Josh Allen will become the first Wyoming football player to have his jersey retired.
The school announced Thursday that it will retire Allen’s No. 17 jersey at halftime of its Nov. 22 game against Nevada. Allen will be able to attend the game as the Bills visit the Houston Texans on Thursday, Nov. 20.
“It is very exciting and a wonderful day for the State of Wyoming,” Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman said in a statement. “It is going to be a big day in the history of Wyoming Football. Josh is the most high-profile ambassador the University of Wyoming has ever had. The National Football League is the most visible sports enterprise in history, and he is the best player in that league and that is pretty amazing in itself.”
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Allen’s number is being retired more for his NFL accomplishments than his success at Wyoming. The 2024 NFL MVP was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and is the highest-drafted Wyoming player ever.
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The Bills’ decision to pick Allen was a bet on his athletic traits and potential that has paid off handsomely. Allen has made three Pro Bowls and finished in the top three in MVP voting three different times as the Bills have won at least 11 games in each of the past five seasons.
Allen was Wyoming’s starter for two seasons after he appeared in two games in 2015. His best season came in 2016 when he was 209-of-373 passing for 3,203 yards and 28 TDs with 15 interceptions while also rushing for 523 yards and seven touchdowns.
As a junior in 2017, Allen was 152-of-270 passing in three fewer games for 1,812 yards and 16 TDs with six interceptions while rushing for just over 200 yards.
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Allen ranks eighth in school history for career passing yards and his 3,203 yards in 2016 are the fifth most in a single season in school history. He also ranks fifth in career passing touchdowns and only two QBs — Josh Wallwork (33) in 1996 and Brett Smith (29) in 2013 — have thrown more TDs in a season than Allen did nine years ago.