DNVR Rams All-Time Roster: The top 4 tight ends in program history

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The DNVR Rams All-Time Roster continues with the position that has revolutionized modern offenses.

Tight ends may not traditionally get the same type of praise as some of their offensive counterparts — particularly running backs and wide receivers — but when it comes to Colorado State football, there has been no shortage of talented players at the tight end position.

From Keli McGregor to Trey McBride and everyone in-between, the Rams have produced some of the best tight ends in the region. What’s unique about this particular group, however, is that all four guys just happen to be locals.

So, without further ado, DNVR Rams presents Part 4 of the All-Time Rams Series.

Keli McGregor (1981-84)

The 1980’s were not kind to fans of the green and gold. The Rams produced just two winning seasons in the entire decade, and what’s worse, CSU finished with one or less victory three different times.

Even as brutal of a stretch as 1981-89 was for the Rams, though, there were still plenty of players that were able to make their own mark.

We’ve already talked about some of the other greats from the decade, like Kelly Stouffer (QB), Steve Bartalo (RB) and Jeff Champine (WR). Now it’s time to address one of the program’s most accomplished tight ends — and that of course is Keli McGregor.

Throughout the entire history of Colorado State football, there have only ever been two tight ends that received all-conference recognition in three consecutive seasons: Keli McGregor (1982-84) and Joel Dreesen (2002-04). Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see why McGregor was the first to do so.

From 1981-84, McGregor was consistently one of the most productive players on the team, racking up 153 catches for 1,604 yards and eight receiving touchdowns during his four years as a starter. Roughly three and a half decades later, McGregor still leads all Rams tight ends in receptions and is No. 2 in receiving yards as well.

Following his senior season in 1984, McGregor received second team All-America honors from the Associated Press and ultimately ended up being selected by the Denver Broncos with the 110th overall pick of the 1985 NFL Draft.

His professional football career lasted three seasons but where McGregor really ended up making a name for himself was with the Colorado Rockies (1993-2010).

McGregor tragically passed away in 2010 but his impact will not be soon forgotten. A graduate of Lakewood High School, where he was a four-sport athlete for the Tigers. A walk-on, turned-superstar for CSU football. And eventually the president of the Rockies — McGregor definitely made a name for himself in the community.

Joel Dreesen (2001-04)

Joel Dreesen was everything that you wanted in a tight end.

He was athletic, versatile, and unafraid to get dirty in the trenches — the type of player that would drive a linebacker five yards back on one play and catch a touchdown pass from Bradlee Van Pelt on the next. Then, once he was done, he’d let the defender know just long of a day it was going to be and probably flex in his face for a second as well.

Quite simply, Dreesen was awesome — and as a kid that grew up in Fort Morgan, the Ram fans embraced him that much more because of it.

Did it help his popularity that he got to play for a legendary head coach, on a couple of CSU’s better teams from this century? Without a doubt. But there’s also no denying the type of consistent production that Dreesen brought to the table.

Dreesen still ranks third amongst all CSU tight ends in receptions (123) and touchdowns (10). And as mentioned above, along with McGregor (1982-84), Dreesen is the only other tight end in program history to be named all-conference in three consecutive seasons (2002-04).

Beyond everything he accomplished in his impressive collegiate career, Dreesen will always hold a special place in the hearts of Ram fans — especially those that spent their childhoods cheering him on in the NFL.

It may sound silly because Dreesen had a fairly average professional career. But he represented “Next Level Rams” during a time when there were not very many former CSU players in the league. He was a symbol of pride for Rams fans during one of the tougher stretches in modern history. And for that, his legendary status is elevated even more.

Kory Sperry (2004-08)

Kory Sperry has always been criminally underrated.

One of the greatest red zone threats in Colorado State history, Sperry’s 20 career receiving touchdowns leads all CSU tight ends by a wide margin (+9), and even compares well with some of the most legendary Rams of all-time.

As the numbers currently stand, Sperry is tied with David Anderson for the fourth-most receiving touchdowns in program history. What’s more, though, he is the only tight end even in the top 10.

Sperry has the second-most receptions by a Rams tight end (141), and the most receiving yards with 1,763 — but the thing that made Sperry so much fun to watch was his ability to make the spectacular play. Any ball that was even remotely in his vicinity was likely going to end up in Sperry’s hands.

One of the best examples of this big-play ability came in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl. With just seconds remaining in the first half and the Rams trailing 21-13, Sperry was able to bring down a circus catch over two Fresno State defensive backs in the corner of the end zone. The play completely flipped the momentum right before halftime and the Rams ended up going on to beat the Bulldogs 40-35. At the time, the bowl victory was CSU’s first in seven years.

Unfortunately, mostly due to nagging injuries, Sperry’s professional career was not quite as successful as most CSU diehards anticipated it would be. After time with Miami, San Diego, Arizona and a brief stint with Minnesota, Sperry decided to call it a career in 2014. To this day, though, Sperry still views his time in Fort Collins as the best football years of his life.

“Football wise, (CSU) was probably my most memorable,” Sperry said in an interview with Austin White. “You have a bunch of college kids from all over the world and it’s not about money, it was about trying to win and be a family. We worked out together, went to school together, we practiced together and we partied together.”

Trey McBride (2018-present)

Trey McBride making the roster over Crockett Gillmore and Kivon Cartwright will rub some folks the wrong way.

After all, both are more than deserving, as the former was a third round pick by the Baltimore Ravens and the latter has the second-most touchdowns by a CSU tight end (11). At this point, though, the roster has been fairly uncontroversial so it seemed like a good time to shake things up.

In two seasons with the Rams, McBride has totaled 52 receptions for 649 yards and five receiving touchdowns. What’s more, is he’s done so while playing with a revolving door of quarterbacks and a variety of distractions off the field. In example: rumors that Mike Bobo would be fired for two straight years.

Now entering his junior year, expectations for No. 85 could not be any higher. Coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he was named first-team All-Mountain West after catching 45 passes for 560 yards and four touchdowns, people all around the country are starting to note just how good McBride is.

Earlier this week, McBride was named to the Mackey Award preseason watch list for a second straight year. And one can pretty much guarantee that he will also be named to the preseason all-conference team. But when you watch this guy in action, it all makes sense.

First off, he’s way too strong for smaller defensive backs to deal with. A 5-foot-10 cornerback is just going to get thrown around like a rag doll if the try to line up with McBride.

The other problem for opposing defensive coordinators, though, is that McBride’s speed makes him a nightmare cover for the linebackers and bigger defenders as well.  If those guys try to keep up with him in pass coverage, it ends up being a long day for everyone on the defense. Just ask Fresno State, who McBride torched for a 69-yard touchdown last season.

Obviously, McBride still has a ways to go in terms of matching the production of the other tight ends on the list. But assuming he stays healthy, it feels like a lock for him to go down as one of the greatest CSU tight ends ever.

Get your popcorn ready, folks. The McBride show is only just beginning.

Honorable Mention

Jim Kennedy (1971-73)

Harper Lebel (1981-84)

Eli Workman (1997)

Crockett Gillmore (2010-13)

Kivon Cartwright (2011-2015)

Steven Walker (2014-15)