Fifty Years at The War Memories From the Sidelines Through the history of War Memorial Stadium there have been many memorable moments -- some well-known, others not so well-known. On the following pages are some of those memories from individuals who've played a part in the rich history of "The War". LaVell Edwards "Congratulations on the 50th Anniversary of War Memorial Stadium. The stadium and I go back a long way, as I played against Wyoming that very first season when I was a student at Utah State. I can't remember the score, but I sure remember Eddie Talboom. I played defense at that time, and we were 'supposed' to stop him. He was a great one! "The stadium has been the site of many memorable experiences for the BYU Cougars over the years, since I became an assistant coach here in 1962. Unfortunately, way too many times we ended up on the wrong end of the score. We've played in the wind, rain, snow and sunshine. "I particularly remember 1981 when Jim McMahon had us up with a comfortable lead when you turned on the snow and came back to beat us 33-20. Needless to say, there's always been a very 'enthusiastic' crowd to welcome us to the stadium. "We're looking forward to the new conference, so we can get back to our yearly rivalry. Here's to another 50 years!" Paul Roach "I have many, many great memories of War Memorial Stadium, but two stand out in my mind. "I think the UTEP championship game of '88 was maybe my fondest, because it was the first time Wyoming had won a title at home -- in front of the home folks. It allowed our fans a chance to see us win a title and to tear down the goal posts. The atmosphere was great -- with a great crowd (32,210), and it was a nationally-televised game. We played inspired football, and we played very well. (Wyoming defeated UTEP 51-6 to win the 1988 WAC Championship.) "The other game to remember was the first night game ever played in the stadium -- the ESPN Thursday night game with traditional rival BYU. After all the games I had been involved in through the years at Wyoming -- all in the afternoon -- it was such a strange feeling to be playing at night. Again, it was an electric atmosphere, and we played very well against one of our great old rivals. It was also Randy's (quarterback Randy Welniak) first start, and he did a great job. Of course, he went on to have a great senior season. What an evening, what a win and what a feeling!" (Wyoming won the first night game in War Memorial history by a score of 24-14 over BYU on Sept. 1, 1988.) Paul Roach was one of the greatest football coaches and athletics directors in Wyoming history. He won 70 percent of his games as the Cowboy head coach with a record of 35-15-0 from 1987-90. He guided the Cowboys to WAC titles in 1987 and '88, going undefeated in conference play both of those seasons. During his four years as the Cowboy head coach, Roach guided Wyoming to three bowl games -- the Holiday Bowl in 1987 and '88 and the Copper Bowl in 1990. Roach also served as Wyoming's Athletics Director for nine years from September of 1986 to October of 1995. He is the only man in the history of University of Wyoming Athletics to hold the dual role of head football coach and athletics director. Frank Kush "The most vivid memory I have of War Memorial Stadium came in 1972. We had an outstanding team that year with Danny White (quarterback) and Woody Green (running back), and we came into the game as heavy favorites. "But the Cowboys came out and jumped on us early (building a 23-7 halftime lead). When we went into the locker room at halftime, the players were pretty discouraged. Our kids did a good job of coming back in the second half and making a game of it, but Wyoming was too good for us that day. "After we (Arizona State) moved to the PAC-10 (in 1978), I missed that rivalry, and I missed those great Wyoming fans." The Arizona State Sun Devils entered the Sept. 30, 1972, game in Laramie ranked No. 11 in the nation. Wyoming held on to win the wild contest by a score of 45-43. The loss in War Memorial Stadium would be ASU's only Western Athletic Conference loss of the season as they posted a 10-2 overall record, 5-1 in the WAC on their way to a fourth consecutive WAC title and a No. 13 ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International 1972 final rankings. Wyoming's victory ended the Sun Devils 18-game WAC winning streak, and earned junior quarterback Steve Cockreham of Lusk, Wyo., national attention. Cockreham, who rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 103 yards and one TD, was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Week and was also named to UPI's national backfield of the week. Cockreham was joined in that backfield by a little-known freshman running back from Ohio State named Archie Griffin. Frank Kush, who now works with young people at the Arizona Boys Ranch, said that he returns to Wyoming every summer with his grandchildren to go fishing. Ben Martin "The Wyoming-Air Force football series has definitely become a great 'backyard rivalry'. The games played at War Memorial Stadium have been the epitome of what college football is all about -- hard-hitting, exciting and closely-contested. "In my first trip to War Memorial as the visiting coach in 1959, I was impressed with the whole-hearted enthusiasm of the Wyoming fans. They were the Cowboys' version of the '12th Man'. Of course the '13th Man' is the friendly wind that is always a factor. "To compete against the number of great coaches at Wyoming, starting with Bob Devaney, was an added challenge at War Memorial Stadium. The sportsmanship and camaraderie surrounding the Wyoming-Air Force competition was ably demonstrated in the 1970 game at the Stadium. Air Force saluted a downed Cowboy, quarterback Ed Synakowski, with a jet fly-over War Memorial in the traditional Air Force tribute to a fellow warrior -- the 'Missing Man Formation' -- truly an unforgettable moment to me." Ed Synakowski, a Cowboy letterman in 1968-69, tragically died in a drowning accident in the fall of 1970. Ben Martin is known as the "Father of Air Force Football." The head coach of the Falcons for 20 seasons from 1958-77, he has been a college football color commentator since his retirement from coaching. Martin first served as a color analyst on ABC Sports telecasts of college football, and for the past 12 years has been the color commentator for Air Force radio broadcasts. |
