Wyoming Cowboys Football

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

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:

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

Division championships

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:

Players on the defensive side include:

Wyoming Cowboys Football Schedule

Wyoming Cowboys 2024 regular season matches are scheduled as follows: