Usually a Colorado high school football standout has to go to Texas, Nebraska or USC before the neighbors query, “Why didn’t you stay in-state?”
Wyoming lists 11 starters from Colorado for Saturday’s Border War with Colorado State and no one raises an eyebrow.
Colorado State senior offensive tackle Clint Oldenburg and his parents get to hear for the fifth and final year about his heading south from Gillette.
“It’s not easy walking around Wyoming when you play for Colorado State,” Oldenburg said. As for his parents, “They have tons of friends in the state of Wyoming and most of their friends are Wyoming fans. My whole family, they always get questions about why I’m not at Wyoming.”
So one more time for the record. The current Wyoming staff was not in place when Oldenburg came out of Campbell County High School as an all-state tight end-defensive end.
“They did recruit me and they did a great job. It was no reason on their part. It was more what CSU did when I was here (on a recruiting trip),” Oldenburg said. “I really liked the coaching staff. It’s a personal feeling you get in the recruiting process.”
He still hears comments during visits home, although “lately we’ve been fortunate to get a couple of wins and it hedged some comments,” Oldenburg said. “The year Wyoming went to a bowl (2004) I heard ‘Don’t you wish you played for Wyoming?’ Even the year we were 4-7 (also 2004), I was proud to be a Ram and I would not have changed it for the world.”
Oldenburg was named Tuesday to the semifinalist list for the National Football Foundation’s Draddy Trophy, based on academics, football and community leadership.
While Josh Day mends a sprained ankle, Oldenburg is the only senior on the line. Day’s place in the lineup was taken by sophomore Dane Stratton, who followed his brother Ben’s path from Cheyenne East High School to Fort Collins. Few have been more emotional for the Wyoming series than Ben Stratton, but the safety is unlikely to see playing time soon, if ever, because of a lingering neck problem.
Defensive end Bob Vomhof, who went to Oldenburg’s high school, rounds out CSU’s Wyoming contingent. A regular in the defensive end rotation, Vomhof likely will see more time with starter Jesse Nading (ankle sprain) questionable.
Footnote
Snow forced CSU into the intramural gym Tuesday, while Wyoming held its practice outside. It was cold but not snowing hard in Laramie.
