Keegan Cryder was not aware of it, but can understand it happening.

Wyoming's venerable offensive center will start his 41^st consecutive game for the Cowboys Friday evening at Boise State.  The native of Littleton, Colo., was an All-Mountain West first-team selection as well as All-Academic last season. He was pre-season All-Conference this year as well. He's majoring in Civil Engineering, and had just taken a test in his "steel" class when I talked to him.

As accomplished as he is on the field, he's even better off of it.

What he was surprised to learn, however, was that he is the fourth Cowboy center since 2004 to earn all-league and all-academic honors for the Mountain West.  

In other words he is carrying on a distinguished Wyoming football tradition.
Trenton Franz was the first Cowboy center in the Mountain West era to earn all-league and all-academic honors. He went even further. He was an Academic All-American, and earned an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and a National Football Foundation Post-Graduate Fellowship. That came in 2004.

Nick Carlson was next in line earning all-conference and all-academic recognition in 2012.  Chase Roullier accomplished the same five seasons later. He has been a long-time starter at center for the NFL's Washington football team. 

All outstanding centers, all accomplished in the classroom.

"I'm very proud of that," says Keegan when I told him about his lineage.  "I'm in good company.  But I think it goes hand-in-hand with the position really.  There's a lot to know as a center and intelligence really helps."  He's stating fact, and says that without the least bit of boasting.

Keegan is a junior but far beyond his years when it comes to leadership and awareness.

He would have been special without the game of football, but he admits that he would not be who he is without the game.

"Without football I think I would have been half the man I am," he says.  "I've learned leadership, teamwork, and selflessness.  Football is a very challenging and hard game, but that's what makes you grow.  It gives you perspective.  It's really tough, but the experience is so worthwhile."

While he loved playing defense at Dakota Ridge High School in Littleton, Keegan came to Wyoming knowing he would be an offensive lineman.  "It's funny, I thought there was no greater feeling than sacking the quarterback when I was in high school.  Now I spend all my time protecting him."

It's well-documented that offensive linemen have a special bond.  It is probably the closest-knit position group on a football team.

"It's the nature of our (offensive line) business. We have the sole responsibility of helping our teammates do well.  If that doesn't happen, we take all the blame.  There's really no other position like it in sports.  We are out there to make other people shine.  We are the only ones who really understand that.  We realize fans think we are just big guys.  But they have no idea what goes into being a good offensive lineman."
 
So how does a mild-mannered, unassuming engineer function successfully in the violent world that is the line of scrimmage?

"It works really well, actually," he says.  Being mild-mannered helps a center.  It's so physical and there's so much chaos, that if you play with too much emotion, it works to your detriment.  Emotions cannot get the better of you or you fail.  Cool, calm and collected is good.  I'm a pretty a calm guy, but it will be an interesting adjustment when I don't have the chaos of football in my life as a release."

Like any other position an offensive lineman is never satisfied with his performance.  "When you block a guy, you are always thinking, how could I have blocked him better?  You have to continue raising the bar. How can you perfect your game, your technique?

"The enemy of greatness is to accept good," Keegan continues.  "When you miss a block or give up a sack, you have to flush it immediately and move on.  That takes mental toughness and a great work ethic.  The selflessness of the offensive line is a huge responsibility."

Wyoming recruited Cryder as an offensive tackle and he played both right tackle and right guard during his redshirt year.  But in the spring of 2018, the Pokes were searching for a center, and tried him there.  "I had never snapped a ball in my life, but the coaches experimented with me.  It worked out."

Sure did.  He started all 12 games during that '18 season and he's been a fixture at center ever since.

"It's not an easy position.  You make all the calls, and there are so many things you have to see that can impact the play.  Then you have to snap the ball correctly which takes a lot of getting used to as well. I really enjoy the challenge of it though.  I have a lot of respect for centers.

Cryder sees football as a game within the game. "The beauty of football is that it is a huge chess match.  The offensive coordinator is trying to manipulate the defense, and the defense is doing the same with the offense.  It really is more than just a game.  As offensive linemen, we love the inside zone plays because its man-on-man, moving people.  It's very rewarding to run the ball when they know you're going to run it and you gain yards anyway."

Cryder loves to talk about engineering.  It's easy to tell that it's his passion.

"This steel class that I am taking has really been enjoyable.  I like it so much that I've been thinking that I'd like to get into structural engineering.  Every time I walk into the High Altitude Performance Center I think about how transforming that building is.  It has had a dramatic impact on this program.  How proud I would be to have had a part in building it.  That's what I want to do."

Cryder also has a passion for weight-lifting and working out. He currently weighs 305 pounds.  He came to Wyoming at 240.  I will never forget the meals, the weight-on shakes and falling asleep with a half-eaten bagel on my chest.  It's taken a lot of work to reach this size.  Hopefully I'll lose a lot of it when football is over.  I don't think I'll get down to 220 or something like that.  I'm a big guy, but I probably won't be this big."

What does he think about when he thinks about Wyoming?  "I'll always remember the people.  Buildings will fade, but the memories I have made with the guys will always be with me, guys like Logan (Harris) and Zoe (Alonzo Velazquez).  I think about all the people who've helped me, like coaches who are dear friends now, and our fans.   They've all had a huge impact on my life.  I can never repay them.  The people, that's what Wyoming and Laramie are all about."