| 1969 Wyoming Cowboys football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Record | 6–4 (4–3 WAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Larry Nels, Tommy Tucker |
| Home stadium | War Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1969 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
The Cowboys were three-time defending conference champions and outscored their opponents 242 to 118. Wyoming won its first six games, but dropped the last four in a season tainted by a racial controversy.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | Arizona | W 23–7 | |||
| September 27 | at Air Force * | W 27–25 | |||
| October 4 | Colorado State | No. 19 |
| W 39–3 | 15,140 |
| October 11 | UTEP | No. 18 |
| W 37–9 | |
| October 18 | BYU | No. 16 |
| W 40–7 | |
| October 25 | San Jose State * | No. 16 |
| W 16–7 | |
| November 1 | at Arizona State | No. 15 | L 14–30 | ||
| November 8 | at Utah | L 10–34 | |||
| November 15 | at New Mexico | L 12–24 | |||
| November 22 | at No. 19 Houston * | L 14–41 | 35,389 | ||
| |||||
| 1969 Wyoming Cowboys football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
During the season in mid-October, head coach Eaton dismissed 14 black players from the team for asking to wear black armbands during the upcoming home game against the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars. At the previous year's win over BYU at Provo, Cougar players had subjected them to racial epithets. [2] A week before the game, the team's black members were reminded of the incident and also informed about the racial policies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which owns and operates BYU, and which at that time excluded black people from the priesthood of the LDS Church) the priesthood in the LDS church can be thought of as membership which is given to boys in the church at age 11.by Willie Black, leader of Wyoming's Black Student Alliance, and challenged them to do something about it. [2]
The day before the game, the players donned black armbands on their civilian clothes and went to Eaton's office to discuss how they might show solidarity with the BSA protest. [3] Upon seeing them with the armbands the coach immediately dismissed them from the team. [2] [4] According to Joe Williams, a team co-captain before he was suspended from the team, "We wanted to see if we could wear black armbands in the game, or black socks, or black X's on our helmets. And if he had said no we had already agreed that we would be willing to protest with nothing but our black skins." [4]
Eaton took them to the bleachers in Memorial Fieldhouse, [2] and said he listened to their suggestions for ten minutes before deciding to release them. [4] Williams gives a very different account: "He [Eaton] came in, sneered at us and yelled that we were off the squad. He said our very presence defied him. He said he has had some good Neeegro boys. Just like that." [4] Defensive end Tony McGee said that Eaton "said we could go to Grambling State or Morgan State... We could go back to colored relief. If anyone said anything, he told us to shut up. We were really protesting policies we thought were racist." [2] John Griffin, a flanker, corroborates McGee's memory. [2] Tony Gibson agreed with the other players that Eaton kicked them off the team before they could even present a case. [5] At the time, Wyoming fans and much of the state backed Eaton and his "no protesting" policy, and saw the Black 14 as insubordinate and ungrateful. [5]
At San Jose State University, the Spartans were petitioned in a letter by a UW student group to boycott the homecoming game in Laramie; [6] San Jose voted to play the game and wear multicolored armbands in support of the 14. [7] Groups at other WAC schools demanded that Wyoming be dropped from their schedules. [8] At the time of the incident in mid-October, the Cowboys were undefeated (4–0) and ranked 16th in the AP poll. [9] Even though they beat BYU 40–7, [10] and San Jose State (the next game) without the players to improve to 6–0, [11] Wyoming lost all four road games in November and went 1–9 the next year which prompted Eaton's removal as coach, though he stayed on as assistant athletic director. [12] The program had only one winning season in the 1970s, in 1976 under second-year head coach Fred Akers, who left after the Fiesta Bowl, returning to the University of Texas to succeed Darrell Royal.
The Black 14 included Earl Lee, John Griffin, Willie Hysaw, Don Meadows, Ivie Moore, Tony Gibson, Jerome Berry, Joe Williams, Mel Hamilton, Jim Issac, Tony McGee, Ted Williams, Lionel Grimes, and Ron Hill. [13] Three of the underclassmen returned to play for the Cowboys in 1970: Griffin, Meadows, and Ted Williams. [12] McGee transferred to Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, was a third round selection in the 1971 NFL Draft, and played fourteen seasons for three NFL teams.
The Black 14 incident spurred the court case Williams v. Eaton, with the issue of free speech against the principle of separation of church and state. Litigation was lengthy for this case and ended on October 31, 1972. [14]
In 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the Black 14 being dismissed, the University of Wyoming invited the surviving players back and made several amends. The eight players that returned were invited to speak to history classes and meet with student athletes; attend a special dinner with university officials and receive an official apology letter signed by President Laurie Nichols; and were given both Wyoming football jerseys and Wyoming letterman jackets. [5]
The Black 14 were the recipients of the 2023 NCAA Inspiration Award. [15]
Three Cowboys were selected in the 1970 NFL Draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections). [16]
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
| Vic Washington | Wide receiver | 4 | 87 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Larry Nels | Defensive lineman | 12 | 298 | New York Giants |
| Joe Williams | Running back | 12 | 309 | Dallas Cowboys |
Melvin Lacy Renfro is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 14-year career as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Joe Avezzano was an American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1980 to 1984, compiling a record of 6–47–2. Avezzano was later an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He also was head coach of the Seamen Milano in the Italian Football League (IFL).
John Arlen Patera was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Baltimore Colts,Chicago Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys, and was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams,New York Giants, and Minnesota Vikings. Patera was the first head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, with a career head coaching record of 35–59–0 (.372), all with the Seahawks.
Lloyd W. Eaton was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head coach at Alma College (1949–1955), Northern Michigan University (1956), and the University of Wyoming (1962–1970), compiling a career college football record of 104–53–4. Eaton then worked as the director of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Despite winning five conference championships with two teams, he is perhaps most known for his decision to kick 14 black players off of the Wyoming football team for discussing a protest against discrimination in 1969 that is infamously referred to as the "Black 14" incident.
Todd Jay Christensen was an American professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 until 1988, primarily with the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft. Following his retirement Christensen became a commentator for both professional and collegiate games, working for NBC Sports, ESPN, and CBS Sports Network among others.
Anthony Eugene McGee is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), including two Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys before being dismissed as part of the Black 14 in 1969. McGee continued his college career with the Bishop Tigers and was selected in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
The 1964 Oregon Webfoots football team represented the University of Oregon as a member of the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during 1964 NCAA University Division football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Len Casanova, the Ducks compiled an overall record of 7–2–1 with a mark of 1–2–1 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the AAWU. Oregon played three home games on campus at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon and two at Multnomah Stadium in Portland.
The Wyoming Cowboys football program represents the University of Wyoming in college football. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and have won 14 conference titles. The head coach is Jay Sawvel who is entering his first season as head coach in 2024 after previously serving as the Wyoming Defense Coordinator for the previous four seasons.
The 1967 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
The 1981 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 10th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their sixth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 7–1. BYU was invited to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Washington State. They were ranked 13th in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 11–2.
The 1966 Wyoming Cowboys football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wyoming as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Lloyd Eaton, the Cowboys compiled a 10–1 record, won the first of three consecutive WAC titles, outscored opponents by a total of 355 to 89, and had the nation's best rushing defense.
The 1958 Wyoming Cowboys football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wyoming as a member of the Skyline Conference during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. In their second year under head coach Bob Devaney, the Cowboys compiled an 8–3 record, won the Sun Bowl over Hardin–Simmons, and outscored opponents by a total of 205 to 136. They played their home games at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming.
The 1968 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
The 1987 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Cowboys' 92nd season and they competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Led by first-year head coach Paul Roach, the Cowboys played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. They finished the regular season with a record of 10–2 ; as WAC Champions against Iowa in the Holiday Bowl, Wyoming lost by a point to finish at 10–3. The Cowboys outscored their opponents 426 to 271.
The 1959 Utah Redskins football team was an American football team that represented the University of Utah as a member of the Skyline Conference during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their second season under head coach Ray Nagel, the Redskins compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 3–2 against conference opponents, placing fourth in the Skyline. Home games were played on campus at Ute Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Joseph Harold Williams is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the University of Wyoming.
The 1966 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Wyoming Cowboys and the Florida State Seminoles, played on December 24 at El Paso, Texas.
The 1951 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Raymond A. Curfman, the Vandals were 2–7. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College and another at Memorial Stadium in Spokane, Washington.
The 1950 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1950 college football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Dixie Howell and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College, the season opener at the new venue.
The 1970 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Lloyd Eaton, they were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and played their home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
