By Christian Lasher
6/13/2024
June has been a good month for former Wyoming Cowboy wide receiver Ryan Yarborough.
His son graduated from high school on the first, his daughter turned 15 on the 2nd, and on the 3rd, he got an email from Diane Dodson, Wyoming Athletics Assistant Director of Communications Operations telling him he was nominated to be on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Earlier this month, the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) on the 2025 ballot for induction into the Hall. Yarborough is one of 10 wide receivers on the list, including standout players such as Peter Warwick and Marvin Harrison.
On a phone call last week Yarborough commented,
“I’ve been sitting there waiting saying, ‘One of these days!’ So that's the first step, now on to the next step. You know me, I ain’t for the consolation prize. I did the best that I can do on the field and then you know after that everything else is somebody else’s opinion.”
The best he could do on the field was the best in the country in many categories.
While at the University of Wyoming, from 1990-1993, #16 amassed 4,357 receiving yards, the most of any wide receiver in the NCAA when he concluded his career at UW. That number currently sits #8 all time in the NCAA record books. He led the nation in total receiving yards in both 1992 (1,351) and 1993 (1,512). He still holds the record for the highest average gain per reception with 19 yards/catch. A record Yarborough says he is most proud of.
The two-time All American had the most touchdowns in a career with 42. That number is tied for 7th best all time. Yarborough averaged 137.5 yards per game in his senior season.
In 1993 he had 75 catches for 16 touchdowns, for an average of 1.3 touchdowns per game.
His last year was so good, he established or tied five NCAA records.
To be considered as one of the 77 chosen players is a huge accomplishment.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.7 million people have played college football and only 1,093 players have been inducted," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.
Yarborough gives much of the credit to his teammates for his success in the Brown and Gold, but also remembers how special the fans of Wyoming are.
“The fans are unsurmountable. The Laramie fans …they come from the top of the state to the bottom of the state, to the left, to the right, or everywhere all over the state to come to the game. I always remember the fans. Because they're very cordial and they're very knowledgeable, so if you're coming to Laramie (to play,) you have to be ready to get down because the fans were gonna make it happen for us.”
When asked how important his role was at UW to lay the groundwork for future players such as Marcus Harris, Jovon Bouknight, Malcom Floyd, Tanner Gentry and others, Yarborough answers,
“It is just part of evolution, you know, just like before we got there, it was the “Black 14” and they had to stand their ground in order to pave the way for the guys that came after them because that's one of the main reasons that I even knew about Wyoming because my dad was the same age as The Black 14. So you know he gave me some history about it and that was one of the reasons besides Wyoming having a great pass offense that was conducive to my skill set that I came to Laramie”
What else attracted a kid from Chicago to play his college ball in Laramie?
“I wanted to come out there to make history as well. Now, I grew up in the middle of the crack era, so I was trying to get out of the house….get as far away as possible. I'm the oldest of seven. My house was crowded, so I was trying to get as far away as possible, so I could go out and make my own path.”
“I didn't need 10 catches a game. You know, I couldn’t care less about that. I just wanted to make an impact when the ball was in my hands. So when it comes to the records. Records are meant to be broken and eventually, you know, they'll get broken. I went to Wyoming. I didn't go to Notre Dame or USC or anything like that, so I had to, I need to keep going out there playing regardless if I was hurt or anything. I gotta keep playing. I gotta keep putting up numbers, you know? And like I said, I'm the oldest of seven, so I wanted to leave a path for the people that were coming up after me.”
Yarborough was drafted in 1993 by the New York Jets, and had stints in New Orleans, Baltimore, and played the first season of the XFL.
Yarborough, now a father of four children, currently lives in Houston, Texas. He manages a show site company that has crews that put up and take down booths at convention centers.
He adds, “I’m doing the directing now…I’m doing the coaching.”
When asked if he ever coached after his days in the NFL, he adds,
“I did help start a prep school back in Chicago back in 2014 through 2016. It was called Midwest Prep. It was with a couple of other guys that were from the Chicago Land area that made it to the pros. So we could get some guys college exposure and help them get another year of getting their grades together.”
Yarborough continues,
“But I would, I would like to coach, and it would be on the college level. You know, without question, I would like to coach receivers. My kids are older now. My son just graduated high school, so I can move around a little differently.”
Yarborough concludes with his thoughts on Laramie, the state of Wyoming, and being a Cowboy Alum,
“It’s a beautiful feeling, you know, and it's something I don't take for granted. It's something that I'm very grateful for and blessed to be in this position. Wyoming has always taken care of me and I know they always will because like I tell people that I know, it's always going to be Yarborough country, so that poster is never going nowhere. Those pictures never going nowhere, you know? It's always Yarborough Country…not just love the people have and the fans that embrace me because they still do embrace a 53-year-old man!”
For now, Ryan will have to wait to see if the voters also embrace him. The announcement of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2025.
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