Wendling, Prosinski prepare for NYC
PETER HOCKADAY Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Thursday, November 2, 2006 12:00 am
LARAMIE -- Chris Prosinski has worn a tuxedo only to his prom.
John Wendling, like Prosinski, has never been to New York.
But next month the two football players, who both play safety for the Wyoming Cowboys, will head to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and don tuxes for the National Football Foundation's Awards Banquet.
Prosinski and Wendling have always shared plenty of similarities, but recently the NFF tied them together as two of the top scholar-athletes in the nation. The two awards were part of a string of recent academic accomplishments that Wendling attributed to UW's "stress" on off-the-field issues.
Prosinski, a freshman at UW who is redshirting this season, was named one of five National High School Scholar-Athletes of the year for his standout high school career at Buffalo. Wendling, a senior who will play his final home game as a Cowboy on Saturday against San Diego State, was named to the NFF's Scholar-Athlete Class. Wendling earned a hefty post-graduate scholarship and a chance for more scholarship money if he beats out 16 other finalists for the Draddy Trophy.
Wyoming will be one of only two schools in the nation -- Florida is the other -- with two players at the awards banquet on Dec. 5. UW head coach Joe Glenn will also head out to New York with his wife, Michele. Glenn is a little more familiar with tuxedos -- he wears one for the "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" performance broadcast on the War Memorial Stadium scoreboard between the third and fourth quarters of home games.
"I'm really looking forward to the whole atmosphere of it, and it's an honor even to be considered for (the award)," Wendling said. "The whole tux and everything, it'll be something a little different."
Wendling has been one of the Pokes' leaders on the field throughout his senior season, and he said he tries to apply most of the same leadership qualities when it comes to academics.
UW lost two players to academic issues in the spring but has also scored academic success in recent years. The most notable academic achievements came from center Trenton Franz, who graduated in the spring of 2004 and played his final football season that fall. Franz earned the same NFF scholarship awarded to Wendling and was also an Academic All-American.
Wendling said he struggled academically in his first year at school, as he had trouble adjusting to the rigors of Division I football combined with collegiate academics. But then his competitive drive took over.
"I come from an education family, my Dad was my high school principal," Wendling said. "It's always been a focus for, something I strive at. I look at academics as just another thing to compete with. It's another form of competition."
Prosinski is going through some of the same on-field struggles Wendling dealt with in his redshirt year. Prosinski has been playing mostly on the scout team, a tough adjustment for a three-sport standout in high school.
But in many facets, Prosinski has a role model in Wendling. Both are Wyoming natives -- Wendling is from Rock Springs -- and they connect on that level.
"I kind of got lucky, coming into the program at the right time," Prosinski said. "Just to see how he does everything, and his work ethic and how he approached everything."
When Wendling takes the field for the last time Saturday, Prosinski won't get on the field. But it could be a passing of the torch, nonetheless, from one Wyoming safety to the next.
Coaches say it's still too early to tell if Prosinski will reach Wendling-like status.
"Whether Chris gets to that stage, I couldn't answer that right now. I'm sure as hell hoping," said UW defensive coordinator Mike Breske, who coaches the team's defensive backs. "That's why we recruited him. That's why he's here. We expect a lot of big things out of Chris."
In the classroom, at least, big things have already happened.
Contact senior sports reporter Peter Hockaday at (307) 266-0596 or peter.hockaday@casperstartribune.net
Extra points
n ON THE LINE: For the second consecutive week, the Mountain West will stream its "mtn." games, including San Diego State at Wyoming, online for a fee. For fans without the MWC's cable network, which is currently unavailable on satellite and in MWC markets San Diego, Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth, the online broadcast is available to broadband users for $14.95 per game.
n CHEAP TICKETS!: Laramie County residents can get a discount on tickets this week, continuing a promotion of discounts for different counties around Wyoming. Residents of Laramie County can call the UW ticket office before Saturday and provide their valid address to receive adult tickets at $20 instead of $25. The promotion is not available on game day.
n COLD FRONT...IN SAN DIEGO: The weather forecast for Saturday's game in Laramie is cold, but that's no surprise. What's surprising is, thanks to a cold front of their own, the SDSU Aztecs might be ready for the temperature drop.
"It's a little chilly down here now," SDSU defensive lineman Antwan Applewhite said Tuesday night. "So we're getting ready."
According to weather.com, temperatures will hover around 50 degrees in Laramie on Saturday. Meanwhile, temperatures dropped to 60 degrees on Tuesday in San Diego. Brrrr! But things warmed up later in the week, and should stay around 70 degrees today and Friday.