| 1986 Wyoming Cowboys football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Record | 6–6 (4–4 WAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Bob Bratkowski (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Single-back spread |
| Defensive coordinator | John L. Smith (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | War Memorial Stadium |
| Seasons← 19851987 → | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State $ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1986 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. A charter member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Wyoming played its home games in War Memorial Stadium, an outdoor facility on campus in Laramie, Wyoming.
Led by first-year head coach Dennis Erickson in his only season at Wyoming, the Cowboys compiled a 6-6 record (4-4 against conference opponents), and finished sixth in the WAC. The team outscored their opponents 299 to 272. Erickson installed his "Air Express" form of the spread offense and led the Cowboys to 3–1 start in September, with road wins at Air Force and Wisconsin.
Hired in early December 1985, Erickson was previously the head coach for four seasons at the University of Idaho in Moscow. His four-year contract at Wyoming included a base annual salary of $60,000 plus $20,000 from radio and television, and the rent-free use of a home in Laramie. The Cowboys had previously run the wishbone and were 3–8 in 1985, tied for seventh in the nine-team WAC.
After the season in early January 1987, Erickson left Wyoming without notice to return to the Palouse as head coach at Washington State University in Pullman.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | No. 12 Baylor* | L 28–31 | 20,542 | ||
| September 13 | Pacific (CA)* |
| W 23–20 | ||
| September 20 | at Air Force | W 23–17 | |||
| September 27 | at Wisconsin* | W 21–12 | 64,954 | ||
| October 4 | at Iowa State* | L 10–21 | 39,710 | ||
| October 11 | Utah |
| W 38–14 | 12,326 | |
| October 18 | at BYU | L 22–34 | 31,742 | ||
| October 25 | at Colorado State | L 15–20 | 31,856 | ||
| November 1 | New Mexico |
| W 35–25 | ||
| November 8 | UTEP |
| W 41–12 | 7,250 | |
| November 15 | at San Diego State | L 24–31 | 20,168 | ||
| November 29 | at Hawaii | L 19–35 | 40,383 | ||
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References
- Boling, Dave (December 2, 1985). "Erickson leaves Idaho for Wyoming". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. C1.
- "New Wyo. coach will air it out". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). December 3, 1985. p. D5.
- "Coaches in transition: Idaho's Erickson takes Wyoming top job". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 3, 1985. p. 2D.
- Grummert, Dale (January 8, 1987). "Erickson sets lofty goals for Cougars". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. C1.
- Condotta, Bob (January 7, 1987). "Denny's dream comes true". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 1.
- Weaver, Dan (January 8, 1987). "Erickson followed his heart to WSU". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- "Pokes' Erickson to Washington State". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). staff and wire reports. January 7, 1987. p. B7.
- Kiszla, Mark (January 8, 1987). "'Pokes want coach who will stay". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). (Denver Post). p. D4.
- Steve Dolan (November 16, 1986). "SDSU Strong Arms Wyoming, 31-24, in Drive for WAC Title". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-14. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
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