Moore to play in Texas vs. the Nation game

Wyoming running back Devin Moore looks for an opening against San Diego State this past season.


University of Wyoming's record-setting running back, Devin Moore, will play in the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Game on Saturday in El paso, Texas.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised by CBS College Sports.

The 2009 edition of the Western Refining Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge is the third annual game in the bowl’s history. Moore becomes the first Cowboy to take part in the game. He will be playing for the Texas team, along with six other former Mountain West Conference players -- wide receiver Michael Reed of BYU; offensive tackle Dallas Reynolds of BYUT, Tight end Kory Sperry of Colorado State, safety Stephen Hodge of TCU, center Blake Schlueter of TCU and UNLV running back Frank Summers.

Former Alabama and Texas A&M head coach Gene Stallings will serve as head coach of the Texas squad. Current Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger will the Nation head coach.

Moore concluded his college career as Wyoming’s career rushing leader. The Indianapolis, Ind., native rushed for 2,963 yards during his career, eclipsing the former Cowboy rushing record of 2,906 yards set by Ryan Christopherson from 1991-94.

Moore was named First Team All-Mountain West Conference as a senior, and he ranked No. 19 in the nation in rushing in ‘08, averaging 108.4 yards per game. His 1,301 rushing yards on the season ranked as the third best single-season total in school history.

In terms of all-purpose yards, Moore led the MWC and ranked No. 7 in the nation in 2008, with 2,008 all-purpose yards for an average of 167.3 yards per game. His 4,586 career all-purpose yards ranked him third in school history.

Moore posted five 100-yard rushing games in 2008. He ran for 234 yards versus San Diego State, 145 yards vs. North Dakota State, 114 against both TCU and Bowling Green and 106 vs. Utah. His best single-game all-purpose yardage total was 290 yards versus SDSU. Moore’s 234 rushing yards against the Aztecs ranked as the 15th best single-game performance in the NCAA in 2008, and earned him Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

UW to host three Top 25 programs

by Wyoming Sports.org

Three teams that ended the 2008 college football season ranked among the nation’s Top 25 will headline the 2009 Wyoming home football schedule, led by the No. 3 Texas.

Joining Texas on UW’s home schedule will be fellow Top 25 teams TCU and BYU, along with Mountain West Conference opponents New Mexico, UNLV and non-conference opponent Weber State.

“It is very exciting to offer this outstanding home schedule to our fans,” Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman said. “We hope our fans are equally excited about the opportunity to see three of the nation’s Top 25 programs in Laramie in the same season -- two of which finished ranked in the top seven teams in the country.

“To have Texas, one of the elite programs in college football, come to Laramie for the first time we believe, makes the 2009 schedule the greatest in our school’s history. We expect that game to be a sellout well in advance of Sept. 12, so we want our fans to plan ahead to assure they get an opportunity to see what we believe will be the biggest game in the history of War Memorial Stadium.”

The Longhorns will make their first-ever appearance in Laramie on Sept. 12. Texas entered this year’s bowl season ranked No. 3 in the BCS Standings, and concluded the season ranked No. 3 in the final USA Today Coaches’ Poll and the Harris Interactive Poll and No. 4 in the Associated Press Media Poll. The Longhorns defeated Ohio State, 24-21, in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.

Texas possesses as rich a tradition in college football as any team in the country. The Longhorns have captured four National Championships including their most recent BCS Championship in 2005. In addition to their BCS Championship in ‘05, Texas also won National Championships in 1963, 1969 and 1970.

TCU concluded the 2008 season ranked No. 7 in both the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll and was No. 11 in the final Harris Interactive ranking. TCU entered the bowl season ranked No. 11 in the BCS rankings. The Horned Frogs defeated Boise State 17-16 in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

BYU was ranked No. 16 in both the BCS standings and the Harris Poll prior to its appearance in the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl and ended the season ranked No. 21 by USA Today and No. 25 by Associated Press. The Cougars fell to Arizona, 21-31, in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Priority for tickets to the Texas game will be given to UW football season-ticket holders. Season-ticket renewals will be sent out to current UW football season-ticket holders on Jan. 16.
After the season-ticket renewal process has been completed, fans wishing to purchase new season tickets may begin doing so on Feb. 2.

Priority for tickets to the Texas game will be determined as follows:

1. Current UW season-ticket holders will be offered the opportunity to purchase one additional single-game ticket to the Texas game for every one season-ticket they have purchased.

2. New season-ticket buyers in 2009 will receive the Texas game ticket as part of their season-ticket package.

3. In June, if Texas tickets remain, Cowboy Joe Club (CJC) members will be sent a letter offering CJC members the opportunity to purchase additional single-game tickets to the Texas game based on their CJC donor level, priority rank and their priority ticket eligibility.

4. If any single-game tickets remain for the Texas game after that, they will go on sale to the general public on July 27.

The game versus Texas will be the first of a three-game football series between UW and UT beginning in 2009. After opening the three-game series in Laramie, Wyoming will travel to Austin, Texas, twice for road games on Sept. 11, 2010, and Sept. 1, 2012.

Wyoming’s 2009 schedule also will feature three road games against Front Range rivals. In addition to Mountain West Conference games at Air Force and at Colorado State, the Cowboys will travel to Boulder, Colo., to face the Colorado Buffaloes on Sept. 19. It will be the first meeting between UW and CU since 1997.

The dates for Wyoming’s non-conference games have been set for the 2009 season. Dates for 2009 Mountain West Conference games, as well as kickoff times for all games will not be available until the MWC and its television partners release the complete 2009 football schedule, which usually occurs sometime in March or April.

Wyoming fans are encouraged to renew their season tickets online at www.WyomingAthletics.com. One of the best incentives for renewing online is a great offer from the Cowboy Joe Club. The CJC is offering members five priority points for renewing online.

The cost of a season ticket for the 2009 Wyoming football season is $168. UW faculty and staff season tickets are $140 each. Fans can also purchase a season-ticket Family Plan. Each season ticket in a Family Plan sells for $100 with a required minimum purchase of four tickets for a total of $400 for a Family Plan of four season tickets.

Fans who have questions or need additional information on purchasing tickets for 2009 Wyoming football games can call the UW Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 922-9461 or (307) 766-4850, or visit http://www.wyomingathletics.com/.

Christensen to be introduced at public events
Head football coach Dave Christensen will be introduced to Wyoming fans at two public events next week in Laramie and Cheyenne.

On Wednesday at Wyoming’s men’s basketball game versus San Diego State, Christensen will be introduced to Cowboy fans in a halftime ceremony. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m.

Then on Thursday in Cheyenne, Christensen will be available at a “Meet and Greet” event at Jackson’s All-American Sports Grill from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jackson’s is located at 1121 Old Town Lane near the corner of Story and Powderhouse, which is north and west of the Frontier Fashion Mall in Cheyenne.

The Cheyenne event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a cash bar, reception with appetizers, silent auction and speaking program.

The event at Jackson’s will be sponsored by the Cowboy Joe Club, Wyoming Sports Properties and Jackson’s All-American Sports Grill.

Christensen adds Hammerschmidt, Kaligis to coaching staff

Hammerschmidt Kaligis

By Wyoming Sports.org

University of Wyoming head football coach Dave Christensen announced on Monday that Dan Hammerschmidt and Pete Kaligis have joined the Wyoming football staff.

Hammerschmidt will coach the wide receivers and Kaligis will coach the offensive line.

Hammerschmidt comes to Wyoming from Rice University, where he was the receivers coach for the Owls this past season. He helped lead Rice to a 10-3 overall record and a 7-1 Conference USA mark, placing the Owls in a tie for first in the West Division with Tulsa. Rice concluded the 2008 season with a 38-14 victory over Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl.

“To be able to attract someone of Dan’s (Hammerschmidt) experience and talent to our staff is very exciting,” said Christensen. “Not only has he been a very successful coach and former offensive coordinator, but he knows this league as good as any coach out there.

“I am thrilled to add both a veteran coach, in Dan, to our staff, as well as to add another coach who has experience teaching the spread offensive system similar to the one we ran at Missouri.”

Prior to coaching at Rice, Hammerschmidt was the offensive coordinator for Sonny Lubick at Colorado State for seven seasons. Before serving as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, Hammerschmidt was the wide receivers coach for CSU for five seasons, beginning in 1996.

During his 12 seasons as a coach at Colorado State, he helped guide the Rams to seven bowl berths. CSU won three MWC Championships during his tenure (1999, 2000 and 2002) and one Western Athletic Conference title (1997).

“It’s feels great to be back in the Mountain West Conference and to be at the University of Wyoming,” said Hammerschmidt. “This is a great league, and this part of the country is not only where I’ve spent most of my professional career, but my kids were born here.

“I believe Coach Christensen is going to bring an exciting style of offense to Wyoming football and Mountain West football. We’re out recruiting hard right now, and I think we’ve got a great start.

“I, of course, have many years of experience competing against Wyoming as a player and a coach, and I know the great tradition and success this program has had in the past. I’m now excited to be part of that.”

Hammerschmidt began his college coaching career in 1986 as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Colorado State. The next year, he moved on to TCU, serving as a graduate assistant coach for one season in 1987. He gained his first full-time coaching position under Steve Spurrier at Duke in 1988, coaching the Blue Devil outside linebackers and special teams. He coached at Duke for six seasons, from 1988-93. He then coached defensive backs at VMI for two seasons, 1994 and 1995. He returned to Colorado State in 1996.

Hammerschmidt was an outstanding player at CSU, starting as a defensive back all four seasons (1982-85) of his college career. He went to NFL training camp with the Indianapolis Colts in 1986, but after being cut began his coaching career.

Kaligis comes to Wyoming from the University of Montana, where he was an assistant coach for the Grizzlies the past four seasons.

“Pete Kaligis is a winner, and he has proven that with the success he has enjoyed as both a college coach and former college player,” said Christensen. “He has not only been a successful coach at the University of Montana, but was a member of Washington’s 1991 National Championship team as a player. He understands what it takes to win at this level of competition, and I’m excited about the intensity and knowledge he will bring to coaching our offensive line.”

Kaligis helped lead Montana to the 2008 National Championship game where the Griz concluded the season as the national runner-up in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Montana ended the season ranked No. 2 in the nation in both the final FCS Coaches’ Poll and the Sports Network’s FCS Poll. He has coached the Grizzly offensive line the past three seasons. His first season at UM he worked with tight ends and offensive tackles and also served as UM’s recruiting coordinator for three years.

“I’m blessed and honored to be here at the University of Wyoming,” said Kaligis. “I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach Christensen. I admire what he was able to accomplish at the University of Missouri with Coach (Gary) Pinkel and their staff. I can’t say enough about how pleased I am to come here and coach with what I think will be a great staff.”

After graduating from Washington in 1994, Kaligis was an assistant football coach at Western Washington University in his hometown of Bellingham, Wash. He was the assistant tight end/strength coach there from 1994-96, and was the assistant defensive line/strength coach at WWU from 1996-97. During his tenure at WWU, he coached two All-America defensive ends, and his team advanced to the NCAA Division II title game in 1996. He was a teacher and coach at Meridian Middle School in Bellingham in 1998-99.

Kaligis played strong guard for the Washington Huskies and former head football coach Don James when they captured the 1991 National Championship.

He was an All-American in track and field in the shot put. His personal best in the shot put in college was 62-feet, 8 inches. He won the gold medal at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, and placed third in the 1995 University Games. He participated in the 1996 Olympic Trials in track and field in the shot put, where he had a throw of 65-8.