Wyoming Cowboys Football: History, Coach, Rivals, and so on

The Wyoming Cowboys football team represents the University of Wyoming in college football. Cowboys compete in the Mountain West Conference within the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I. The team is guided by head coach Jay Sawvel, and they play their home games at War Memorial Stadium

Name of Team	Wyoming Cowboys
First season	1893
Athletic director	Tom Burman
Head coach	Jay Sawvel
Stadium	War Memorial Stadium
Field surface	Artificial turf
Location	Laramie, Wyoming
Conference	Mountain West (1999–present)
Division	Mountain (2013–2019 and 2021–2022)
Conference titles	14
Division titles	2
Fight song	Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Mascot	Cowboy Joe
Rivalries	Colorado State, Utah State, Hawaii, Air Force
Consensus All-Americans	4

Wyoming Cowboys Football Introduction

The Wyoming Cowboys played their first football match in 1893 against Cheyenne High School, they won the game by a 14–0 score. It was the only game they played that season led by Fred Hess, the first head coach of the program.

Cowboys have won 14 conference titles, ten outright and 4 shared. Currently. Jay Sawvel guides the team as head coach. He previously served as the team's defensive coordinator.

Throughout its history, the Cowboys have been affiliated with various conferences with a brief independent period from 1893–1904. Currently, they are associated with the Mountain West Conference since 1999

Their notable achievements include winning the Western Athletic Conference's Pacific Division championship in 1996 and sharing the Mountain West's Mountain Division championship in 2016.

Wyoming Cowboys Football History

The program started as an independent team in 1893 and later joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 1916. Wyoming football experienced significant growth and success beginning in the late 1940s. After many challenging years in the early part of the century, the Cowboys emerged as a regional power.

From 1949 to 1961, they won the Mountain States Conference championship seven times, including four consecutive titles under coach Bob Devaney from 1958 to 1961. In 1962, Wyoming joined the Western Athletic Conference and secured three additional championships between 1966 and 1968 under coach Lloyd Eaton.

Wyoming Cowboys Football Coach

The Wyoming Cowboys football team has been led by 33 head coaches since its starting. Currently, Jay Sawvel holds the position of head coach.

Head Coach

Jay Sawvel, born on March 14, 1971, is the head football coach at the University of Wyoming. Before becoming head coach, Sawvel was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Wyoming from 2020 to 2023. On December 6, 2023, he was named the 33rd head coach of the Cowboys, succeeding Craig Bohl after his retirement.

Here is a table listing all the head coaches of the Wyoming Cowboys football team:

Tenure	Coach
2023-Present	Jay Sawvel
2014–2023	Craig Bohl
2009–2013	Dave Christensen
2003–2008	Joe Glenn
2000–2002	Vic Koenning
1997–1999	Dana Dimel
1991–1996	Joe Tiller
1987–1990	Paul Roach
1986	Dennis Erickson
1981–1985	Al Kincaid
1980	Pat Dye
1977–1979	Bill Lewis
1975–1976	Fred Akers
1971–1974	Fritz Shurmur
1962–1970	Lloyd Eaton
1957–1961	Bob Devaney
1953–1956	Phil Dickens
1947–1952	Bowden Wyatt
1941–1946	Bernard Oakes
1940	Okie Blanchard
1939	Joel Hunt
1933–1938	Willard Witte
1930–1932	John Rhodes
1927–1929	George McLaren
1924–1926	W.H. Dietz
1915–1923	John Corbett
1913–1914	Ralph W. Thacker
1912	L.C. Exelby
1909–1911	Harold I. Dean
1907–1908	Robert Ehlman
1900–1906	William McMurray
1894–1897, 1899	J.F. Soule
1893–1894, 1898	Fred Hess

Wyoming Cowboys Football Stadium: War Memorial Stadium

War Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie. It is also known as Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. It is the home ground for The Wyoming Cowboys. This is the only college football stadium in Wyoming and the biggest in the state.

The field is named after a natural gas field in the Green River Basin of Sublette County. Situated at an elevation of 7,220 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level, War Memorial Stadium is the highest FBS stadium in the country.

Wyoming Cowboys Football Rivals

Colorado State

The winner of the football game between Colorado State and Wyoming is crowned the Bronze Boot, and the rivalry is known as the Border War. The University of Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State Rams play one of the oldest college football rivalries, dating back to 1899. The two teams' campuses are roughly 65 miles apart. There have been more than 100 games played, with a couple of breaks in the early 1900s during World War II. Colorado State led the series by a considerable margin at first, but Wyoming has had a better record since 1949. As of 2023, Colorado State leads the series overall, 59-51-5.

Hawaii

The Paniolo Trophy, given to the victor of Wyoming and Hawaii's football games, serves as a symbol of their rivalry. Hawaii joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1979, marking the start of this competition. The yearly rivalry continued until 1997, when Wyoming joined the Mountain West Conference. In 2012, the rivalry revived when Hawaii joined the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member. Wyoming is ahead in the series 17–11 as of 2023.

Utah State

Wyoming and Utah State compete in a rivalry known as Bridger's Battle, with the victor receiving a .50 caliber Rocky Mountain Hawken rifle as a trophy. The rivalry started in 1903 and became an annual event again in 2013 when Utah State joined the Mountain West Conference. However, with the removal of divisions in 2023, the regular annual meetings have ended. Utah State leads the series 40-28-4.

Wyoming Cowboys Football Record and stats

Wyoming has won 14 conference championships, comprising ten outright titles and four shared.
In 1996, Wyoming clinched the Western Athletic Conference's Pacific division championship but fell short in the league's championship game.

Conference championships

Season	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1949	Mountain States Conference	Bowden Wyatt	9–1	5–0
1950	Mountain States Conference	Bowden Wyatt	10–0	5–0
1956	Mountain States Conference	Phil Dickens	10–0	7–0
1958	Mountain States Conference	Bob Devaney	8–3	6–1
1959	Mountain States Conference	Bob Devaney	9–1	7–0
1960†	Mountain States Conference	Bob Devaney	8–2	6–1
1961†	Mountain States Conference	Bob Devaney	6–1–2	5–0–1
1966	Western Athletic Conference	Lloyd Eaton	10–1	5–0
1967	Western Athletic Conference	Lloyd Eaton	10–1	5–0
1968	Western Athletic Conference	Lloyd Eaton	7–3	6–1
1976†	Western Athletic Conference	Fred Akers	8–4	6–1
1987	Western Athletic Conference	Paul Roach	10–3	8–0
1988	Western Athletic Conference	Paul Roach	11–2	8–0
1993†	Western Athletic Conference	Joe Tiller	8–4	6–2

Division championships

Season	Division	Coach	Opponent	CG result
1996	WAC – Pacific	Joe Tiller	BYU	L 25–28 (OT)
2016†	MW – Mountain	Craig Bohl	San Diego State	L 24–27

Wyoming Cowboys Football Roster

The Wyoming Cowboys football team includes players from diverse backgrounds. Each player contributes to the team with their unique talents

On the offensive side, notable players include:

NO	PLAYER	POS
18	Kaden Anderson	QB
13	Gage Brook	QB
12	Jayden Clemons	QB
15	Carson May	QB
6	Andrew Peasley	QB
17	Evan Svoboda	QB
25	Mitchell Anderson	RB
32	Jamari Ferrell	RB
21	Jeremy Hollingsworth	RB
30	Tyler Jacklich	RB
3	Dawaiian McNeely	RB
26	LJ Richardson	RB
22	Sam Scott	RB
4	Harrison Waylee	RB
36	Caleb Driskill	FB
35	Kimball Madsen	FB
40	Cooper Mailand	FB
5	Ayir Asante	WR
2	Devin Boddie Jr.	WR
82	Bricen Brantley	WR
9	Alex Brown	WR
24	Charlie Coenen	WR
19	Caleb Cooley	WR
16	Gunner Gentry	WR
41	Kayden LaFramboise	WR
85	Chase Locke	WR
20	Ryan Marquez	WR
23	Caleb Merritt	WR
83	Will Pelissier	WR
8	Jaylen Sargent	WR
14	Justin Stevenson	WR
11	Wyatt Wieland	WR
80	Justin Erb	TE
84	John Michael Gyllenborg	TE
86	Nick Miles	TE
88	Colin O'Brien	TE
87	Isaac Schoenfeld	TE
81	Treyton Welch	TE
57	Luke Sandy	C
77	Nofoafia Tulafono	C
70	Rex Johnsen	G
78	Wes King	G
66	Ethan Shipp	G
61	JJ Uphold	G
79	Jack Walsh	G
69	Abraham Bangoura	OL
53	Dante Gavito	OL
65	Nathan Geiger	OL
64	Brandt Rice	OL
63	Kuba Tyszka	OL
60	Wyatt Walters	OL
72	Caden Barnett	T
75	Frank Crum	T
71	Jake Davies	T
76	Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey	T
74	Forrest Scheel	T

Players on the defensive side include:

NO	PLAYER NAME	POS
99	Keelan Cox	DE
59	Ethan Day	DE
50	Jaxon Galica	DE
93	DeVonne Harris	DE
54	Sabastian Harsh	DE
34	Braden Siders	DE
55	Kevin Sjogren	DE
58	Jordan Turnbull	DE
88	Tell Wade	DE
40	Tyce Westland	DE
96	Jordan Bertagnole	DT
68	Cody Crawford	DT
92	Dante Drake	DT
95	Caleb Robinson	DT
75	Lucas Samsula	DT
91	Jaden Williams	DT
98	Jayden Williams	DT
8	Buck Coors	NT
63	Ben Florentine	NT
94	Cole Godbout	NT
90	Gavin Meyer	NT
24	Malique Singleton	NT
25	Cole DeMarzo	LB
28	Easton Gibbs	LB
41	Cayden Hawkins	LB
51	Brady Hultman	LB
33	Connor Shay	LB
43	Shae Suiaunoa	LB
45	Read Sunn	LB
49	Nic Talich	LB
44	Micah Young	LB
13	Ian Bell	CB
12	Chauncey Carter	CB
12	Tyrecus Davis	CB
11	Josh Dixon	CB
5	Deron Harrell	CB
7	Jakorey Hawkins	CB
14	Naz Hill	CB
18	Keany Parks	CB
29	Isaac Sell	CB
6	Kolbey Taylor	CB
26	Daylen Wilson	CB
2	Wrook Brown	S
32	Jevon Davis	S
31	Wyett Ekeler	S
3	Andrew Johnson	S
21	Koa McIntyre	S
20	Lafai Purcell	S
23	Jones Thomas	S
30	Miles Tucker	S
15	TJ Urban	S
35	Nikos Varelas	S
37	Brenndan Warady	S
42	Isaac White	S

Wyoming Cowboys Football Schedule

Wyoming Cowboys 2024 regular season matches are scheduled as follows:

Date	Opponent
Sat, 31 Aug	Arizona State
Sat, 7 Sep	Idaho
Sat, 14 Sep	BYU
Sat, 21 Sep	North Texas
Sat, 28 Sep	Air Force
Sat, 12 Oct	San Diego State
Sat, 19 Oct	San José State
Sat, 26 Oct	Utah State
Sat, 2 Nov	New Mexico
Sat, 16 Nov	Colorado State
Sat, 23 Nov	Boise State
Sun, 1 Dec	Washington State

FAQ's On Wyoming Cowboys Football

A. The Wyoming Cowboys football team was established in 1893.

A. The current head coach of the Wyoming Cowboys is Jay Sawvel.

A. The Wyoming Cowboys have won a total of 14 conference titles.

A. The Wyoming Cowboys play their home games at War Memorial Stadium.

A. The Wyoming Cowboys compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I.

Wyoming Cowboys Football