1976 WAC Co-Champion Football Team
The 1976 Wyoming Cowboy football team brought gridiron success and excitement back to UW for the first time since the Black 14 incident in 1969. The Cowboys went 8-4 overall and were co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference with a 6-1 conference record. Led by quarterbacks Don Clayton and Marc Cousins, they beat BYU in Provo, a tough Arizona State team in Laramie, Arizona in Tucson, and finished the season with a win over UTEP in El Paso. Their only conference loss was a 19-16 heartbreaker at rival Colorado State. Coached by Fred Akers, who was named WAC and Region IX Coach of the Year, the Cowboys ran the Wishbone offense and featured All-American linebacker Paul Nunu, All-American offensive tackle Dennis Baker, as well all-conference performers Walter Howard (tight end), Nunu, Baker, Ray Stawowy (tackle), and Kevin McClain (safety). The team competed in Wyoming’s first bowl game in ten years, losing the Fiesta Bowl to national power Oklahoma on Christmas Day in 1976.
Photo Caption
First row, left to right: Coach Mike Parker, Coach Leon Manley, Coach Leon Fuller, Coach Jimmy Raye, Head Coach Fred Akers, Coach Jim House, Coach Bob Warmack, Steve Barrett.
Second row: Kevin McClain, Ray Davies, Greg Filbert, Mike Cousins, Robbie Wright, Steve Edwards, Trent Barnes, Dexter Cumberlander, Rex Johnson, Craig Parham.
Third row: Brian McClain, Doug Wilson, Rodney Atkinson, George Surry, Walter Howard, LeRoy Garner, Mark Trice, Mike Calhoun, Jackie Clifton, Craig Shelby, Francis Chesley.
Fourth row: Dave Clements, Willie Long, Mark Ulinger, Mark Tullous, John Arnold, Don Rees, Marty Gocken, Grant Linck, Pat Ogrin, J. C. Fowler, Saunders Montague, Jerry Eure, Dan Christopoulos.
Fifth row: Johnny Miller, Kelly Sittner, Bill Gunderman, Bruce Anderson, Chris Mullen, Marc Cousins, Tim Waddell, Mike Webb, Ken Fantetti, Chuck Wilson, Vic Baginski, Karl Coleman, Brad Misley.
Sixth row: Tom Shanor, Marshall Patton, Scott Winfield, Mike Shaft, Eric Falk, Dennis Camino, Dennis Baker, Keith Mills, Dan Noah, Mike Rafferty, Bob Elsberry, Chris Bogue, Mike Smith.
Seventh row: Randy Hughley, Bob Davis, Sammy Steinmark, John Waite, Al Kaufman, Ray Stawowy, Kevin Lepore, Terry Cahill, John Claussen, Helmut Wise, Lynn Hover, Pete Bell, Leon Broussard, Gary Schukei.
Eighth row: Marty Conden, Jay Schaake, LaFran Simmons, Steve Steingraber, Arthur Dilworth, Ken Lett, Cliff Winfield, Sam Martin, Latraia Jones, Paul Nunu, Glen Hover, Craig Dudley, Larry Combs, Don Clayton.
Not pictured: Jim Hector, Walter Luedtke, Terry Martin, Mark Polenz, Mike Willman, Asst. Coach Alan Lowry.