Throughout the book, readers will encounter short biographies on “Poke Pioneers,” representing players, coaches and a handful of others who made a big impact on the field, off the field, in their careers after college or, in some cases, all of the above. Below are the men who were highlighted, along with the page to find their full biography.
Perry Alers: A four-year starter on the line, Alers forged a career in the mining industry, both working for and helping to lead companies in Texas and Arizona.
Norman Bassford: The Cowboy end from Veteran built a career in life insurance in Torrington, and a legacy of service to his community, before moving to Colorado.
Fred Bath: The Laramie rancher and early Albany County pioneer was one of three Bath brothers to play for the Cowboys.
Walter Bentley: A Casper native and three-time letterman, Bentley died from enemy fire in Palau during World War II.
Einar Bergstrom: The Poke lineman worked for the Veterans Administration for 35 years, eventually retiring to California.
Clair “Okie” Blanchard: One of Wyoming’s most successful, and beloved, high school coaches and administrators led 31 teams to state championships.
Richard Bostwick: Bostwick jumped from UW to the law field, practicing in Casper for nearly five decades while also staying active in civic groups.
Harold Brecht: A short timer with the Cowboys, Brecht survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor and had a distinguished record as a fighter pilot in World War II.
Herbert Brees: UW’s only three-time captain became a decorated Army veteran and the namesake for Laramie’s airport.
Oscar Brevdy: An up-and-coming lineman for UW was a prisoner of war in World War II and died when the ship he was being transported on was attacked.
Henry “Hank” Brown: After pursuing coaching and education to start his career, Brown entered the world of human resources and worked for Pillsbury in Minnesota for many years.
Lloyd Buchanan: The Cody native was the Cowboys’ most consistent lineman for three seasons; he returned home to ranch and was a county commissioner for two decades.
C.Q. “Neil” Burgess: Wyoming’s first all-conference player was the Cowboys’ quarterback for two-plus seasons before a severe injury ended his playing days.
Robert H. “Bob” Burns: The son of Laramie-area ranchers, Burns became an internationally renowned expert on the wool industry while teaching at UW.
James Freeman (or Fred) Bush: The legendary “cowboy” from the East Coast helped give the university teams their mascot — but how much of his story stacks up to time is inconclusive.
James Cashman: Cashman grew up in Rawlins and came back to southwestern Wyoming after graduating from medical school, spending four decades practicing medicine.
Ed Chenoweth: The Worland native pursued a career in psychology education, spending nearly four decades on the faculty at UW.
LeGrand Christofferson: The all-conference end was also a strong student, parlaying his engineering degree to a long career with the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co.
Harol D. Coburn: A UW captain for one year and head coach for another, he led a life of dedicated service in the Army, reaching the rank of colonel before his retirement.
Ken Cook: Cook was one of UW’s most active alumni, working with several different groups at the university to further the Cowboys’ athletics programs.
John “Jack” Corbett: The son of Wyoming’s head coach embraced his father’s influence, embarking on a career centered on education.
John Corbett: The “Grand Old Man of Athletics” at UW ushered in a new era of athletics, with facilities and administration vastly improving in his 25 years on campus.
Douglas Cordiner: Devoted to military service, he spent five decades building numerous specialties, including artillery, logistics and support roles for veterans.
Morris Corthell: The eventual “dean of Laramie attorneys” was a native son who grew up less than a block from campus and played for five years on the UW football team.
Charles Coughlin: The Laramie native practiced law after college but always found time to stay connected to athletics.
Harry Craig: The Cowboy quarterback/kicker was a beloved educator and community leader in Washington, but his life was tragically cut short in his late 30s.
Harold Dean: UW’s head football and basketball coach for three years, Dean never coached at the collegiate level again, instead entering the Army, where he served 26 years.
Franklin “Duke” DeForest: The Laramie native pursued careers in education, public service and timbering after college, working across the state in those pursuits.
John Deti: The longtime coach of the Laramie High football team won 14 state championships leading the Plainsmen.
Howard Dickson: Raised on a ranch in Converse County, Dickson pursued law enforcement as a career before being called back to the ranching life.
William H. “Lone Star” Dietz: A controversial coach with a questionably claimed Native American heritage, he led UW to new heights of success with a six-victory season in 1925.
Carl Dir: Cowboys’ quick back taught and coached in Wyoming for 15 years before entering the sporting goods industry.
George Dorrington: The all-conference halfback and Silver Star soldier coached in Gillette and Hanna before finishing his education career in California.
Walter Dowler: A successful high school and college coach, Dowler settled in Cheyenne and built his career in education.
The Downey Siblings: Children of Wyoming legislator Stephen W. Downey — two of them Cowboy football players — were influential in politics, law and education.
Raymond “Jeff” Doyle: The quick Crow back from Sheridan made his professional career in the Air Force, where he served for nearly three decades.
Herbert Drew: Drawn to western Washington by agriculture possibilities, Drew worked as an ag extension agent and state-level ag administrator.
Lawrence “Duke” Dueweke: The lineman from Michigan made Wyoming his adopted home, working as the state’s superintendent of ports of entry for three decades.
Ed Dunn: A Nebraskan who followed coach Choppy Rhodes from the Cornhusker State, Dunn operated a coffee shop in Laramie for 25 years.
Walter W. Ehlman: Just 27 years old when he became UW’s head coach, he only led the team for a few months — and just one season — and died before his first semester in Laramie was completed.
Jess Ekdall: A steady back for the Cowboys, he became the police chief of his hometown of Cheyenne before a bribery conviction changed his life’s course.
William Engstrom: Engstrom’s career path varied among many fields, with his longest stretches coming in education and as the owner of the service station at Walcott Junction.
Fritz Erb: The Massachusetts Cowboy had a career lined out in health insurance before illness took him before his time.
John Erickson: The star athlete gained his greatest recognition from being the first American paratrooper to land on the island of Corregidor during its recapture in World War II.
Oscar Erickson: Cowboys’ lineman and kicker found success as a high school coach in Sheridan and his hometown of Cheyenne before his untimely death at 40.
Leon Exelby: A star at Michigan State, Exelby was UW’s coach for one season; he took to farming near his small hometown in Michigan after his time in Laramie.
Dominic Feeley: The burly fullback from Cody went from leading the Cowboys’ backfield to leading soil conservation efforts across the state.
Bard Ferrall: A one-season wonder, the Ohio native settled in Cheyenne and became a lawyer and a leader at UW as a trustee and with the alumni association.
Bob Fitzke: Eventually a professional athlete in two sports, Fitzke was one of the best all-around athletes to take the field for Wyoming.
George “Nubs” Freeman: A Cowboy for only one season, Freeman’s collegiate career ended in a cloud of controversy at LSU.
Samuel Fuller: The first county agent in Sheridan County had only lived there for three years before falling victim to the influenza epidemic.
Jay Gaer: A lawyer across several Wyoming cities, Gaer was also one of the state’s top golfers for the better part of two decades.
Harold Gilbert: From Cowboy lineman to Wyoming’s “bee man,” Gilbert lived a life of exploration and education.
Joe Gillespie: After spending time in Wyoming’s state asylum in Evanston, Gillespie wrote a detailed expose of the rough treatment of patients there.
Louis Gillette: A pioneering attorney in Alaska, Gillette moved to Washington and dabbled in publishing before returning to courtrooms.
U.S. Grant: A distant relative of the president, Grant was a surveyor in California and operated an engineering business with one of his sons.
Fred Haack: Haack’s career in engineering took him to all corners of the globe before he retired to New Orleans, continuing his work into retirement.
Don Harkins: An attorney and district court judge, he helped oversee the judicial branch of government for Worland, Washakie County and the surrounding area.
Taft Harris: The university’s first Black football and basketball player was an accidental pioneer as he made the jump from Casper to playing for his home-state university.
Lawrence Hart: The Wyoming native was a petroleum geologist, spending time overseas before returning to the Mountain West with Exxon and to Lander in retirement.
George Hegewald: Team captain and a four-year starter, Hegewald married into one of the most prominent families in Wyoming.
Fred Hesse: UW’s first football coach was also the mayor of Las Vegas and a prominent engineer in the Southwest, helping to build the Hoover Dam.
Elzy Hicks: Wyoming’s little quarterback from Laramie was part of several business ventures in the Gem City before settling in Colorado.
Frank Highleyman: A consistent contributor to Wyoming’s line for two-plus seasons, Highleyman built a career as a civil engineer in his hometown of Kansas City.
Harry Hill: Hill made his name in petroleum engineering, where he attained high positions with both the Bureau of Mines and with Standard Oil.
John Hill: One of the world’s leading experts on wool technology led the UW ag experiment station and was dean of the college of agriculture for nearly three decades.
Joel Hunt: UW’s football coach for one season was one of the best football players in Southwest Conference history at Texas A&M and also a pro baseball player.
Don Hunter: The California Cowboy was an immediate volunteer for World War II after Pearl Harbor, flying more than 80 bombing missions before dying in a non-battle air accident.
E. Deane Hunton: A multi-year, multi-sport athlete for the Cowboys, and later a UW professor, Hunton’s legacy was secured as the originator of the “bucking horse and rider” logo.
William Ingham: Ingham’s love of the written word led him to positions in libraries, journalism and, eventually, UW’s Board of Trustees.
Gilbert Irish: A Cowboy short-timer, Irish was a handful in the backfield before spending 50 years with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Constant L. “Pete” Irwin: A distinguished military career awaited him after college. His distinguished service took him from Meeteetse to two world wars and a long list of honors.
Clib Johnson: The freshman from Oklahoma was a casualty of World War II, losing his life after his plane was shot down over Germany in 1944.
Bruce Jones: In Jones’ life, he was mayor of Cheyenne, administrator of Laramie’s Ivinson Home and Wyoming’s oldest VFW member.
John M. Jones: A two-time Cowboy, Jones put his two UW degrees to good use in Texas, where he focused on range animals for Texas A&M’s agricultural experiment station.
Ben Joyce: Football star, student government and fraternity president, and grad-student-to-be, he died tragically during the construction of the Hoover Dam.
Antone “Tony” Katana: Sweetwater County was both Katana’s home and the place where he developed his career, teaching and coaching in Green River and Superior.
Dave Kidd: The Casper native took detours to Illinois and Laramie before returning to his hometown, becoming a business and political leader.
Jerry King: The son of Cheyenne ranchers, King flourished in northwestern Wyoming as a small business owner, drawing national recognition for his work.
Walter Kingham: The Cheyenne native was a player in numerous civic organizations, including the Casper City Council and the Casper College Board of Trustees.
Lee Kizzire: The first player to ever make the jump from Wyoming directly to the NFL, his life was cut short by World War II.
Martin Krpan: The Rock Springs native nearly reached the NFL and worked across the country — mostly in Ohio — in a variety of military and professional roles.
Nick Krpan: The younger of the Krpan brothers fought his way into the starting lineup but died in his early 30s, just as his teaching and coaching career was starting.
Wendell Lack: The all-conference tackle from Mississippi was a military man as well as a specialist in botany, forestry and ranching.
Emory Land: One of UW’s first football players had a legendary career as a Navy engineer, helping the U.S. win two world wars and becoming UW’s first Distinguished Service Alumni Award winner.
Harry Langheldt: A travel fanatic, he worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad for 46 years, organizing rail tours across the world.
Francis LaNoue: LaNoue took to working for the National Park Service after college, spending the bulk of his career in Yellowstone.
Everett Lantz: The Cowboy lineman was Wyoming’s longtime head wrestling coach and was a charter member of the UW Athletics Hall of Fame.
Fred Layman: A Rhodes scholar and rugby star in England after his time at UW, Layman started a law practice in Casper and practiced for more than 50 years.
Faunt “Dutch” Lenardson: After two years at Wyoming, Lenardson became a star football player at Michigan State.
Claud Linton: Another one-season UW stopover, Linton’s best sport was baseball, where he became a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
John Lohlein: Officially on the roster for just one year but unofficially a member for several, Lohlein turned his life around after a second-degree murder conviction.
Al Lokanc: A member of an established football family, Lokanc coached high school football in both Wyoming and Illinois.
George Mabee: Also a boxer of some renown, Mabee’s life after UW was full of twists — some verifiable, some not.
Ted Madden: First a football star at Boston College, Madden was an attorney and judge in Wyoming but followed his passion — golf — back to Massachusetts.
Louis Mankus: The Chicago-born Mankus became a lawyer in Cheyenne and also tried his hand in statewide politics.
Jack Markley: Raised in Laramie, Markley took to sheep ranching west of Laramie after college and produced award-winning fleece with his flock.
Clyde Matteson: Matteson had two careers — one in the Marines, one in the ranching field — before meeting an untimely death at 50.
Albert Mau: The son of sheep ranching pioneers in Cokeville, Mau became UW’s team captain before returning to the ranching life in Lincoln County.
George McLaren: The two-time all-America fullback at Pitt spent a decade in college coaching and made UW his last stop before pursuing other careers.
William McMurray: UW’s head coach for seven seasons, from 1900-06, McMurray was also a prominent Laramie lawyer who struck it rich in the Wyoming oil fields before dying at just 43 years old.
Ralph McWhinnie: Wyoming’s student manager for the football team went on to have a career at UW that spanned decades as its registrar.
Julius Merz: The son of a UW professor, Merz found his life’s fulfillment in the Philippines, first in military service and later in private business.
Lee Miner: An artist, skier and Cowboy guard from Casper, Miner was shot and killed while in military service in southern Italy in World War II.
Lucien Moncini: The Sheridan native made his career as an engineer, starting in shipbuilding before making his living in the paper industry.
Ross Moudy: A three-year squadman, Moudy taught chemistry and was Wyoming’s state chemist before transitioning to work with oil companies.
Ed Mucho: An end from Green River, Mucho’s career calling came in engineering for the Air Force, spending 43 total years at Norton Air Force Base in California.
Sam Neff: Working for the Army Corps of Engineers, he was one of the principal surveyors of Montana’s Fort Peck Dam.
Thomas O. Nipper: The teacher and coach from Arkansas stayed in Wyoming to build his career and his life, but all if it was tragically cut short.
Bernard “Bunny” Oakes: A coach at several top programs nationwide, Oakes’ stay in Laramie as head coach was his final foray into major college football before changing directions.
Dean O’Connor: The Cowboys’ baseball coach and an assistant football coach after his playing days, O’Connor eventually settled in his home state, Nebraska.
Charles Oviatt: The last UW faculty member to play for the Cowboys, Oviatt was an agricultural pioneer in Wyoming in several different ways.
Paul Paulson: The Rawlins businessman left a portion of his estate to UW’s Student Welfare Foundation upon his death.
John Pierce: A brigadier general in the U.S. Army, Pierce established himself as a well-rounded and committed serviceman in his three-plus decades of military service.
Armin L. Pitz: A native of Wisconsin, he returned to his hometown after UW and built a career in the shipbuilding industry, spending almost four decades in a variety of roles.
Paul Podmajersky: At Wyoming for just one season, he entered the medical field after one year in the NFL and became the family doctor for the Chicago Bears’ George Halas.
Earl “Shadow” Ray: A three-sport star, Ray returned to his hometown of Casper after college to coach, teach and make merriment.
John “Choppy” Rhodes: A superior athlete as a young man, the Wyoming head coach came to UW from Nebraska and later returned to coach in his home state.
Henry Rice: From quiet beginnings in Laramie, Rice had a long and distinguished military career that spanned the globe.
Charles Rigdon: A lawyer by trade, he eventually became Wyoming’s federal district attorney, a position he held for several years.
John Rigdon: A lawyer-in-training, Rigdon’s bright future was ended when he and a former teammate drowned in a lake near Wheatland.
Harry Rogers: A four-time letterman, Rogers’ biggest impact came in his roles in engineering education, particularly as a college president in New York City.
Neil Rogers: The Cowboys’ captain in his final season settled in Northern California after World War I, eventually owning and operating his own manufacturing company.
Ed Ross: A mining accident took a huge chunk of his vision, but he stayed in the industry, managing the Wyodak mine in Gillette for nearly three decades.
Hurley Scherffius: A Nebraska native, Scherffius moved back home after college to enter his father’s sign-making business, which he did until his death at just 48.
Dale Scholz: After growing up in Basin and lettering three times as a Cowboy lineman, Scholz entered medicine, eventually entering private practice in Illinois.
Glenn Scott: From miner to hotel proprietor and fishing/camping guide, Scott lived a life full of new experiences.
John P. Scott: The Rhodes scholar grew into one of the world’s foremost authorities on animal behavior and genetics.
Dan Sedar: A native of Casper, he moved to California’s Bay Area and established himself as a supporter of youth sports programs.
Mike Sedar: Casper College’s basketball coach for 10 seasons, and eventually the college’s AD, his athletic influence spread across the city.
Milward Simpson: Governor, senator and lawyer, Simpson led a life that left a legacy of service to his home state.
Justus Soule: The UW coach was one of the university’s original faculty members, teaching for more than 50 years; he is buried within walking distance of War Memorial Stadium.
Robert Soule: The son of Justus Soule, Robert became one of the United States’ pre-eminent authorities on the Far East and was instrumental in prisoner rescue in World War II.
Les Spicer: An all-conference lineman, Spicer was a soldier, policeman and construction foreman before cancer ended his life.
Glenn Stanton: From controversy to captaincy on the gridiron, Stanton’s redemption arc carried him into his career as a lawyer and district court judge.
Walter Storrie: The Douglas native was influential in building up transportation in Wyoming, particularly through his interest in flying.
Bill Strannigan: One of Wyoming’s best basketball players, he moonlighted for a season with the football squad before becoming a college basketball coach.
Ken Sturman: A beloved end from Lusk, Sturman earned a place in the UW Athletics Hall of Fame; he was also instrumental in soil and water conservation statewide.
Neil Sudduth: A contributor to four UW football squads, Sudduth took over his family’s homestead ranch in northern Colorado, a responsibility he took on for 50 years.
Bernard Sullivan: The Laramie native became a doctor, practicing in his hometown for several decades.
Harold Templeman: Wyoming’s center for two seasons had a diverse career in education and political policy and also wrote a book about his experiences in World War II.
Ralph W. Thacker: UW’s head football coach for two years took similar positions at other colleges before retiring to Nebraska.
Charles Lynn Thompson: The versatile player for the Cowboys developed a career in oil exploration, making his most significant contributions in Louisiana’s oil fields.
Fay Thompson: Despite losing his left hand in an oilfield accident, Thompson had two stints as a Cowboy before becoming an accomplished vo-ag teacher in Powell.
Robert W. “Wedge” Thompson: The decorated athlete from Thermopolis set long-standing UW track records before entering teaching and coaching.
Mike Tichac: A native of Indiana, Tichac stayed in Laramie after his schooling was done but died in a tragic hunting death at age 30.
Volney Tidball: A longtime Cowboy, he was also a longtime judge, serving as the judge to Wyoming’s second judicial district for 36 years.
George Trabing: One of the Cowboys’ earliest contributors died while conducting a prohibition raid in which he was accidentally shot.
George Vandaveer: A petroleum engineer by trade, he worked his way up to be the lead engineer, and then vice president, of an Oklahoma oil company.
Marion Wheeler: The engineer was influential in his hometown of Casper, where he helped pave the city’s first streets and was also involved in the construction and surveying of roads and houses.
Louis Whitman: Raised in Louisiana, Whitman returned to his home state and flourished as a high school football coach and athletic director.
Horace “Jack” Wilcox: The Rhodes Scholar was self-made in Sheridan and an adventurer in Australia before finding his calling in education.
Lewis Williams: The son of a rail man, Williams bounced around a lot but found his niche as a business owner, military man and civic leader in Oklahoma.
Andrew “Red” Willis: The Lovell native became an ag extension economist for the university, a role interrupted only by World War II.
Robert Steele “Bob” Wilson: A World War I veteran, Cowboy captain and journalist, Wilson died while trying to save a drowning girl.
John Winterholler: One of Wyoming’s greatest athletes was paralyzed while a POW in World War II but didn’t let that stop him from his post-war athletic and professional pursuits.
Willard “Dutch” Witte: The Nebraska native took UW’s basketball team to new heights as its coach and also spent six years as the Cowboy football coach before “retiring” at age 33.
Charles Wittenbraker: A four-year mainstay on the Cowboy squad, his love for football was trumped only by his love for trains, a career he pursued as a conductor.
To explore the full biographies of these Poke Pioneers, order the book!
