A five-time All-America skier, Eriksson excelled at the slalom and giant slalom events.  She was the AIAW National Champion in the giant slalom in 1980 and earned All America honors.  In 1980-81, she won the AIAW National Championship in both the slalom and the giant slalom, earning All America honors in both events.  Named Ski Racing Magazine’s College Skier of the Year, she also won the AIAW Broderick Award for exceptional female college athletes.  At the U. S. National Alpine Championships, she placed 2nd in slalom and 4th in giant slalom.  In 1982-83, Eriksson competed as a member of the U.S. National Alpine Ski Team.  Competing in World Cup and Europa Cup events, she placed 6th overall in the Europa Cup.  She placed third in the giant slalom and 4th overall at the U. S. National Championships while competing again for the U. S. National Alpine Ski Team in 1983-84.  She returned to UW in 1984-85 and placed third in the slalom and third in the giant slalom for Wyoming’s 1985 NCAA National Champion ski team, again winning All America honors in both events.  A native of Bend, Ore., Eriksson was presented with the Admiral Land Award in 1985 as Wyoming’s outstanding student-athlete. She went on to compete on the professional ski racing tour.

One of the finest linemen ever to play at Wyoming, Baker anchored the offensive line for the Cowboys from 1975-1977.  He earned Associated Press (AP) All America honors in 1977 despite missing several games due to an injury. He was only the third Wyoming Cowboy ever to be chosen to the AP All American Team.  A three-time all-Western Athletic Conference selection, Baker excelled in both run-blocking and pass-blocking. In Baker’s junior season of 1976, the Cowboys went 8-4 and played in the Fiesta Bowl.  In 1977, he led the way for running back Myron Hardeman’s 1,165 rushing yards. A native of Grand Island, Neb., Baker was recruited by the University of Nebraska but chose to play for Wyoming.

A gifted offensive lineman who was as hard-nosed as they came, Lahood anchored the Cowboy line for three seasons. He was a two-time all-conference selection (1966-1967) and earned Regional All-America honors in 1967.  A tough, versatile player, LaHood played both defensive and offensive tackle, as well as offensive guard and tight end, during his career.   Wyoming teams compiled a record of 26-6 during LaHood’s time at Wyoming.  He was the only offensive lineman to start every game for the undefeated 1967 team and helped pave the way for all-conference seasons by quarterback Paul Toscano, tailback Jim Kiick, and receiver Gene Huey.,  He started on two Western Athletic Conference championship teams (1966-67) and in two bowl games (1966 Sun Bowl and 1968 Sugar Bowl).  LaHood earned a degree in physical education.  After being drafted by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in 1968, LaHood played professionally for the Rams for one season before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 1970 season.  He then returned to the Rams for two years before moving on to complete his professional career at Vancouver in the Canadian Football League.

(Click the picture on the right to view the entire team picture)

Ranked 16th in the country, the 1959 Cowboys were rated in the top 10 of almost every statistical category nationally.  Coached by the legendary Bob Devaney, Wyoming won the Skyline Conference Championship with a 9-1 record.   Ranked fifth in scoring, fifth in total defense and first in punt returns nationally, the Cowboys boasted a balanced attack led by guard (and team captain) Len Kuczewski on defense and quarterback Jim Walden on offense.  The Cowboys scored 287 points while allowing their opponents just 62 points. Halfback Jerry Hill and fullback Mark Smolinski led the Cowboys’ rushing attack. Wyoming led the Skyline Conference in total offense, rushing yards and first downs and were also ranked number one in defense.  Kuczewski, Walden, and Hill earned honorable mention All-America honors.  Kuczewski and Walden were also first team all-Conference selections, while end Marty Hamilton, tackle Dick Schnell, guard Pat Smyth and Hill earned second team honors.  The AP and UPI named Walden, Kuczewski and Hill all-Skyline selections.  Walden led the conference in total yards with 1,211.  Devaney was voted the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year. Smyth received the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete award and, along with Hamilton, earned academic all-conference honors.

A native of Cheyenne, Wyo., McKinney is a lifelong and devoted advocate for University of Wyoming Athletics. He earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Wyoming in 1971.  During his undergraduate years, he worked at various times as the Sports Editor for the Wyoming State Tribune in Cheyenne, as a staffer for United Press International, as a public information specialist for the Wyoming Highway Department, and as a student assistant in the UW Sports Information Office.  After his graduation, McKinney joined the Wyoming Highway Department as a full-time Information Assistant for one year, before returning to his alma mater in 1972 as assistant sports information director under Bill Young and has been a dynamic figure in the department ever since. He was named Director of Sports Information in 1975, where his duties included maintaining statistical information on each intercollegiate sport, the production of media guides for each sport, news releases, programs, and game management. His voice is familiar throughout the state as he serves as the radio color commentator for Cowboy basketball (since 1974) and Cowboy football (since 1998).  Among the honors he has received are the Sigma Delta Chi Excellence in Journalism award, the Frank Norris, Jr., Distinguished Service to Journalism Award, several Press Box Excellence awards from CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America), and three Press Box Citations of Excellence from the Football Writers of America. McKinney has also worked at several NCAA basketball tournaments, including two Final Fours, and volunteered as an information coordinator at the National Sports Festival in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1983.  In 2001, he was named Wyoming’s Sportscaster of the Year. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Wyoming State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. Upon being named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations in 2007, McKinney took on additional duties within the department, including oversight of the Marketing program as well as the Media and Public Relations office.

A native of Laramie, House was one of the finest linebackers in Cowboy history and played on some of Wyoming’s most decorated defenses in history.  An honorable mention All-American, House earned all-conference honors in 1967 and 1968.  He led the Cowboys in tackles in 1967 and 1968, and holds the fifth best total for tackles in a game with 18 vs. CSU in 1967.  He was honored as the Sports Illustrated National Lineman of the Week for that performance.  In 1968, House recorded 91 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovery and three pass breakups during his senior year.  He played on three WAC championship teams and competed in the Sun Bowl (1966) and the Sugar Bowl (1968).  The 1966 and 1967 Cowboys led the nation in rushing defense, and the 1968 team led the nation in total defense.  As co-captain with Gene Huey, House received the first ever “Bronze Boot” for Wyoming’s 1968 victory over CSU.  He was one of only eight college players selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, and the Senior Bowl.  He went on to an illustrious coaching career, including spending ten years as an assistant coach at Wyoming (1976-85).

A seven-time all-America thrower, Gervais was the national runner-up in the discus in 2000.  He holds the Mountain West conference record in the weight throw, and holds UW school records in the weight throw and discus.  He held the school record in the shot put until it was broken in 2013 by Mason Finley.  A four-time Mountain West champion, he won all-conference honors eight times.  He was awarded the MW’s Most Outstanding Male Performer at the 2000 MW Indoor Championships after winning both the 35-pound weight throw and the shot put. In 2009, he was honored by the Mountain West Conference as a member of the All-Decade Track & Field team. Gervais transferred to Wyoming after competing at Central Arizona College, where he was the junior college national champion in the discus and runner-up in the hammer throw.  A native of Timmins, Ontario, Gervais represented Canada in the discus at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  He also competed in the Canadian Championships, the World University Games, and the Pan Am Games.  He majored in Business Administration at UW.

A tremendous athlete, Davis started at forward his entire four-year career for the Cowboys.  Named AP Honorable Mention All-America in 2001-02, Davis led the Cowboys to their first two Mountain West titles and a first-round upset victory over Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament.  A popular player known for big plays and highlight-reel dunks, he is ranked 13th in scoring, second in rebounding, third in blocked shots, and fifth in career steals.  Davis also ranks third in the conference in career rebounds.   He posted 27 double-doubles as a Cowboy.  A three-time all-conference selection (twice named to the first team), Davis was selected First Team All-District 13 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) twice and was twice named All-District 8 by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).  He averaged 12.4 points and eight rebounds per game.  A three-time MW Player of the Week, Davis was voted to the MW all-tournament team in 2001.  Davis was selected to participate in the 2000 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.  A native of Salem, Ore., he played professionally for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies, among other NBA teams.  He also competed in several foreign countries.

Namedhonorable mention All-America by the WBCA in 2003, Bacon averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds during her Cowgirl career.  She earned all-Mountain West and all-District VII honors three times in her career.  A forward/center, she scored 1,692 points (fifth all-time at UW) and brought down 761 rebounds (eighth).   As a freshman in 1998-99, she was voted to the MW All-Newcomer team.  An excellent all-around athlete, she twice led the Cowgirls in scoring and was among the team leaders in rebounding, blocks and steals each of her four years.  She recorded 23 double-doubles in her career.  In 1999-2000, she was second in the conference in scoring and led the league in free throw percentage (.830) as a sophomore. She produced the fourth- and fifth-best offensive games in Cowgirl history, scoring 34 points against UNLV in 2000 and 33 points vs. Idaho State in 1999.   She is also third in steals (169) and third in free throws made (390).  Named MW player of the week twice, she co-holds (with Ashley Elliott) the Arena-Auditorium record for field goals in a game by a Wyoming player with 13 vs. Penn in 1999.  A three-time all-conference academic selection and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete, she was also named Academic All-District VII three times.  A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., Bacon majored in Exercise and Sport Science at Wyoming.