Elsie Jo Bonger worked for seven different coaching staffs during her 16 years as secretary in the Wyoming football office. The success of any organization comes from dedication, discipline, hard work and a team-oriented mentality, and Elsie Jo fit the description perfectly. Always a warm smile, a listening ear and a word of encouragement, her attitude was never anything but positive. It didn’t matter whether she was dealing with a coaching staff that had just lost a big game, a homesick student-athlete, a fan, a parent, or someone in the athletics department, Elsie Jo was there for them. She was the glue that held the football office together, and kept it running smoothly. To the Cowboy players, Elsie Jo was “mom away from home”. So many Cowboys went to her with their problems, and she usually had the solution. When players could not make it home for the holidays, she opened her home for fellowship and hospitality. She was more responsible for keeping young, homesick Cowboys at UW, than any other single person. She also was a source of stability and calm for everyone during coaching transitions. Everyone shared in her kindness, wisdom, guidance, thoughtfulness and unconditional love that was so much a part of her spirit. She was symbolic of “Welcome to Big, Wonderful Wyoming” and all of its love and beauty.

Coached by UW Hall of Famer Margie McDonald, who was named Intermountain Coach of the Year, the 1978-79 Women’s Basketball team compiled an overall record of 25-7 and an Intermountain Conference record of 10-4. The most successful Cowgirl team ever at the time, they earned a post-season berth in the AIAW Regional Tournament at Tucson, where they lost in the first round to Weber State, 74-70. The team included players Nancy Anderson, Kim Benton, Cindy Bower, Denise Davies, Linda Gilpin, Lori Kline, Becky Kusler, Dale Ann Meeker, Linda Mondt, Sue Owens, Lori J. Rayfield, Debra Reed, Linda Schmidt, and Rosann Wisroth. The team manager was Barb Kisicki, and the student-trainers were Karla Michelena and Chris Villegas. Led by first-team All-Conference Linda Gilpin, and fellow starters Rosann Wisroth, Dale Ann Meeker, Cindy Bower (all Wyoming natives), and Sue Owens, the Cowgirls set and still hold school records for team rebounds in a game (77 vs. Southern Colorado in 1978); blocked shots in a game (15 against Northern Arizona in 1979); steals in a game (27 vs. Western Wyoming in 1979); points scored in a season (2464 in 33 games); field goals attempted in a season (2308); and rebounds in a season (1573).

One of the greatest offensive linemen ever to wear a Cowboy uniform, Scifres started every game of his career – 47 consecutive games at offensive tackle. He was named the WAC “Freshman of the Year” in 1993, the only offensive lineman to be so honored. He earned all-conference honors his junior and senior years (1995-96). Scifres allowed two quarterback sacks as a freshman in 1993, one quarterback sack in 465 pass plays in 1994, one sack in 429 pass plays in 1995, and zero sacks in 486 pass plays in 1996. In his senior year of 1996, he anchored the line as the Cowboys rode a prolific offense, which averaged 498.9 yards per game, to a 10-2 record. That year Josh Wallwork was the first Wyoming quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season (4090) as the Cowboys led the nation in passing offense (359.2 yards per game). Named one of 13 semi-finalists for the Outland Trophy, he also was a NACDA Scholarship finalist. A native of Colorado Springs, Scifres was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft.

Wyoming’s only four-time conference champion, Myers won Western Athletic Conference titles at three different weights – 158 pounds (twice), 167 pounds, and 177 pounds – and represented Wyoming at the NCAA Championships four times. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the WAC Tournament in both 1991 and 1992. He led the Wyoming wrestling team to conference championships in 1990 and 1992. In his senior year (1992), while wrestling with a knee injury, he earned All America honors by finishing 8th at the NCAA Championships. Using an aggressive and dominant style, he won 121 matches as a Cowboy, placing him in a tie for fourth on Wyoming’s all-time victory list. A secondary education major, Myers also earned All-WAC Academic honors twice. A native of Denver, Colorado, Myers won the Admiral Land Award as UW’s top student-athlete in 1992.

A consensus All American, Lee was named to the Football Writers of America, Football News, Walter Camp Football Foundation, and Associated Press First Teams in 1997. With Lee at free safety, UW’s defense ranked number six in the country in pass defense and set a school record with 24 interceptions in 1997. Lee owns the school record for career interceptions with 17, and the single-season record of 8 (set twice, in 1996 and 1997). He also shares the single-game record of three interceptions in a game (against Montana in 1997 and vs. SMU in 1996). He led NCAA Division I in 1997 averaging 0.73 interceptions per game. Lee returned two interceptions for touchdowns during his career. An excellent student, Lee was also named First Team Academic All-American in 1997 and Academic All-WAC in 1995, 1996, and 1997. As a senior in 1997, he earned All-Conference honors. A native of Denver, Colo., he won the Admiral Land Award as UW’s top student-athlete in 1998.

A two-sport star, Geir Kvernmo earned All America honors in cross country skiing and in distance running. As a skier, he had an outstanding freshman year, winning the Utah, Wyoming, and Regional cross country events. He was ill during the NCAA championships that year but still managed to place 16th to earn second-team All America honors as UW finished second as a team. As a sophomore, he finished first at the Western State Invitational and the Wyoming Invitational and second at the NCAA meet, earning first-team All America honors and helping the team to another second-place finish. In 1979, he was second at the Wyoming Invitational and fourth at the Western State Invitational before finishing eighth at the NCAA championships, while the team finished fourth overall. In Track, Kvernmo gained All-America honors twice (in cross country in 1979 and in the 10,000 meters in 1980). One of UW’s top distance runners ever, he still holds the UW outdoor record for the 5,000-meter run (13:41.24 set in 1980) and is second all-time in the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase. A Business major, he won the Admiral Land Award in 1980 as UW’s top student-athlete. Upon completing his eligibility, he served as an assistant coach for the UW Track Team.

A native of Philadelphia, Miss., Walker “Sonny” Jones played his first two years of collegiate football at Mississippi State. When MSU assistant coach Bowden Wyatt accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming prior to the 1948 season, he convinced Jones to transfer to UW and play tailback in Wyatt’s “Tennessee T” single-wing offense. In his first game as a Poke, Jones, a former Mississippi state track champion, ran for 210 yards (still 9th best on UW’s all-time single-game list) and scored three touchdowns, including a 100-yard kick return, in a 61-7 win over Colorado College. He also returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown vs. Montana State that year. Overall, he rushed for 680 yards and scored 54 points during the 1948 season and was named All-Conference. He liked Wyoming so much that he convinced two former Mississippi State teammates, blocking back Truitt Smith and center Jerry Taylor, to transfer to UW as well, laying a foundation for years of success. As a senior in 1949, he teamed with Eddie Talboom, a UW Hall of Famer as well, to become Wyoming’s tailback “Touchdown Twins”, and again earned All-Conference honors. That year, Talboom and Jones finished one-two in the league in scoring and Jones rushed for 817 yards and scored 78 points, ranking 6th in the nation and earning AP honorable mention All America honors. Jones was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.

One of the best hurdlers in UW history, Tom Garrison won five conference championships during his career. He won Western Athletic Conference championships in the indoor 55-meter hurdles once (1987), and twice won both the indoor 55-meter hurdles (1989 and 1991) and outdoor 110-meter hurdles (1989, 1990). In addition to his conference titles, Tom was an 8-time all-WAC performer and placed in the top three in the WAC in the 110-meter hurdles in each of his four years at UW. He twice qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and qualified once for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He still ranks second all-time in the 55-meter hurdles, and is tied for first all-time in the 110-meter hurdles. During his career, he won the Howard Wood Relays, finished first at the Colorado Relays twice, and finished third at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays twice. After completing his college eligibility, he joined the U.S. Army and was a member of the Army’s “World Class Athletic Program”. Following his military service, he was an assistant track coach at Wyoming and continued to compete on a national level, qualifying for the 1998 U.S. Indoor Championships with the 4th best time in the nation that year.

The only national champion men’s rodeo team in UW history, the 1961 Cowboys were all Wyoming natives. In the regional championships, Jim Moore finished fifth in bareback riding, Fred Wilson was first in bareback riding and second in saddle bronc riding, Frank Shepperson was fifth in saddle bronc riding, Jerry Kaufmann was third in ribbon roping, Al Smith finished sixth in ribbon roping, and Leon Cook was fourth in steer wrestling and fourth in saddle bronc riding. As a team, the Cowboys ranked in the top two at the Regional Championships and earned a slot in the 1961 College National Finals Rodeo. At the CNFR in Sacramento, Calif., Moore finished third in bareback riding, Wilson was fourth in saddle bronc riding, Shepperson competed in five events, Smith was second in calf roping and fourth in ribbon roping, and Cook placed in the steer wrestling, earning enough points to give Wyoming the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) team title. Wilson went on to win the NIRA bareback riding championship in 1962, and Shepperson won the NIRA steer wrestling championship in 1964. All except for Cook went on to rodeo professionally. Shepperson won the PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler in 1975. Kaufman won the Cheyenne Frontier Days steer roping championship in 1971. Moore served as the PRCA Steer Roping Director in 1977-78. All the members of the team still live in Wyoming at least part of the year, and all have been leaders in the Wyoming ranching and livestock industry.

A native of Cody, Wyo., Pete Simpson lettered in basketball and earned his bachelor’s degree in history at UW in 1953. Since then he has been a tireless contributor to the University of Wyoming. After serving four years in the U. S. Navy and several years in private business, Simpson returned to UW for his master’s degree in History. He then moved to the University of Oregon to earn his Ph.D., also in History. In the early 1970s, Simpson returned to Wyoming and began a career as an administrator. He served as an assistant to the President at Casper College, then became Dean of Instruction at Sheridan College. While in Sheridan, he was elected to and served two terms in the State Legislature. In 1984, Simpson became UW Vice President for Development and Executive Director of the UW Foundation. He resigned from that post to run for Governor in 1986, and returned to UW as vice president for development and alumni affairs and later vice president for institutional advancement. After retiring in 1997, Simpson taught at UW as an adjunct professor of history and was the Milward Simpson Distinguished Visiting Professor in 1999 and 2000. An energetic and highly visible supporter of UW Athletics, Simpson has served as an emcee at several of the Hall of Fame banquets.