One of the most picturesque football facilities in the nation, Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium sits between the Rocky Mountains' Snowy Range to the west and the Laramie Range to the east and has been home to Cowboy football since 1950. "The War" is the highest NCAA Division I football stadium in the country at an elevation of 7,220 feet and seats 29,181 fans thanks to extensive renovations and upgrades over the past decade. The most recent enhancement to War Memorial Stadium was the completion of the Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites prior to the 2010 season. The Wildcatter offers UW football fans the advantages of indoor, luxury seating with 12 individual suites along with a stadium-club area that contains 256 indoor seats on the upper east side of the stadium. The addition was named after the many successful "Wildcatters" of Wyoming. A Wildcatter is a person who displays the strength and courage to risk drilling oil or gas wells in areas where there is no guarantee that oil or gas will be found. In connection with the Wildcatter, the east side of the stadium was renovated to include improved seating, enhance concession areas and improved and expanded restroom facilities for all fans. The Cowboys also added a state-of-the-art playing surface in 2005 with the addition of Desso Challenge Pro 60 artificial turf. Installed at a cost of $1 million, the new surface is equipped with artificial grass fibers specifically developed for football. In conjunction with the installation, the field at War Memorial Stadium was named Jonah Field to recognize a $5 million gift by Casper entrepreneurs John and Mari Ann Martin and Mick and Susie McMurry. The two families developed the Jonah Field natural gas field in western Wyoming. With the crowd noise, elevation and outstanding Cowboy teams, Wyoming's home field has long been one of the most feared places to play in college football. The Cowboys have won 67 percent of their games at War Memorial Stadium. The stadium is no stranger on the national scene, as it has hosted the likes of Nebraska, Texas, Kansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Virginia since 2000. The War opened on Sept. 16, 1950, with a 61-13 win over Montana State, followed by an official dedication the following week on Sept. 23 versus nationally-ranked Baylor. The Cowboys won that game 7-0. Wyoming played its first night game in the stadium on Sept. 1, 1988, against BYU, while playing in front of a sold-out crowd numerous times during the stadium's history. Some of the great Wyoming coaches to walk the sidelines in War Memorial Stadium include Bowden Wyatt, William H. "Lone Star" Dietz, Phil Dickens, Bob Devaney, Lloyd Eaton, Fritz Shurmur, Fred Akers, Pat Dye, Paul Roach and Joe Tiller. Former Cowboy head coaches Wyatt, Dietz, Devaney and Dye have all since been inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame. |
Football Facilities Tour
