THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘Get The Gun’
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written before the 2019 matchup between Wyoming and Utah State inside Logan's Maverik Stadium. These two will meet again this Saturday in Laramie. It's the 73rd time in history these programs have met on the football field. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.)
LOGAN, Utah -- Tomorrow, when the Cowboys and Aggies meet for the 70th time in the history of the schools, plenty is on the line.
Wyoming can spoil Utah State's chances of a Mountain West title bid. The Pokes can also solidify their bowl chances with win No. 7.
Most importantly, there is some hardware on the line -- Jim Bridger's rifle.
This will be the seventh time these two programs have battled for this unique traveling trophy, a .50-caliber Rocky Mountain Hawken rifle. The Aggies are 4-2 in the series since the trophy was introduced.
Utah State claimed it last season with a 24-16 win in Laramie.
So, who was Jim Bridger? Here's some quick hitters:
- Bridger was a mountain man and trapper
- He was an Army Scout and wilderness guide in the American west
- He mediated affairs between Tribes and European settlers
- He spoke French and Spanish
- He was buddies with George Armstrong Custer, Kit Carson and John Fremont
- He was born on St, Patrick's Day 1804 and died July 17, 1881
- Bridger was born in Richmond, Va., and died in Kansas City
- Bridger was among the first white men to see the geysers of Yellowstone and the Great Salt Lake
- Bridger married Chief Washakie's daughter
- Bridger Pass is a mountain bypass in Carbon County, Wyoming, near the Great Divide
- Fort Bridger, a former fur trading post, is in southwest Wyoming. It was a resupply post for travelers on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails
- The Bridger Mountains are a 40-mile range in central Wyoming
- The Bridger-Teton National Forest is located near Pinedale
- The Jim Bridger Power Station is located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming
- Bridger Lake is located near Mountain View
- Cache Valley, located by Logan, Utah, is known as "Bridgerland"
- In 2013, Wyoming and Utah State started calling its football rivalry "Bridger's Battle."
"Get the gun" was a battle cry among players this week in Laramie. This rivalry may be "new" but these teams have battled 69 times since 1903. The Cowboys have only played Colorado State (110), Utah (83), BYU (78) and New Mexico (72) more than the Aggies.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Know Wyoming's Foe: Utah State Aggies
* 2025 Wyoming Football recruiting tracker
* Tuck's Take: This Wyoming team isn't tapping out
* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 7
* Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of Utah State
* Wyoming's Jay Sawvel on QB spot: 'We're going to play both'
* Tuck's Take: Time for 2-QB System in Laramie
* Wyoming's locker room robbed during loss at San Jose State
* Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for UW Football?
* Cowboys can't capitalize on takeaways in 24-14 road loss at San Jose State
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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