Today is very special day, and it can only happen once.
The creative minds of our marketing-graphics, and video areas came up with a fun and unique concept to celebrate July 2, 2020.
Happy 7220 day!
It's a celebration for UW alone, and will only happen today, ever. While we celebrate the elevation of our great University every day, this is a one-of-a-kind day.
Our Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Branding, Lonnie Penner, explains how the day evolved.
"Our creative team was brainstorming social content ideas and came up with making July 2, a special day," Penner says. "It will only happen once, so we wanted to take advantage. We use '7220' so much, that when we were looking at the July calendar the idea presented itself.
"We are doing a graphic for it, and Derek (Mishiro, Assistant Director for Video Production) is making a video that includes all of the '7,220' signage around campus and the athletics department. It was just a fun idea, and we expect we'll get a lot of interaction from fans."
On a suggestion from Sean O'Sullivan in Media Relations, it got me to thinking about what that 7,220 has meant to Wyoming athletics through the years.
Historically, opponents have always dreaded coming to Laramie, and not just because of the unpredictable weather. Every coach, every player, no matter what they'll tell you, has that number in the back of their minds. Even when coaches say it's not a factor, you know they are thinking about 7,220.
We all have our special memories of Cowboy and Cowgirl home victories. But, when you pause to think about how successful our teams have been here, it's remarkable.
There's no doubt that just about every athletic program, at any level, plays better at home than it does on the road. Everyone's more comfortable at home. Not only are fans an integral part of that success story, but there are a number of additional contributing factors, not the least of which is having good players and good coaching.
But few universities have the intangible advantage of the Brown and Gold. . . elevation. Whether it is truly a factor, no one can say for sure. But if you talk to opponents, especially those who have never been to Laramie before, they very definitely THINK it's a factor.
I remember sneaking peak at a UNLV basketball practice one game-day afternoon in the Fieldhouse when Jerry Tarkanian was the Rebel head coach. At the moment I was watching, Tark was not happy with the way his team was responding. He stopped practice and wanted to know what was wrong. One of the players said, it's hard to breath up here. I'm paraphrasing, but Tark said something to the effect, "how can you guys be tired, we're indoors!"
When you look at Wyoming's home record, it's pretty impressive regardless of which venue you want to research. In the main, the Cowboys and Cowgirls have been outstanding at home from the days of the Half Acre Gym to the UniWyo Sports Complex, to the Arena-Auditorium, to War Memorial Stadium.
Many times Dave and I have remarked, especially in football, and especially in the fourth quarter, that the opponent is hitting the 'Wyoming wall'. It's amazing how often that happens.
I always felt the same about basketball. The elevation mystic has been mitigated significantly in that sport recently because of the timeout-availability coaches now have. But that 'wall' was very apparent in hoops as well when timeouts weren't so handy.
Let's start with football and War Memorial Stadium as our first example of what "home" means at our elevation. Since it was opened on Sept. 16, 1950, a resounding victory over Montana State (61-13), Wyoming has played 378 games. It has won 66 percent of those contests. Of those seven decades, six have been highly successful. Just this last season Craig Bohl's Pokes were a perfect 6-0 on Jonah Field.
Tracking through basketball history, the Cowboys were 222-44 in Half Acre Gym from 1924 through 1951 when they moved to the Fieldhouse. That's 26 years, including eight seasons when the Pokes never lost a home game!
The Cowboys have won nearly 73 percent of their games in the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowgirls have won 68 percent of their games in the Fieldhouse, UniWyo and Double A, combined. In 12 of their last 14 seasons, the Cowgirls have posted double-digit victories at home.
Volleyball has won 62 percent of its matches at home since the sport began here back in the early 1970's. Chad Callihan's teams have been super since he arrived seven years ago. His Cowgirls have produced an 88-22 record at home in the UniWyo. That's winning 80 percent of their home games!
In the Indoor Tennis Center, Coach Dean Clower and the Cowgirls have produced a 41-7 record. Nobody wants to come and take on Wyoming in that building.
The wrestling team has won 62 percent of the time at home and Mark Branch has been even better than that since he arrived in 2008. In the UniWyo, the Cowboys have posted a 47-19 home dual record under Branch's watch.
Pete Cuadrado and the Cowgirl soccer team have been outstanding at the Louis S. Madrid pitch, posting a 49-24-13 (.645) mark.
The same holds true for the swimming and track programs. Training here is a big advantage for those sports, especially when they compete at lower elevations.
Talk to any Cowboy or Cowgirl golfer. The ball carries better here.
You get the picture.
"It's a mental thing," says Callahan, "I think there is definitely a psychological factor to it. You walk around and see 7,220 signs all over the place, it would be hard not to think about it. One fact is true, for our sport at least, the ball defintely travels further. That is a factor, and something you have to get used to."
We'll all agree, Cowboy and Cowgirl programs have benefitted from outstanding student-athletes, outstanding coaching, and terrific fan support.
But who's to say how much of a role 7,220 has played? Let's just say that number certainly hasn't hurt.
Happy 7-2-20 Day everyone, and have a safe, and enjoyable 4th of July!
