Josh Allen will return to Laramie where his legendary career began.
The Wyoming athletic department announced Thursday the former Cowboy star and current Buffalo Bills quarterback and reigning NFL MVP will return to War Memorial Stadium on Nov. 22 where his No. 17 jersey will be retired in a halftime ceremony.
Allen is considered the Cowboys' most popular and successful player to don the brown and gold. He led the Cowboys to two consecutive eight-win campaigns, a Mountain West Championship appearance and a pair of bowl games from 2016-17 before being selected by the Bills with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
“It is very exciting and a wonderful day for the state of Wyoming,” UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman said in a prepared statement. “It is going to be a big day in the history of Wyoming football. Josh is the most high-profile ambassador the University of Wyoming has ever had. The National Football League is the most visible sports enterprise in history and he is the best player in that league and that is pretty amazing in itself.”
People are also reading…
Allen passed for 5,066 yards and rushed for 767 yards while recording 57 touchdowns during his three-year UW career. In his MVP winning season for the Bills last season, Allen passed for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns with a 63.6 completion percentage and a 74.8 QBR. Allen added 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground while committing just seven turnovers (six interceptions and one fumble). Allen bested Lamar Jackson to earn the MVP award after receiving 27 of the 49 first-place votes from The Associated Press.
Josh Allen
Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen runs with the ball during the Cowboys’ 2017 game against Colorado State at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie. Josh Galemore file, Star-Tribune
While with Wyoming, Allen was a second-team All-MW selection. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in which Wyoming defeated Central Michigan 37-14.
His pending return to War Memorial Stadium for Wyoming’s final home game of the season against Nevada on Nov. 22 presents Cowboys fans the rare opportunity to fete Allen for his past and present triumphs.
Cowboys Bills Football
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen avoids a tackle by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. during their game on Dec. 19, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Adrian Kraus, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Allen has called the 2017 Border War contest versus Colorado State his favorite UW memory. The Cowboys prevailed with a 16-13 win in a driving snowstorm on the field of War Memorial Stadium when Kellen Overstreet broke the plane from three yards out with 4:21 remaining.
Allen is a part of the 2025 Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame class, which also includes former UW football standouts Casey Bramlet and John Wendling.
CMU vs. Wyoming - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Wyoming Cowboys quarterback Josh Allen announces he will enter the NFL draft after the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Decc. 22 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Steve Conner, AP
Follow UW beat writer Anthony Dion on Twitter @anthonydion03
0 Comments
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!