Josh Allen Is The First Wyoming QB To Throw An NFL TD In 60 Years
Josh Allen made history yesterday. Of the 71 former Wyoming Cowboys and 38 Cowboy State natives who have played in the NFL, Allen is the first player to throw a regular season touchdown pass since 1947.
Bill Garnass was born in Cheyenne and starred at the University of Minnesota before playing three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1946 through 1948. The backup quarterback threw for eight touchdowns in his NFL career, the last in '47.
Casper native Tom Farris is the only other Wyoming player to ever throw a TD pass in the NFL. The former University of Wisconsin quarterback played three seasons for the Chicago Bears and Chicago Rockets and had one career touchdown pass, also in '47.
Until yesterday, no Wyoming player had thrown for a touchdown since.
Along with Allen, the only other University of Wyoming quarterbacks to play in the NFL were Casey Bramlet, Rick Egloff, and Jim Walden. Bramlet grew up in Wheatland and set the career passing record at Wyoming before he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Bramlet bounced around the league for several seasons as a member of the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens. Although he never threw a regular season NFL touchdown, Bramlet found success in NFL Europe, leading his Hamburg Sea Devils to a World Bowl IV title in 2007.
Egloff started three seasons for Wyoming in the mid-60s and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1967. He was later traded to the Denver Broncos but never played in a regular season game. After a season in the Canadian Football League, Egloff became a high school teacher and coach in suburban Denver and now owns an Italian restaurant.
Before Allen, Walden was the most famous quarterback to ever play at UW. In 1960, Walden was drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL and the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. After he was offered more money to play in Canada, he spent three seasons in the CFL before launching a coaching career as an assistant at the University of Nebraska. In 1978, Walden was hired as the head coach at Washington State and was a two-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In 1987, he left the Cougars to coach Iowa State and spent seven years there before he was fired fin 1994.