1971 Wyoming Cowboys football team

The 1971 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Fritz Shurmur, the Cowboys compiled a record of 5–6 (3-4 against conference opponents), placing in a three-way tie for third in the WAC. The team played home games on campus at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyoming.

1971 Wyoming Cowboys football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	5–6 (3–4 WAC)
Head coach	Fritz Shurmur (1st season)
Captains	Mick Carter Gary Fox
Home stadium	War Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1970 1972 →

1971 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Arizona State $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
New Mexico	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	2
Arizona	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
BYU	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Wyoming	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Utah	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Colorado State	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
UTEP	1	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Shurmur had been the defensive line coach at Wyoming for nine years under head coach Lloyd Eaton, who resigned in December 1970. Shurmur was reassigned to assistant athletic director, and Shurmur was promoted to head coach.^[1][2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11		South Dakota*	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	W 42–28	20,899	[3][4]
September 18		at No. 12 Colorado*	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 13–56	40,729	[5]
September 25	1:32 p.m.	at Air Force*	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	L 19–23	36,719–37,917	[6]
October 2		Colorado State	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY (rivalry)	W 17–6	17,849	[7]
October 9		Arizona	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	W 14–3	19,100	[8]
October 16		BYU	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	L 17–35	15,538	[9]
October 23		UTEP	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	L 7–12	19,510	[10]
October 30		at Utah	Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	W 29–16	11,807	[11]
November 6		at Utah State*	Romney Stadium Logan, UT (rivalry)	W 31–29	9,130	[12]
November 13		at No. 9 Arizona State	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	L 19–52	50,347	[13]
November 20		at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	L 14–49	13,671	[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

NFL Draft

One Cowboy was selected in the 1972 NFL draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections).^[16]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL team
Conrad Dobler	Guard	5	110	St. Louis Cardinals

• List of Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL draft