On September 1, 1988, Wyoming hosted BYU for what would be the 59^th meeting between the teams, but this matchup was much more than a game against an old rival. This one required something extra special.

Two days before the Cowboys were set to play the Cougars on an historic night in Laramie, Kevin McKinney, the Sports Information Director for UW Intercollegiate Athletics, was still at work after sunset preparing for the big game against Wyoming’s old nemesis. His office, located adjacent to the north end of War Memorial Stadium, suddenly was flooded in bright light. That was the moment when he realized something special was about to happen.

He witnessed history come to light – literally. Wyoming was set to host its first ever football game at night.

Portable lights were installed, and that night, August 30, 1988, the technicians flipped the switch at dark and began adjusting the lights in preparation for the nationally televised game. When his office lit up, McKinney realized that was the first time War Memorial Stadium had ever been seen at night. As he stood up from his desk to look out his window toward the brightly lit stadium, he was overcome with emotions. “It felt surreal,” he recalled.

This was an era when television networks were expanding sports coverage by broadcasting night games. There was one problem. Many football stadiums across the nation, like War Memorial Stadium, did not have lighting. The quick solution was to use portable lights to provide temporary lighting at stadiums.

Several years earlier, ESPN began broadcasting Thursday night double-headers featuring an early game in the eastern half of the country and a later game in the West. In 1988, the season’s opening double-header occurred on September 1, and featured Boston College hosting the USC Trojans at 5:30 pm followed by the Wyoming Cowboys hosting archrival BYU at War Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 8:40 pm local time.

Musco Lighting, a specialty stadium lighting company, was contracted to provide the lights. Crews worked for several days to set up the lights. Four banks of lights were set up – two sets on top of the press box and two sets of lights affixed to telescoping booms positioned at each end of the east side stadium. The 440,000 watts of electricity was provided by a large generator mounted on a semi-truck. Portable lighting could be achieved by using much brighter lights – 6,000 watts per light compared with the standard 1,500-watt lights typically used in stadiums. Using fewer lights simplified transport and setup. Technicians made final adjustments to each light on Wednesday night in preparation for Thursday’s game.

Fans would be treated to much more than a night-time football game. September 1 was dubbed Super Thursday. The UW campus hosted special events during the day. A picnic was held at Fraternity Mall. Pregame festivities continued into the evening, including plenty of tailgating. The Cowboy Joe Club hosted a barbeque in the stadium parking lot.

By 7 pm, the 29,000 fans began making their way into the stadium. At 8 pm, pregame ceremonies included fireworks and, at kickoff, more than 3,000 balloons were released into the night sky.

At 8:40 pm, Wyoming hosted its first ever night game and its first ever nationally televised game. Though televised, many Wyoming fans still tuned to the radio for the play-by-play. Dave Walsh – the “Voice of the Cowboys” – and George Kay, who provided color commentary, were the radio commentators. “What a game; a night to remember,” Walsh recalled.

Wyoming came out on fire. Quarterback Randy Welniak ran for seventeen yards to score the first touchdown. The senior quarterback and his teammates never looked back. Welniak recalled of the game: “I remember running onto the field right before kick-off and the atmosphere in the stadium was absolutely electric.” He said it is the loudest game he remembers at War Memorial Stadium. He also said that “There was no doubt in our minds that we were going to win that game.”

The Cowboy defense was relentless and punishing. BYU’s starting quarterback Sean Covey was knocked out of the game. He was replaced by Ty Detmer, who went on to become a Heisman Trophy winner. Wyoming’s stout defensive players Pat Rabold, Mike Schenbeck, Dave Edeen, and Willie Wright combined for nine sacks. The defense also intercepted four passes. The Cowboys defeated the Cougars 24-14.

Musco Lighting brought lights to War Memorial Stadium four more times. On November 10, 1990, Wyoming again hosted BYU for a nationally televised game on ESPN. Though the game started at 2 pm, it ended in the dark.

In 1999, two-night games were played in Laramie. Colorado State University came to town on October 23 for a 7 pm matchup televised on ESPN2. On November 13, BYU, ranked 15^th in the nation, paid the Cowboys another night-time visit. The Cowboys beat the Cougars 31-17. The students stormed the field and tore down the goal post. One section of it was marched down Grand Avenue and ended up inside the Buckhorn Bar, where it was placed above the bar after rowdy Cowboy fans autographed it.

Musco Lighting showed up again in the spring of 2000. This time, the company came with permanent lights. As night games became more common in the conference, UW took steps to install permanent lights. The Trustees approved the approximately $450,000 project at its May 6, 1999, meeting, but the project did not commence until the following spring. The installation of permanent lights was completed on June 23, 2000.

The new lights were first used for Wyoming’s game against the Nevada Wolf Pack on September 23. Sadly, few fans witnessed the historic moment. An early season storm caused poor road and travel conditions. The highway between Laramie and Cheyenne, where the visiting team stayed the night before, was closed. The team was delayed when the bus could not get to Laramie due to a 12-car pileup near the Summit east of Laramie. The 7 pm kickoff was pushed to 8 pm. The Pokes also went cold, and before the start of the 4^th Quarter, most of the 13,078 fans headed home.

Three years would pass before Wyoming would win a game under the lights. Though not a true night game, Wyoming yet again faced old rival BYU on October 18, 2003, at 4 pm. The second half of the game was played under the lights, and first-year head coach Joe Glenn led the Cowboys to a victory in front of an energetic Homecoming crowd of 22,797 fans.

Seven more years would pass before fans witnessed their first true night game victory under the permanent lights. On September 4, 2010, Wyoming opened the season against Southern Utah. Something even more historic occurred that night when the Wildcatter Club and Suites was unveiled. The Wildcatter features 12 luxury suites and 256 indoor club seats – a nice place to be on a cold winter night in Laramie. War Memorial Stadium was now 60 years old, but with upgraded scoreboards, sound systems, stadium lights, artificial turf, and the addition of luxury suites, the venue has remained popular with Cowboy fans. There have been many exciting games played in the stadium, some of them under the lights. As for the 1988 night game against BYU, this was a night to remember.

Post contributed by University of Wyoming Archivist and Historian John Waggener.