From 1962 to 1967 in all classes, and from 1962 to 1974 in Classes A and B-C, postseason football was shut down in Wyoming. No playoffs, no state championship games, nothing. Only an unsatisfying mythical championship that, in the end, was just opinion. The next several days, wyoming-football.com is taking a look at the title games and playoff brackets we missed out on in the “dead era” of the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, we examine the year 1962.
Class AA: Laramie (9-0) vs. Sheridan (5-4-1). Sheridan did not have a great season, but won enough games to win the AA North title. However, one of the Broncs’ losses was a 24-0 loss to Laramie — a Plainsman team that was dominant, as Laramie teams tended to be in the 1960s.
Class A: Lusk (9-0) vs. Greybull (8-0) OR Star Valley (9-0). Greybull went unbeaten the hard way, beating five Class AA Big Horn Basin teams (Powell, Cody, Riverton, Worland, Lander), while Star Valley went unbeaten in the Southwest round-robin. Lusk was just as good in the East, with only one conference foe coming within 26 points of the Tigers.
–patrick
This 1962 team for the Braves had arguably the best player to put on a helmet for Star Valley. Mel Olson rushed for 978 yards that year, which was the school record until 1990. It still ranks #4 all time. This was his senior season and he finished up with 1,494 rushing yards overall, ranking him third. He had (6) 100+ yard rushing games that season and scored 18 touchdowns. This is still the school record for touchdowns scored in a single season. Mel finished his varsity career with 34 touchdowns, which is also still the school record.
The 1962 team also holds the SV school record for points allowed in a season with just 35 allowed all season including five shutouts.
Mel went on to star at BYU (sorry folks) and later was on the coaching staff of the ’84 championship team.
Really a great guy who loved his Wyoming high school playing days