1966 Football Team

Captained by Rick Egloff and Tom Frazier, the 1966 Cowboy football team had a record of 10-1, won the Western Athletic Conference championship, and defeated Florida State 28-20 in the Sun Bowl. Featuring a fierce defense, the 1966 Cowboys led the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 38.5 yards per game and setting records for fewest total yards allowed (385), fewest yards allowed per game (38.5), and lowest average yards allowed per rush (1.1). The Cowboys also led the country in lowest yards allowed per play (2.8), and lowest average yards allowed per punt return (5.0). All of those are still UW single-season records. The 1966 team also holds the Wyoming single-game records for fewest total yards allowed (25 vs. Wichita State) and fewest yards allowed per play (0.4 vs. Wichita State). The 1966 team included such players as quarterback Egloff, who passed for over 1100 yards and 13 touchdowns. Defensive backs Dick Speights and Paul Toscano each had six interceptions, with Toscano setting the single-season record for interception return yardage with 165 yards. Jerry Marion led the team in receiving with 33 receptions for 612 yards and 7 touchdowns, junior running back Jim Kiick (who was the MVP of the Sun Bowl victory) led in rushing with 595 yards on 145 carries for an average of 4.1 per carry. Junior placekicker Jerry DePoyster contributed 71 points, hitting 32 of 39 PATs and 13 of 38 field goals, while also averaging 40.2 yards per punt. Vic Washington returned 34 punts for 443 yards and two touchdowns to lead the nation, and returned seven kickoffs for 234 yards. The team featured ten all-conference players (Marion, Mike LaHood, Dave Rupp, Kiick, DePoyster, Frazier, Ron “Pedro” Billingsley, Jerry Durling, Speights, and Washington), and Billingsley, Egloff, and Mike Davenport were all drafted by the AFL after the season.