The Wyoming Cowboys football program represents the University of Wyoming in NCAA college football. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and have won 14 conference titles. Their current head coach is Jay Sawvel who is entering his second season as head coach in 2025 after serving as the program’s Defensive Coordinator for the previous four seasons.
The Cowboy football program has been among the most notable of "stepping stone" programs due to the success of its former coaches. Coaches such as Bowden Wyatt, Bob Devaney, Fred Akers, Pat Dye, Dennis Erickson and Joe Tiller were at Wyoming immediately prior to gaining notoriety at bigger football powerhouses.
History
After struggling for much of the first half of the century, Wyoming football rose to regional power status in the late 1940s. Between 1949 and 1961, the Cowboys won the Mountain States Conference championship seven times, including four in a row under coach Bob Devaney from 1958 to 1961. After joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1962, the program added three more championships from 1966 to 1968, led by coach Lloyd Eaton.
Black 14 In 1969, 14 black team members wore black armbands to a practice, intending to protest the alleged racism they had experienced at their last game with an upcoming opponent, BYU. Head coach Lloyd Eaton expelled them from the team, "triggering an uproar that consumed the rest of the football season and much of everything else in the tiny college town of Laramie, Wyoming."
Later years In 2018, filmmaker Darius Monroe released a documentary short about the athletes: Black 14. The short "uses only archival footage to tell the story, mostly from local ABC and NBC affiliates in Wyoming, letting the principals – from the students, to the coach, to the school president and even the state's governor – speak for themselves."
Conference affiliations Independent (1893–1904) Colorado Football Association (1905–1908) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1909–1937) Mountain States Conference (1938–1961) Western Athletic Conference (1962–1998) Mountain West Conference (1999–present)
Championships Conference championships Wyoming has won 14 conference championships, ten outright and four shared. 1949 Mountain States Conference Bowden Wyatt 9–1 5–0 1950 10–0 5–0 1956 Phil Dickens 10–0 7–0 1958 Bob Devaney 8–3 6–1 1959 9–1 7–0 1960† 8–2 6–1 1961† 6–1–2 5–0–1 1966 Western Athletic Conference Lloyd Eaton 10–1 5–0 1967 10–1 5–0 1968 7–3 6–1 1976† Fred Akers 8–4 6–1 1987 Paul Roach 10–3 8–0 1988 11–2 8–0 1993† Joe Tiller 8–4 6–2 † Co-champion
Division championships Wyoming won the Western Athletic Conference's Pacific division championship in 1996 and lost in the league's championship game. Wyoming shared the Mountain West's Mountain division championship in 2016 and lost in the league's championship game. 1996 WAC – Pacific Joe Tiller BYU L 25–28 (OT) 2016† MW – Mountain Craig Bohl San Diego State L 24–27 † Co-champion
Head coaches
1893–1894, 1898 Fred Hess 3 4–4 1894–1897, 1899 J.F. Soule 5 8–1–1 1900–1906 William McMurray 7 16–11–1 1907–1908 Robert Ehlman 2 3–3 1909–1911 Harold I. Dean 3 11–12–1 1912 L.C. Exelby 1 2–7 1913–1914 Ralph W. Thacker 2 1–10 1915–1923 John Corbett 7 15–44–3 1924–1926 W.H. Dietz 4 14–18–2 1927–1929 George McLaren 2 3–14 1930–1932 John Rhodes 3 10–15–2 1933–1938 Willard Witte 6 16–30–3 1939 Joel Hunt 1 0–7–1 1940 Okie Blanchard 1 1–7–1 1941–1946 Bernard Oakes 3 6–20–2 1947–1952 Bowden Wyatt 6 39–17–1 1953–1956 Phil Dickens 4 29–11–1 1957–1961 Bob Devaney 5 35–10–5 1962–1970 Lloyd Eaton 9 57–33–2 1971–1974 Fritz Shurmur 4 15–29 1975–1976 Fred Akers 2 10–13 1977–1979 Bill Lewis 3 14–20–1 1980 Pat Dye 1 6–5 1981–1985 Al Kincaid 5 29–29 1986 Dennis Erickson 1 6–6 1987–1990 Paul Roach 4 35–15 1991–1996 Joe Tiller 6 39–30–1 1997–1999 Dana Dimel 3 23–12 2000–2002 Vic Koenning 3 5–29 2003–2008 Joe Glenn 6 30–41 2009–2013 Dave Christensen 5 27–35 2014–2023 Craig Bohl 10 61–60 2024–present Jay Sawvel 3 7–18
Bowl games
The Cowboys have appeared in 19 bowl games and have a record of ten wins and nine losses (10–9). Their most recent bowl appearance was a 16 – 15 come-from-behind win over the Toledo Rockets in the 2023 Arizona Bowl on December 30, 2023 for their 19th Bowl game. 1950 Bowden Wyatt Gator Bowl Washington & Lee W 20–7 1955 Phil Dickens Sun Bowl Texas Tech W 21–14 1958 Bob Devaney Sun Bowl Hardin-Simmons W 14–7 1966 Lloyd Eaton Sun Bowl Florida State W 28–20 1967 Lloyd Eaton Sugar Bowl LSU L 13–20 1976 Fred Akers Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma L 7–41 1987 Paul Roach Holiday Bowl Iowa L 19–20 1988 Paul Roach Holiday Bowl Oklahoma State L 14–62 1990 Paul Roach Copper Bowl California L 15–17 1993 Joe Tiller Copper Bowl Kansas State L 17–52 2004 Joe Glenn Las Vegas Bowl UCLA W 24–21 2009 Dave Christensen New Mexico Bowl Fresno State W 35–28 2OT 2011 Dave Christensen New Mexico Bowl Temple L 15–37 2016 Craig Bohl Poinsettia Bowl BYU L 21–24 2017 Craig Bohl Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Central Michigan W 37–14 2019 Craig Bohl Arizona Bowl Georgia State W 38–17 2021 Craig Bohl Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Kent State W 52–38 2022 Craig Bohl Arizona Bowl Ohio L 27–30 1OT 2023 Craig Bohl Arizona Bowl Toledo W 16–15
Stadiums
War Memorial Stadium was built in 1950 with an original capacity of 20,000 fans; the current capacity is 29,181 after the completion of 2009–2010 stadium upgrades.
It is the highest Division I FBS football stadium in the nation; the elevation of its playing field exceeds above sea level. The playing surface was natural grass until 2005, when infilled artificial turf was installed.
Prior to War Memorial Stadium, the Cowboys played at Corbett Field, a small field located southeast of Half Acre Gym where the Business Building and the Student Union parking lot now sit. It was named for John J. Corbett, longtime all-sport coach and director of physical education at the school. The field was the first official stadium for the Cowboys; previously they had played on Prexy's Pasture, the main green of the school.
Rivalries Colorado State
The Bronze Boot is awarded to the winner of the college football game between Wyoming and Colorado State Rams in nearby Fort Collins, Colorado. Laramie and Fort Collins are only about 65 miles apart. The annual game has evolved into one of the most bitterly contested rivalries in college football. The teams have waged the "Border War" over 100 times since the schools began playing in 1899, playing every year except 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1918, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1943, 1944, and 1945. This is one of the oldest interstate rivalries west of the Mississippi River. Until the 1949 game, CSU led the series 30–5–5. From the 1949 game onward, Wyoming has a record of 46–29 against the Rams. The series is the oldest rivalry for both schools and the Border War has been played in three different centuries. CSU leads the series 61–52–5.
Hawaii
The Paniolo Trophy is awarded to the winner of the college football games played between Wyoming and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football. This rivalry started in 1979 when Hawaii joined the Western Athletic Conference and was played annually until 1997, shortly before Wyoming joined the newly formed Mountain West Conference. Hawaii joined the MWC as a football–only affiliate member in 2012, renewing the rivalry. Wyoming leads the series 18–12.
Utah State
Bridger's Battle is the name for the games played between Wyoming and Utah State, the winner is awarded the trophy of the rivalry, a .50 caliber Rocky Mountain Hawken rifle. The rivalry started in 1903, and renewed as an annual game in 2013 when Utah State joined the Mountain West Conference. However, with divisions going away in 2023, this streak of annual meetings ended. USU leads the series 41–28–4.
Other rivalries
Wyoming and Brigham Young have played each other 79 times, with BYU leading the series 46–30–3. BYU was arguably Wyoming's second biggest rival until BYU left the Mountain West to become an independent in 2011. Utah and Wyoming have played each other 85 times, which makes Utah Wyoming's most played opponent outside of Colorado State. Similar to the BYU series, the rivalry took a major blow when Utah left the MWC in 2010. UW's record against the Utes is 32–52–1. New Mexico and Wyoming have played each other 77 times. The Lobos and Cowboys have faced off every year since 1949 except for a 4-year stretch from 1995 to 1998. UW holds the advantage over UNM 41–36.
Air Force and Wyoming have played each other a total of 63 times. Their proximity has made them division rivals in multiple conferences. Two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year Mitch Donahue once said “I hated them more than CSU. They were good, fast and little. They would bite at your heels all the time.” In 1998, #23 Air Force defeated number #25 Wyoming to win the WAC championship 10–7. In 2012 after Air Force defeated Wyoming, former Wyoming coach Dave Christensen went on a profanity-laced tirade about Air Force coach Troy Calhoun that drew national attention and a $50,000 fine for Christensen. This is a closely fought contest, with the Air Force Academy leading the all-time series 32–28–3.
Notable NFL Alumni
Mike Dirks (born 1946), defensive tackle; part of one of college football's best defenses in 1966 and 1967. He was selected as an All-American and All-Western Athletic Conference performer. He co-captained Wyoming's 1967 WAC Championship football team that finished fifth in the nation. Led the Cowboys to a 10–1 record and berth in the 1968 Sugar Bowl. He was part of the Cowboys line that was the nation's best rushing defense for two consecutive seasons. No team in the nation has since allowed fewer rushing yards than the 1966 and 1967 Wyoming defenses. Dirks produced 71 tackles, 30 unassisted tackles, and 26 tackles for a loss. He was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboys Athletic Hall of Fame on October 29, 1993. Adam Goldberg (born 1980), NFL offensive tackle. He became only the third junior in University of Wyoming football history to be elected a team captain when he was voted a captain by his teammates in the spring of 2001. He was Honorable Mention All-America and two-time First-team All-Mountain West Conference. He started 44 of 45 career games. Jerry Hill (born 1939), running back - was selected as Wyoming's Football Player of the Century during fan balloting in 1992. He was selected as an All-Skyline Conference running back in 1959 and 1960. In those two seasons, Hill was Wyoming's leading rusher. During his career, the Cowboys posted a 25–6 record. Hill was a member of the club that won the 1958 Sun Bowl. His career would finish with 1,374 rushing yards on 288 carries. He was inducted in the Wyoming Cowboys Athletic Hall of Fame on October 29, 1993. Jim Kiick (1946–2020), running back - Wyoming's leading rusher for each of his three seasons, 1965-67. He totalled 1,714 yards and ten touchdowns on 431 carries, and 561 yards and five touchdowns on 52 pass receptions. He was the first player ever to earn first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors three times. Kiick was co-captain of the team as a senior. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1966 Sun Bowl victory over Florida State, rushing 25 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and catching four passes for 42 yards. He also played in the 1968 Sugar Bowl against LSU, rushing 19 times for 75 yards and a touchdown, and catching five passes for 48 yards. Kiick played in the 1968 Senior Bowl, and was selected to play in the 1968 College All-Star Game.