1988 Wyoming Cowboys football team

1988 Wyoming Cowboys football
WAC champion
Holiday Bowl, L 14–62 vs. Oklahoma State
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
Record	11–2 (8–0 WAC)
Head coach	Paul Roach (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Tiller (2nd season)
Home stadium	War Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Wyoming $	8	–	0	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
UTEP	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Hawaii	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
BYU	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
Utah	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Air Force	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
San Diego State	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
New Mexico	1	–	7	–	0			2	–	10	–	0
Colorado State	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Cowboys' 93rd season and they competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The team was led by head coach Paul Roach, in his second year, and played their home games at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. The Cowboys won the first 10 games of the season, with an average margin of victory of 30 points, claiming the WAC championship with an undefeated 8–0 record, and reaching a No. 10 ranking in the AP poll. However, the season ended with two disastrous losses in the last three games, including a 62–14 rout by Oklahoma State (led by Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders) in the Holiday Bowl. The Cowboys offense scored 511 points, while the defense allowed 280 points.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	BYU		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 24–14	28,847	[1]
September 8	at Louisville *		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY		W 44–9	29,105	[2]
September 17	Louisiana Tech *		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 38–6	18,128	[3]
September 24	at Air Force		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO		W 48–45	44,028	[4]
October 1	Cal State Fullerton *	No. 18	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 35–16	22,143	[5]
October 8	at San Diego State	No. 16	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA		W 55–27	20,386	[6]
October 15	New Mexico	No. 14	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 55–7	20,363	[7]
October 22	Utah	No. 12	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 61–18	20,800	[8]
October 29	at Colorado State	No. 10	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO (rivalry)		W 48–14	26,017	[9]
November 5	UTEP	No. 10	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 51–6	32,210	[10]
November 12	at Houston *	No. 10	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX	ESPN	L 10–34	28,947	[11]
November 19	at Hawaii	No. 16	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (rivalry)		W 28–22	43,177	[12]
December 30	vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State *	No. 15	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–62	60,178	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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1989 NFL draft

The following were selected in the 1989 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Eric Coleman	Defensive back	2	43	New England Patriots
David Edeen	Defensive end	5	128	Arizona Cardinals
Pat Rabold	Defensive tackle	9	249	Buffalo Bills

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References

1. "Wyoming tops 'flat' BYU, 24–14". The Daily Herald. September 2, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Louisville's mistakes pave way for Cowboys". The Paducah Sun. September 11, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Cowboys rout Louisiana Tech". Casper Star-Tribune. September 18, 1988. Retrieved July 7, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Cowboys work 'miracles' against Falcons". Casper Star-Tribune. September 25, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Robyn Norwood (October 2, 1988). "Wyoming Shakes Off CS Fullerton, 35–16". The Los Angeles Times. p. III-20. Retrieved February 12, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. Curt Holbreich (October 9, 1988). "Aztecs Are Helpless; Cowboys Win 55–27". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). p. III-1. Retrieved January 18, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
7. "'Little Dab' does Cowboys good in win". Omaha World-Herald. October 16, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Welniak, Wyoming bombard Utah 61–18". St. Petersburg Times. October 23, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Wyoming, Welniak steamroll CSU, 48–14". The Grand Island Independent. October 30, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Dawson, Wyoming bury Miners". The Wichita Eagle-Beacon. November 6, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "UH Cougars sack No. 10 Wyoming 34–10". San Angelo Standard-Times. November 13, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Cowboys finish best regular season in UW history". Casper Star-Tribune. November 21, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Oklahoma State routs Wyoming". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 31, 1988. Retrieved May 30, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Sports Reference: 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football" . Retrieved July 31, 2020.
15. "1989 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2012.