Five true facts about … Wyoming football
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- The BYU defense surrounds a Wyoming ball carries during a college football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022.
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- Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda (17) in the first half during an NCAA football game against Arizona State on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz.
Each week the Daily Herald will provide five true facts about BYU’s latest football opponent for your enjoyment. This week, the University of Wyoming.
One: We are the Cowboys/Cowgirls
The story is that in 1891 the Wyoming pick-up football team appealed to a 220- pound cowpuncher, Fred Bush, for help in a game against the Cheyenne Soldiers. Bush signed up for a course or two and came out for the team. When he trotted onto the field decked out in a checkered shirt and Cowboy hat, someone yelled, “Hey, look at the Cowboy!” Since many of the members of the team were also ex-cowboys, the name stuck. When women’s sports were added at UW, the nickname of Cowgirls was applied to those squads.
Two: Stepping stone
The Wyoming head coaching job has been a stepping stone for success elsewhere for the likes of Bob Devaney (Nebraska), Fred Akers (Texas), Pat Dye (Auburn), Dennis Erickson (Miami) and Joe Tiller (Purdue).
Three: Don’t buck me off
The Wyoming logo depicts a cowboy riding a bucking horse. This symbol has been a part of the University of Wyoming Athletics Department since the early 1920’s, when UW Equipment Manger Deane Hunton obtained a photograph of a cowboy, Guy Holt, riding the world famous bucking horse, Steamboat.
Four: Get your drink on
One of the Wyoming game day traditions is called, “Breakfast at the Buck.” A local favorite, this tradition includes Bloody Marys and mimosas at the Buckhorn Bar in the downtown Laramie starting at 8 a.m. on game days.
Five: Hard to breath
War Memorial Stadium was built in 1950 with an original capacity of 20,000. The current capacity is 29,181 and it is the highest Division I stadium in the country, with the elevation of the playing field exceeding 7,200 feet above sea level.
