The 1996 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Cowboys' 100th season and they competed as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).[1] The team was led by head coach Joe Tiller, in his sixth year, and played their home games at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. They finished with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2, 7–1 WAC). Despite winning the Pacific Division and their double-digit victory total, the Cowboys were not invited to a postseason bowl game. Their season ended with a loss against BYU in the inaugural WAC Championship Game. The Cowboys offense scored 464 points while the defense allowed 284 points.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| August 31 | 1:00 pm | Idaho* | | | | W 40–38 | 17,279 |
| September 7 | 5:00 pm | at Iowa State* | | | FSN | W 41–38 OT | 44,511 |
| September 14 | 1:00 pm | Hawaii | | - War Memorial Stadium
- Laramie, WY
| | W 66–0 | 15,182 |
| September 21 | 1:00 pm | Air Force | | - War Memorial Stadium
- Laramie, WY
| | W 22–19 | 31,009 |
| September 28 | 2:00 pm | at UNLV | | | | W 33–21 | 12,564 |
| October 5 | 2:30 pm | at San Jose State | No. 25 | | | W 45–22 | 8,756 |
| October 12 | 1:00 pm | Western Michigan* | No. 24 | - War Memorial Stadium
- Laramie, WY
| | W 42–28 | 22,813 |
| October 19 | 12:00 pm | Fresno State | No. 23 | - War Memorial Stadium
- Laramie, WY
| | W 42–21 | 14,446 |
| November 2 | 1:00 pm | SMU | No. 17 | - War Memorial Stadium
- Laramie, WY
| | W 59–17 | 17,268 |
| November 7 | 6:00 pm | at San Diego State | No. 16 | | ESPN | L 24–28 | 38,679 |
| November 16 | 8:00 pm | at Colorado State | No. 23 | | ESPN2 | W 25–24 | 33,701 |
| December 7 | 2:30 pm | vs. No. 6 BYU | No. 20 | | ABC | L 25–28 OT | 41,238 |
|
Roster
| 1996 Wyoming Cowboys football team roster
|
| Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
| Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
| RB
|
29
|
Josh Amundson
|
So
|
| OT
|
70
|
Garrett Anderson
|
Fr
|
| RB
|
28
|
Tim Beasley
|
Fr
|
| OT
|
55
|
Rob Bohlinger
|
Jr
|
| WR
|
23
|
Marcus Harris
|
Sr
|
| C
|
53
|
Rob Rathbun
|
Sr
|
| WR
|
85
|
Jason Ringenberg
|
Fr
|
| C
|
64
|
Charlie Ruff
|
Sr
|
| C
|
57
|
Kevin Hughes
|
Fr
|
| FB
|
41
|
Chris Clache
|
Fr
|
| WR
|
1
|
David Saraf
|
Sr
|
| OT
|
77
|
Steve Scifres
|
Sr
|
| G
|
72
|
Nate Selk
|
Fr
|
| RB
|
12
|
Len Sexton
|
Sr
|
| WR
|
18
|
Kofi Shuck
|
Fr
|
| WR
|
16
|
Alan Jones
|
Fr
|
| QB
|
3
|
Jeremy Silcox
|
Jr
|
| TE
|
91
|
Greg Kuhn
|
Sr
|
| RB
|
43
|
Arlen Smith
|
Fr
|
| G
|
51
|
Jeff Smith
|
So
|
| G
|
66
|
Terry Staggs
|
So
|
|
Defense
| Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
| DT
|
92
|
Pat Larson
|
Sr
|
| DT
|
95
|
Michael Graham
|
Jr
|
| SS
|
45
|
Brian Lee
|
Jr
|
| DE
|
90
|
Jeff Leonard
|
Jr
|
| DT
|
89
|
Brent Leu
|
Sr
|
| CB
|
24
|
Waymon Levingston
|
Sr
|
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
 Injured Redshirt
Roster
|
Awards and honors
Team players in the NFL
The following were selected in the 1997 NFL draft.
[3]
References
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| Venues | |
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | |
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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