Oct. 3, 2002

Charleston, SC - 1. Yes, the University of Wyom-ing is located in one of those square states out West. Actually, it is in Laramie, Wyo., called by some "the hippest little Cowboy town in the West." Laramie is known as the "Gem City of the Plains" and, at about 7,200 feet above sea level, is located in the Rocky Mountains in a valley between the Laramie and Snowy mountain ranges. To get there, apparently, you fly to Denver and drive northwest for about two hours.

2. Wyoming's most famous alumnus is Vice President Dick Cheney. The veep, who often keeps a low profile, was spotted in Laramie just last week at a major fund-raising dinner for the university, which is the only four-year school in the state and boasts a student-teacher ratio of 12-to-1.

Other famous alums: U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek, former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, basketball player Fennis Dembo and TV sports broadcaster Curt Gowdy. Curt Gowdy State Park is located near Laramie.

Other famous people from Wyoming: Actor Harrison Ford, former Secretary of State James Baker, L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, businessman J.C. Penney and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who passed through in the 1800s.

Famous people who used to coach Wyoming: Bob Devaney, Dennis Erickson, Pat Dye.

3. As you might expect, the nickname "Cowboys" is a natural for Wyoming's athletic teams. They've had the name since 1891, in fact, when a Wyoming pick-up football team recruited a 220-pound cowpuncher, Fred Bush, to help out the team. Bush showed up for a game in a checkered shirt and cowboy hat, prompting someone to yell, "Hey, look at the cowboy!" Since a number of other players also had saddled up, the nickname stuck.

By the way, Wyoming's women's teams are called the "Cowgirls."

4. Wyoming's football team has had a rough go of it lately. The Cowboys have lost 12 straight games, the longest losing streak in school history and the second-longest current streak in the nation (behind Tulsa's 15 straight losses). Wyoming's last win was a 43-42 win over Utah State on Sept. 22, 2001.

Coach Vic Koenning is just 3-23 in his third season, and athletic director Lee Moon felt it was necessary a couple of weeks ago to announce that he would not change coaches in mid-season. The Cowboys had a players' only meeting after a 32-20 loss at Central Michigan. It didn't help - they lost the next game by 35-13 to Boise State "There's been a ton of negativity" around the program, Koenning said this week.

5. Even so, the Cowboys are making out at the box office this season. Wyoming earned $2.3 million for agreeing to move its home game with Tennessee to Nashville (losing 47-7) and made another $500,000 for a 38-7 loss at Washington.

6. The state of Wyoming's population of 494,423 people is the smallest in the nation - fewer people than even Alaska or Rhode Island. The most densely populated area in the state is the residence hall area at the U. of Wyoming - it houses 2,499 people on 1 1/3 acres of land. When War Memorial Stadium is filled to its capacity of 33,500 people, it becomes the third-largest city in the state.

7. All that open land makes recruiting a challenge at Wyoming. "There are only about 3,000 high school students in the whole state," Koenning said. "And when there's a halfway decent player from Wyoming, you are expected to take him."

Wyoming's roster includes players from all over the West and Midwest, and players from Florida, Mississippi and Lithonia, Ga.

8. There are lots of other life forms in Wyoming, however. The state is home to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and Devil's Tower, the nation's first national monument, along with grizzly bears, big horn sheep, deer, bald eagles and the single largest population of cutthroat trout in the world.

9. Wyoming quarterbacks Casey and Corey Bramlet are brothers from Wheatland, Wyo. Casey, a junior, is a candidate for the Davey O'Brien award after ranking 14th in the nation in total offense last season.

10. Wyoming football traditions include Cowboy Joe IV, a pony that trots around the stadium after Cowboys touchdowns, and Pistol Pete, a recently redesigned cowboy mascot. Fans gather at Tailgate Park, a grassy hill north of the stadium, and walk by a statue of a cowboy riding the famous bucking horse Steamboat; the statue is called "Fanning a Twister." Every year, Wyoming plays archrival Colorado State for the "Bronze Boot." The boot was originally worn by a CSU graduate in Vietnam.

Fans also sing the words to the fight song "Ragtime Cowboy Joe":

"He's a high-falootin', rootin, tootin,Son of a gun from ol' Wyoming."