Decades of Friendship, One Last Home Game: The Story Behind Walsh’s Circle
- Jeff Bugher
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming Center Jack Walsh will step onto War Memorial Stadium for the final time as a football player on Saturday. Walsh caps off a very decorated career as an offensive lineman. Following in the footsteps of his father, John Walsh, who played football at Wyoming during the 80s. Behind every player on the field is a support system of family, friends, and love. For Walsh, his support system is big and loyal. Earlier in the season, for the Utah game, more than twenty lifelong friends, many of whom have known Jack since grade school, traveled from Illinois to Laramie to support him. Among them was 26-year-old Mark Metzen, who has been part of the Walsh family’s orbit for nearly two decades.
During my interview with Mark, it became very clear that supporting Wyoming wasn’t just a thing that he started doing when Jack signed to play on the high plains.
Metzen grew up alongside Jack’s older brother, Jimmy. “Jack's older brother is Jimmy Walsh, who's my age, and I've known Jimmy since about second grade,” he said. “So I'm 26 years old now, and… it's been a few decades.”
Friendships blended into football. Metzen recalls playing football with Jack, years before Walsh became a starter at Wyoming. “When I was in 8th grade, I was 94 pounds… Jack was in 4th grade. Jack was always a little bit bigger than all the other 4th graders. So Jack always had to play up… Jack was a double striper for our team… he played center for me back in the day.”
The Walsh home, Metzen said, became a second home of sorts. “I've been going to their house since… elementary school all the way through junior high school, high school, and then even after college. I mean, their house is… easily one of the houses that everyone would always go to.”
He described what made it special: “Kathy and John, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh, are… always inviting everyone over. They're always open arms. They also have a great basement. They had a basketball court outside too in their driveway. So we spent a lot of time… throughout our childhood.”
That bond is still strong, even as the boys grew up.
“It was a great childhood experience… and then especially being, in your adult years, 26 years old, and then still being able to have those relationships and have those connections. It's truly something special.”
Becoming a Wyoming Fan
How did an average guy named Mark from Palatine, Illinois, become such a dedicated Wyoming supporter?
“Mr. Walsh played for Wyoming… in the late ’80s, early ’90s,” he said. “Even around their household, they had a ton of Wyoming stuff… the game would always be on.”
When Jack began his recruiting process, the Walsh friends naturally followed along. “It wasn't until… middle senior year when Jack finally committed to Wyoming. And then… the rest has been history.”
Metzen and the group followed Jack wherever they could. “Jack’s freshman year he redshirted, but they played at NIU and… we probably had 50 people go to the game. And from there we've gone to… probably five games throughout the past four years.”
He cherishes those trips with his lifelong friends, including his first visit to Laramie this fall.
“It truthfully was unlike any other,” he said. He recalled stops at Mirror Lake, the pregame band walk, and watching Jack hug his parents before the game. “From a fan perspective, it was truly like once in a lifetime type thing.”
“At the end of the day, it's just money.”
Traveling from Illinois to Wyoming isn’t cheap, and we all know how much hotel rooms can be in Laramie when a game is in town. The group shared hotel rooms, paid for flights to Denver, rental cars, and everything in between, yet none of the expenses mattered, Metzen said.
“It was roughly… 200 bucks a guy for the most part… but at the end of the day, it's just money. It all comes and goes. You can't bring it with you to your grave.”
To him, the experience was priceless. “money comes and goes. But the experience… I know all the guys that we went with can agree with me on that one.”
In total, they traveled deep. “We had roughly 20 people come there.”
Watching Jack’s Growth
As we wrote about earlier in the article, Metzen has seen Jack Walsh play football since childhood ,from peewee center to Division I contributor capable of playing across the offensive line.
“One of the best qualities about Jack… you can put him anywhere on the field that you need him to, and he's going to hold his own and do a good damn job,” he said. “Going from the left side to the right side… playing center and then running the whole offensive line… that kid loves the challenge.”
He added: “If there's one guy to do it at Wyoming, I know that guy’s up for the task.”
The Walsh Family’s Impact
Just as each player on the field has a support system, Mark also see’s Jack’s parents as a support system. When asked what Jack’s parents, Kathy and John, have meant to him personally, Metzen paused. His voice broke several times as he tried to answer.
“Yeah, that's a tough question,” he said. “They've treated all of us like they're own… I've known them for about 20 years.”
He continued slowly: “Kathy… she's like a third mom to me. I have a stepmom, but if I didn't have a mom, she would be… she'd be a second mother. She's someone I could always go to for anything and everything. And same goes with Mr. Walsh.”
Metzen described how the Walsh family included him in family vacations, holidays, and even offered up their garage as a makeshift weight room during COVID, where dozens of neighborhood kids trained. “It just kind of shows who that family is… it's a very tight-knit group.”
He also emphasized their commitment to supporting Jack’s career. “They've gone to every game throughout the past four years that Jack has played in or started in… it takes a lot of time, a lot of effort. It's always a pain getting on a plane and having to drive.”
He said he simply wanted that recognized. “The experiences and the memories that the Walsh family has in general is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Emotion returned again near the end of the interview.
“It takes a special human being to offer a hand and genuinely care about you. Especially nowadays, it's extremely hard for people to find people like that.”
A Lifelong Fan
Metzen's pocketbook hurts with all of the Wyoming gear he bought during his most recent visit.
“I think I spent… a thousand dollars in Wyoming gear in one weekend,” he said. “I’ll keep on watching… probably until the day I die, I'll be watching… Wyoming football.”
That loyalty, he said, stems from knowing the people inside the program.
“I know the kind of culture and the kind of work ethic that those individuals have… all those guys play for one another and you can tell.”
What Does the Walsh Family Mean to Mark?
Metzen summed up what the Walsh family means to him.
“I just wanted to reiterate how much I love them and how much I appreciate everything that that family has done for me throughout my time.”
He paused, then added:
“I would not be speaking on the phone with you right now on a Thursday night at nine o'clock if it wasn't for them.” “I’m flying in tomorrow for the game.”
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