1988 Wyoming Cowboys football team

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 #10 ranking in the national AP poll.^[1] 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.

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

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1		BYU		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 24–14	28,847
September 8		at Louisville*		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky		W 44–9	29,105
September 17		Louisiana Tech*		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 38–6	18,128	[2]
September 24		at Air Force		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, Colorado		W 48–45
October 1		Cal State Fullerton*	No. 18	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 35–16	22,143	[3]
October 8		at San Diego State	No. 16	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, California		W 55–27	20,386	[4]
October 15		New Mexico	No. 14	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 55–7
October 22	1:00 p.m.	Utah	No. 12	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 61–18	20,800
October 29		at Colorado State	No. 10	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, Colorado (Bronze Boot)		W 48–14	26,017
November 5		UTEP	No. 10	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, Wyoming		W 51–6	32,210
November 12		at Houston*	No. 10	Houston Astrodome Houston, Texas	ESPN	L 10–34	28,947
November 19		at Hawaii	No. 16	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii (rivalry)		W 28–22	43,177
December 30		vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State	No. 15	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, California (Holiday Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–62	60,641
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

• Reference:^[5]

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

^[6]

References

1. "Sports Reference: 1988 Wyoming Cowboys football". Retrieved July 31, 2020.
2. "Cowboys rout Louisiana Tech". Casper Star-Tribune. September 18, 1988. Retrieved July 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Robyn Norwood (October 2, 1988). "Wyoming Shakes Off CS Fullerton, 35-16". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. III-20. Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Curt Holbreich (October 9, 1988). "Aztecs Are Helpless; Cowboys Win 55-27". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "University of Wyoming – 1988". College Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
6. "1989 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2012.