LARAMIE – The roars have been temporarily replaced by the sounds of cement trucks and cranes.
 
Wyoming's "Restore the War" project began in earnest on Nov. 19, the day after the Cowboys concluded a historic home schedule with a 42-9 victory over Hawaii.
 


The lower stands on the west side of War Memorial Stadium were demolished and removed over a three-week period, which made the Fieldhouse visible from the field.
 
The GE Johnson construction crew spent most of the winter doing foundation work for Phase I of the project, which will include the addition of approximately 3,000 new chairback seats, new bleacher-style seating with increased width and leg room and improved restroom and concession options.
 
"Probably the biggest operation we had was placing the concrete for what is now the floor of the club level," said Andy Sandoval, the senior superintendent at GE Johnson overseeing the project. "It's about 1,780 cubic yards of concrete we've put in place. That equates to about seven million pounds."
 
March 22 was a critical day in the stadium's 74-year history. Cement trucks lined up to pour 450 cubic yards of concrete in one placement.
 
"We break it up into milestones and we hit that one," Sandoval said. "Mother Nature cooperated, we had good weather that day, the stars aligned."
 
After the cement cured for two weeks, the new precast bleachers could be carefully put in place by the colossal yellow crane parked on site.
 
Over the course of UW's 14 spring practices and the Brown & Gold Game, the lower west side gradually filled back in. Underneath the stands the plumbing is also being installed.
 
"There's a tremendous number of bathrooms," Sandoval said. "It's much different, much better, quite an upgrade from the trough they had before."
 
On May 28 the seats and bleachers arrive, which will take three or four weeks to install. The railings are scheduled to arrive on June 18 and will take about 30 days to install.
 
Phase I is currently on pace to be completed Aug. 27. The Pokes play Arizona State on Aug. 31 in Tempe, Ariz., and host Idaho on Sept. 7 at the refurbished War.
 
"Butts in seats is kind of our mantra for Phase I," Sandoval said.
 
Phase II, which will be completed before the 2025 season, includes construction of the new premium club level on the west side. The old elevator and press box will be demolished and replaced by two high-speed elevators and a new Media and Broadcast Center.
 
"My blood pressure is going down now," Sandoval said of the progress the crew has made to date. "You can see it; the stadium is there. Now it's putting seats in, putting rails on. None of us wanted to be on ESPN or Laramie Live or anything else explaining why Wyoming can't play football here this year. We do feel good about it."
 
War Memorial Stadium opened on Sept. 16, 1950, when the Pokes pummeled Montana State 61-13. The official dedication was on Sept. 23, 1950, when UW pulled off a 7-0 win over nationally ranked Baylor on the way to a 10-0 finish with Eddie "Boom Boom" Talboom leading Bowden Wyatt's team.
 
Over the decades, enhancements have been made to the stadium with the western upper deck and press box addition in 1970 and the eastern and northern bleachers added to make capacity 33,500 in 1978.
 
On Sept. 1, 1988, the Cowboys defeated longtime rival BYU in the first night game at the War to set the tone for the program's second consecutive WAC championship under Paul Roach.
 
In 2005, the natural grass field was replaced by artificial surface. In 2013, UW added the FieldTurf Revolution playing surface. In 2010, construction on the Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites was completed.
 
Now the "Restore the War" project, made possible by a significant investment from the Wyoming Legislature and $20 million in private funding, will give the historic venue some much-needed TLC.
 
"Everyone wants to work on this project," Sandoval said. "It's not like we're building an apartment complex. It's something that everyone can show their families on TV. Nobody wants to be the guy that fails. As a superintendent that's a great thing because I've got the motivation intrinsically in these people because it means a lot to them."
 
The Cowboys – who finished 7-0 last season at the War while setting a single-season attendance record – will host BYU (now a member of the Big 12) and Mountain West rivals Air Force, San Diego State, Utah State and Boise State this fall.
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.