Chris Pro to go pro; drafted by Jaguars

 Former University of Wyoming Cowboy Chris Prosinski was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft on Saturday by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Prosinski was the 24th pick in the fourth round and was the 121st overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He becomes the highest Wyoming Cowboy drafted since 1997 when UW offensive tackle Steve Scifres was drafted in the third round (83rd overall pick, 23rd pick in the third round) by the Dallas Cowboys. Prosinski also becomes the first Cowboy, and the first native of the state of Wyoming who played at UW, to be drafted since John Wendling (Rock Springs) was selected in 2007 in the siixth round (184th overall pick, 10th pick in the sixth round) by the Buffalo Bills.

Prosinski concluded his college football career at Wyoming ranked No. 4 in career tackles in school history with 373. His senior year he was credited with 108 total tackles, marking the second consecutive year in which he had over 100 tackles in a single season (he had 140 tackles as a junior) and the second consecutive season that he led the Cowboys in tackles. He ranked No. 3 in the Mountain West Conference in tackles (9.0 per game) and ranked No. 37 in the nation for all players at all positions.

For the second year in a row in 2010, Prosinski was named Second Team All-MWC by conference head coaches and media. At the team’s annual awards banquet, Prosinski was named recipient of the Coach Paul Roach Team MVP Award. The award is named after former UW head football coach and athletics director Paul Roach, who was part of six of Wyoming’s seven Western Athletic Conference Championships, and contributed to six of UW’s 12 bowl appearances.

Prosinski was also one of only two Wyoming senior football players to be honored by the Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Foundation as its UW Scholar-Athletes for the 2010 season.

On a national level, Prosinski was one of 121 semifinalists for the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors college football’s top scholar-athlete each year from all levels of college football -- NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Of the 121 semifinalists, Prosinski was one of only 47 student-athletes selected from NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools across the nation. The William V. Campbell Trophy was previously named the Draddy Trophy, and is commonly referred to as the “Academic Heisman”.

An outstanding leader, he was voted a team captain by his teammates in the spring of 2010. He started the last 37 consecutive games at free safety for the Cowboys. His best individual performances of 2010 included: two 12-tackle games versus No. 3 ranked Boise State and No. 10 ranked Utah; and two 11-tackle performances at No. 4 ranked Texas and at New Mexico. Prosinski graduated in May of 2010 with a degree in business administration.