University of Wyoming football fans living in the southwest and central parts of the state will hear a familiar voice tomorrow afternoon when they tune into the radio broadcast of the Cowboys game against University of Illinois.

Green River’s own Erick Pauley will be making his debut as the sideline reporter for the Pokes after being tapped for the job when legendary play-by-play broadcaster Dave Walsh decided to retire at the end of last year.

Walsh spent 38 memorable years behind the microphone for Cowboy football and basketball games, and his retirement bumped then-sideline reporter Reece Monaco into the hot seat as the play-by-play voice for UW.

That’s when Erick got the call.

I’ve literally dreamed about being a part of the Cowboy broadcasts and being part of that legacy. I’m on Cloud Nine. So excited to be a part of Cowboy football again.

Erick Pauley

Erick actually got his feet wet on the UW scene in 2020 when a bout of COVID-19 sidelined Monaco from the UW basketball games for a couple of weeks. Learfield Sports initially contacted Wyoming Hall of Fame broadcaster and longtime Voice of the Wolves Steve Core, who then directed them to Pauley. Erick was running the radio stations in Riverton at the time, and Learfield asked him if he could cover the UW game against Nevada that weekend.

“Before they even finished the question, I said yes,” Erick laughed. “It was really weird to do the games without fans because I was the loudest voice inside the AA. There were like 50 people in the entire building.”

He also had the privilege of broadcasting the Cowgirls’ home opener last year when the team was presented with the Mountain West championship trophy.

Back to Sideline

Erick and his wife Kait moved back to Green River in 2021 to be closer to their families, and he resumed his work at the place where it all began for him. The Radio Network hired him as Vice President of Overall Operations in June 2021, and he took over the play-by-play duties for Green River High School among many other duties.

Erick received a phone call on the Wednesday before Walsh retired from UW Senior Athletic and Sports Information Director Kevin McKinney and Learfield Wyoming Sports Properties Manager Brad Poe asking him to be a part of the broadcast team for UW football.

“They said we need to talk and I was thinking, ‘did we forget to sign something for our Cowboy coverage this year or something?'” he said. “I think the exact words out of my mouth were ‘I’ll rearrange my entire life to make that happen.’ It still hasn’t really hit me and probably won’t until we’re getting on the plane to Illinois.”

Erick knows there is going to be new challenges moving from the booth of Friday nights to the sidelines on Saturday. Play-by-play requires a lot of pre-game prep, where the sideline reports are often more spontaneous and in the moment.

“Sideline is all reactionary,” he said. “I always thought the play-by-play guy had the best seat in the house. But Kevin McKinney told me that I’ll have the best seat in the house because you can see and hear the game.”

“I spent most of my time on the sidelines at the University of Wyoming when I was a player, so I’ve got some experience with that,” Erick laughs.

A Brand New Challenge

The excitement of becoming a member of the UW football broadcast team also means a whole new set of challenges for Erick. With the blessing of The Radio Network team, he’ll be juggling schedules, travel, work and home life to fullfill his duties to both the company and university.

He and Kait have a young daughter and another child on the way in December. Erick says he wouldn’t be able to live this lifelong dream without Kait.

“She has been incredibly supportive of me throughout my entire career and none of this would be possible without her,” he said.

Steve Core will also return to the booth to fill in for Erick for three high school games that will conflict with UW games. And returning to the sidelines in Laramie will be genuinely emotional for the former Wyoming Cowboy player. Erick’s playing career at UW was cut short by a growth on his brain that forced him to end his time in the program.

“When I left the University of Wyoming, I didn’t do it on my terms. Even going back to Laramie to watch a game was really hard because I missed it so much” he said. “It turns out that dealing with the growth that created all these problems later on in life helped my reconcile all that.”

He said that now getting the opportunity to be a part of the Wyoming football program again is “everything to me.”

The Wyoming Cowboys launch their 2022 campaign against the Fighting Illini tomorrow with Learfield Sports coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. and kick off at 2 p.m. For native son Erick Pauley, being back on that UW sideline will feel like living in a dream.