Wyoming Cowboys

Wyoming Cowboys is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Wyoming. The women's teams use the name Cowgirls. The University is a member of the Mountain West Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 15 varsity teams. The logo that adorns uniforms of the athletes is one of the most distinctive in the nation.

Football began in 1893 at UW.  The Wyoming Cowboys have two teams that are considered rivals. Wyoming and Colorado State meet annually in the Border War; the winner receives the Bronze Boot trophy.  Brigham Young University is also considered a rival.  In 2004, the Cowboy football team ended a 38-year streak of Bowl Game losses by defeating the University of California, Los Angeles in the Las Vegas Bowl.   

The University of Wyoming men's basketball program has a lengthy tradition dating back to 1905. Cowboys fans can claim something that few other teams' fans can: an NCAA Championship, won in 1943 behind star guard Ken Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot that is now the standard in basketball. Wyoming has made a total of 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, though the closest it has come to the lofty heights of the 1943 team was a Sweet 16 appearance in 1987. Since the Mountain West was formed in 1999, Wyoming has won two conference titles, including an outright championship in 2002. Prior to that, Wyoming won five championships in the Western Athletic Conference, eight championships in the Skyline Conference, and one championship in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.