You see it on business signs and billboards. It’s on the state’s license plate. It’s even emblazoned on trash cans in some towns across Wyoming.
Steamboat, the bucking horse and rider that has served as the symbol of Cowboy athletics since the 1920s, is undoubtedly the greatest source of pride in a place where the people’s love for the state’s only university is unparalleled.
And there’s no better time to celebrate that pride than at the University of Wyoming’s annual Homecoming.
“On This Land We Put Our Brand, 125 Years of Excellence, Pride and Tradition” is the theme of the university’s 90th Homecoming celebration, which includes three days of festivities highlighted by the Cowboys’ football game against the U.S. Air Force Academy on Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium.
A Mountain West Conference showdown between regional rivals who have met 50 times since 1957—UW won 25-17 last season to snap a five-game losing skid against the Falcons—Saturday’s game is critical to both teams’ postseason bowl hopes. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Festivities begin Thursday night with the annual Homecoming Sing inside the College of Arts and Sciences Auditorium, followed by a dance and concert at the Wyoming Union Ballroom. Homecoming will also include a pig roast, band concert, seminars, hospitality events, campus tours and open houses.
Activities culminate Saturday with the Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of Ninth and Ivinson streets; the Cowboy Walk, a tradition born in 2009 during which the Western Thunder Marching Band leads the UW football team from the Hilton Garden Inn to the team’s locker room inside the Rochelle Athletics Center; and the football game.
Annually, the UW Alumni Association welcomes 500-700 graduates back to Laramie during the Homecoming celebration.
For more information on Homecoming events, including a complete schedule, go to www.wyoalumni.com or call the Alumni Association at (307) 766-4166.
Thursday, Oct. 11
7 p.m. -- Homecoming Sing, Arts and Sciences auditorium.
9 p.m. -- Dance in the Wyoming Union Ballroom with music by Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band; Cowboy Country Swing Club will give free swing dance lessons at 8 p.m. in the Ballroom.
Friday, Oct. 12
11 a.m.-1 p.m. -- ASUW pig roast at Simpson Plaza.
3:30 p.m. -- Wanda Burget, director of sustainability for Peabody Energy, will be the keynote speaker for the Keith and Thyra Thomson Honors Convocation in the Arts and Sciences auditorium.
7:30 p.m. -- United States Army Field Band concert, Fine Arts concert hall. It is free, but tickets are required. Call (307) 766-6666 for ticket information.
Saturday, Oct. 13
10 a.m. -- The Homecoming parade begins at the corner of Ninth and Ivinson streets.
2:15 p.m. -- Cowboy Walk from the Hilton Garden Inn. The Western Thunder Marching Band will lead the football team from the Hilton Garden Inn to the team locker room at the Rochelle Athletic Center through a gauntlet of cheering, high-fiving fans.
5 p.m. -- Football, Wyoming versus Air Force at War Memorial Stadium.
