McPeachy wrote:Name your favorite all-time (ONLY ONE) UW football player. Not just because of skill or accomplishment, but also because of your personal interactions, or relationships with said player.
My favorite?
#75 DL Leon Broussard. He is a hell of a guy, solid athlete - but better person. He played in the mid 70's for Fred Akers, and in the Fiesta Bowl in 1976. Hurt his knee (I think ACL - in 77) and never really made it back to form / athletic expectations. After football at UW, I believe he became a sheriff deputy in Laramie, and also owned and operated a used car lot in Laramie. I think he lives in California now - but not sure, as I haven't had much contact with him the last 10 - 15 years.
Ken Fantetti, LB
From Wikipedia:
"Ken Fantetti (born April 7, 1957) is a former American football linebacker who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions from 1979 through 1985.
Fantetti was born in Toledo, Oregon, in 1957 and played college football at the University of Wyoming from 1975 to 1978. As a senior in 1978, he had 124 tackles, including 73 unassisted tackles, and was selected as an All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.[1] He had 15 unassisted tackles and nine assists in a 1978 game against Utah. He was also selected as the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.[1]
He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round (37th overall pick) of the 1979 NFL Draft.[2] At the time, Lions head coach Monte Clark called Fantetti "a deluxe hitter -- which means he's something special. He's an old fashioned, rough and tough, hard-nosed football player."[3] Fantetti played in 95 games for the Lions from 1979 to 1985.[2]
In 2008, Fantetti opened a barbecue restaurant called Big Ken's BBQ in Portland, Oregon.[4][5]
He was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.[1] Fantetti's biography at the Hall of Fame describes him as one of "greatest impact players" and "devastating linebackers" in Wyoming history.[1]"
He was in some of my classes, this tells you how old I am. Ken dressed well, was a very quiet guy off the field and you would never know that he was one of the best LB's in the nation by his actions when he was off the field, went to class and studied hard and was the hardest hitter I have ever seen on the football field. I remember sitting up in the stands, at that time I sat on the eastside of course, but more than a few times I remember him sticking, and I do mean sticking a RB that thought he was going to come across the line and run over guys. Ken stopped these foolish RB's with the loudest pop of pads I have ever heard in a stadium, to the point that the crowd went OHHHHH and then silent....to see if the RB was going to get up! A class act on and off the field and a credit to the University of Wyoming.
). You could catch the FGs and XPs. One time in Jr High we caught a ball and high tailed it for the gates. Got tackled by security.
