Ryan Thorburn

Black 14 Ryan Thorburn

In the 1960s one of the strongest voices was that of the black athlete. Not at the University of Wyoming. The only colors that mattered here in '69 were brown and gold, and the only issue worth paying attention to was Cowboy football. Wyoming's 14 black players wanted to wear black armbands during the upcoming game against Brigham Young University to protest the policies of the Mormon Church, which did not allow blacks to enter into the priesthood. The head coach Lloyd Eaton gave them the boot. And everything about Cowboys football changed forever.