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 1963.
Class AA: Natrona (9-0) vs. Riverton (8-0-1) OR Lander (7-1-1). Natrona put a brief end to the Laramie dynasty in 1963 and piled up a solid undefeated season, including a 26-6 victory over Lander. Lander and Riverton both finished unbeaten in AA North play and tied each other 9-9 on the final day of the regular season, which would have forced the WHSAA to break out the tiebreaking guidelines.
Class A: Lusk (8-0-1) vs. Green River (10-0). Green River notched seven shutouts and allowed just seven points in each of its three other games — in case you’re counting, that’s only 21 points allowed all season. Lusk had a 13-13 tie with Douglas ruin its perfect season, but the Tigers were otherwise strong and won close conference games with Wheatland (13-7), Gillette (7-0) and Torrington (6-0).
–patrick