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In six short seasons, Bowden Wyatt established himself as the most legendary football coach in Wyoming history. He turned Wyoming’s lowly football program into a national powerhouse by winning more games in six years than the cowboys complied in the 16 seasons prior to his arrival from Mississippi State. Wyatt coached the school’s first two All-Americans (Eddie Talboom and Dewey McConnell), and under his leadership, Wyoming won its first conference championship (1949) and fielded its first nationally ranked team (12th in 1950). Wyoming’s offense and defense finished in the nation’s top three in 1949 and 1950 and he led Wyoming to its first ever bowl game. Wyatt, who was an All-American player at Tennessee, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Blog Archives
Edward “Eddie” Talboom
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Eddie Talboom transferred from Notre Dame in order to run Coach Bowden Wyatt’s single wing offense as a tieback and kicker. The offense was a perfect fit for the athletic Talboom, who led Wyoming to a 9-1 record and first ever Skyline Conference title in 1949. Talboom engineered Wyoming’s 10-0 1950 season and was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1951 Gator Bowl. He became Wyoming’s first Cowboy All-American in football. Talboom set 13 Cowboy scoring records, including 303 career points and single game mark of 29 in a 103-0 rout of Colorado State College in 1949. He was also the first Cowboy to pass for 1,000 yards in a single season. After his career, Talboom was the greatest scorer in NCAA history and still ranks among the highest scoring football player ever.
Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Kenneth R. “Ken” Sturman
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Kenneth Sturman established himself as one of the first great home-grown football players. Considered one of the toughest lineman ever to don the Cowboy uniform, Sturman played on both sides of the football as an offensive and defensive end. Sturman played every down of every game as a junior and senior and was rewarded with consecutive seasons of All-Big Seven Conference honors. He captained the 1939 Cowboy squad and was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-American. Sturman was offered a pro contract with Brooklyn following his senior year, but he was pressed into World War II service before he could sign. The Lusk native was among the highest vote-getters in the 1992 Wyoming Player of the Century balloting. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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William Matthew “Bill” Strannigan
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As a coach and athlete, Bill Strannigan was one of the most productive cowboys of all-time. One of Wyoming’s first basketball All-Americans and a three-time All-Skyline basketball player, strannigan lifted the Cowboys from two consecutive losing seasons to a 1941 conference title. He led the team in scoring and was named to Chuck Taylor’s All-American team as a junior. Known as “Billy the Kid,” the talented Strannigan ran the single wing as a football tailback in 1940, and he won All-Skyline honors as a baseball pitcher in 1941 and 1942. Strannigan returned to Wyoming in 1959 to guide the Cowboy basketball team. His up-tempo style yielded 179 career victories over 14 seasons, the second highest total among UW coaches. He coached Wyoming to one NCAA tournament appearance and two NIT tournaments. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Mary F. Shea
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Mary Shea, a four-year volleyball starter as an outside hitter, is considered one of the most dynamic and popular athletes ever to play at UW. Shea shattered virtually every cowgirl record, and her devastating hitting ability easily made her a crowd favorite. As a senior, Shea’s tremendous leaping ability helped her tally a record 486 kills, and she led Wyoming to a 27-win season. She gained first team All-High Country Athletic Conference honors in 1982 and 1983 and earned U.S. Volleyball Association honors as a senior. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Flynn J. Robinson
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In three seasons as a Cowboy, Flynn Robinson broke every major Wyoming basketball record except rebounding. His 701 points scored during the 1964-65 season and his 26.5 career scoring average still stand as Cowboy records. He became the 20th collegian to break the 2,000 point barrier, amassing 2, 049 career points. He led the Western Athletic Conference in scoring each year he played at Wyoming, and he was selected to the All-WAC team three times. Nearly 30 years after his career, Robinson still ranked second in the WAC in career scoring. Robinson later had an All-Star career in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Dr. Everett D. Lantz
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Everett Lantz devoted his life to Wyoming athletics. He served Wyoming wrestling for 27 years, the longest tenure of any coach in the UW history. Over that period, Lantz compiled a 149-81-8 dual record, 11 Skyline Conference championships and two WAC titles. His teams won eight titles in a row from 1955 to 1962. He notched seven top 15 NCAA finishes, including a third place national showing in 1960. Lantz was named the NCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1960. Behind Lantz’s coaching success were six NCAA place winners, 10 three-time conference champions and 30 other conference weight class winners. As an undergraduate, he lettered in football, wrestling and track for the Cowboys. He is a member of the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame. Inducted September 16, 1994 Honors and Awards
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Dr. George Duke Humphrey
George Duke Humphrey was the visionary behind the development of a successful athletic program. One of his first acts as president was to hire Glenn “Red” Jacoby as athletic director, and together they brought Wyoming athletics to national prominence. During Humphrey’s tenure, Wyoming posted a 106-39-9 record in football, which included two undefeated seasons and UW”s first three bowl appearances. Over the same period, Wyoming’s basketball team tallied six 20-win seasons and five NCAA tournament appearances. In addition, the Cowboys wrestling team placed as high as third at the NCAA tournament. Humphrey was largely responsible for the construction of the state-of-art athletic facilities: War Memorial Stadium and War Memorial Fieldhouse.
Inducted September 16, 1994
Paul N. Carlin
Paul Carlin was the first Wyoming track & field athlete to become an All-American. A three-year letterman for the Cowboys, Carlin set a school record in the 880-yard run, and was the 1952 Skyline Conference champion in the 440-yard run during his junior season. As a senior in 1953, carlin broke two more school and conference records and won the 440 and 880 at the Skyline Championships. Hailed as Wyoming’s greatest half-miler, Carlin finished second in the 1953 national AAU 880-yard run. One of UW’s most distinguished alumni, Carlin became the United States Post Master General.
Inducted September 16, 1994
Honors and Awards
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Patricia L. Miller-Davis
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Pat Miller-Davis twice earned All-American honors in her two-year athletic career at Wyoming. Miller-Davis transferred to Wyoming from Dodge City (Kans.) Community College, where she earned All-American honors and was a national champion. In her first year at Wyoming, she won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) conference championship in the long jump and was a member of the champion AIAW 4×220 relay. She set the UW school record in the long jump (20’4″) which remains today. After taking one year off to have a child, Miller-Davis returned to the team in 1982 and was again named All-American in the long jump, winning AIAW indoor titles in the long jump and 55- meters. She still owns school records in the long jump, 55-meters (6.89), and was a member of the record setting 4×100 relay team (47.52). Inducted September 15, 1995 Honors and Awards
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