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.
In 2026 the entire team was inducted into the University of Wyoming athletics hall of fame.
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
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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