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Wyoming Cowboys
History
Cowboy Joe
Cowboy Joe IV, a fourth generation Wyoming mascot, trots around War
Memorial Stadium after each Cowboy touchdown, a tradition which started
in 1950 when the Farthing Family of Cheyenne made a generous donation of
a young pony to become Wyoming's mascot. This beautiful little pony is
very popular with Cowboy fans of all ages
Pistol Pete
The University of Wyoming Athletics Department introduced today the
redesigned mascot long known to Cowboy fans as Pistol Pete. The
fan-friendly character's career was launched at the annual Fall Sports
Media Day luncheon held in the Rochelle Athletics Center.
Pistol Pete, really a UW student, will assist the Wyoming cheerleaders,
encourage the crowd and get the young fans involved in the game.
The mascot's appearance was designed over the past year by Street
Characters from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with the input and supervision
of UW's Athletics Marketing Department.
Brown and Gold
The story behind the colors of the University of Wyoming dates back to
1895. In the Spring of that year, the first ever UW Alumni Banquet was
held. Decorations for the banquet included Brown-Eyed Susans, a flower
native of Southeastern Wyoming. The Alumni were so impressed with the
colors (brown and yellow) and the beauty of the flowers that they
decided to select these colors as the official school colors at UW. In
recent years the colors have been modified to brown and gold.
Cowboys
The nickname "Cowboys" was applied to Wyoming athletic teams as early as
1891 - two years before the first official football game. The story is
that the Wyoming pick-up football team appealed to a 220 pound
cowpuncher, Fred Bush, for help in a game against the Cheyenne Soldiers.
Bush signed up for a course or two and came out for the team. When he
trotted onto the field decked out in a checkered shirt and Cowboy hat,
someone yelled, "Hey, look a the Cowboy!" Since many of the members of
the team were also ex-cowboys, the name stuck.
The Fight Song
The familiar fight song of the Wyoming Cowboys is Ragtime Cowboy Joe,
which is performed by the band as the football teams enter the field and
following each score. The Cowboy players traditionally sing this
following each Wyoming victory.
RAGTIME COWBOY JOE
"He always sings
Raggy music to the cattle
as he swings
back and forward in the saddle,
on a horse - a pretty good horse!
He's got a syncopated gaiter,
and you ought to hear the meter
to the roar of his repeater;
how they run - yes run! -
when they hear him 'a-comin',
cause the western folks all know,
he's a high-falootin', rootin, tootin',
son of a gun from ol' Wyoming,
Ragtime Cowboy
Talk about your Cowboy,
Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
The Bronze Boot
The annual Wyoming-Colorado State football game has evolved into one of
the most bitterly contested rivalries in college football. The teams
have waged the "Border War" every year but six since the schools began
playing in 1899. In fact, this is the oldest interstate rivalry west of
the Mississippi River. In 1968, the ROTC detachments of the respective
schools initiated the Bronze Boot, a travelling trophy awarded to the
winner of the contest each year. The Boot was originally worn in Vietnam
by a CSU graduate. The boot has rested in UW's Fieldhouse in 19 of the
36 years since its inception. The Bronze Boot has become one of the most
famous traveling trophies in college football.
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