School: Laramie
Nickname: Plainsmen
Colors: maroon and yellow
Stadium: Deti Stadium
State championships: 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1984 and 1994
Times worth remembering: The entire 1960s. The Plainsmen went undefeated six times in 10 years and won mythical state titles six times. It also housed Laramie’s legendary 34-game winning streak (from 1959-63). In the sixties, Laramie went 78-12-1; half of those losses came in a 3-6 1966 season.
Times worth forgetting: In the three-year period from 2002-04, the Plainsmen won just one game — a sharp downfall for the once-proud program. The only win in that span was in the 2003 season opener, a 20-17 victory over Evanston; at one point, the Plainsmen lost 18 consecutive games.
Best team: Take your pick. Laramie has had eight undefeated teams since 1951. For one to stand out, though, it’s the 1964 team. Led by all-staters Jim House, Wes Ackerson, Lew Roney and Charlie Sanchez (and six others either on second team or honorable mention), the Plainsmen were rarely challenged, posting six shutouts on their way to a 9-0 record. Laramie outscored its opponents 306-33 — an average of 34-4. The Plainsmen garnered every first-place vote in the final UPI poll and were ranked first for eight consecutive weeks.
Biggest win: With so many state championships in tow, Laramie has a ton of memorable victories from which to choose. But the 1984 title-game win, a 57-18 thumping of Cody, has extra-special meaning. It was the first title for John R. Deti, who had taken over for his father John E. Deti before the 1977 season. John R. had huge shoes to fill, and with the win in ’84, he helped cement his place, separate from his father’s, among Wyoming’s top coaches.
Heartbreaker: Conversely, John E. Deti’s last game as coach is one that, if the coach hadn’t made his retirement intentions known before the game, might have been enough to make him quit altogether anyway. The game was the 1976 AA championship, won by Cody 41-40 in triple overtime — a game full of many big plays, twists and missed opportunities. One last championship for the “Gray Fox” was denied by a missed extra point in the third OT.