Warren Benson has missed only one home game since 1953. He supports all UW athletics, especially football and basketball. Benson is number 51 in the front row. The team was inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and won the 1956 Sun Bowl.
The University of Wyoming was a lot smaller when he was a Cowboy football player, and the rules of the game were different as well.
Warren Benson was born in Nebraska, but his family moved to Laramie when he was six months old. “Laramie has been his home ever since,” his wife said.
He attended UW in the 1950s and graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. After graduation he worked in a downtown CPA office.
From there he moved into a job working as a cashier at Old Main, and finally found his way into a business manager position for the athletics program.
Benson played center his senior year. Before that he was a linebacker. “He played every play,” Benson’s wife said. “Back then, they didn’t have offense and defense.”
Players were on the field for the whole game. When Benson played, there was a rule that stated if a player came off the field during the quarter, they could not go back in until there were four minutes or less left in the half.
Bowl games were also handled differently when Benson played. Benson was a member of the team that won the 1956 Sun Bowl. Playing in the Sun Bowl made the team ineligible to play in a bowl game the following year, according to the Professional Sports Authenticator web site.
Athletics and playing football was the best part of attending UW for Benson, his wife said. That sentiment still rings true for him today. “He has only missed one home game since around 1953,” she said.
Benson and his wife also carry season tickets for UW basketball and to make it to every women’s game. “He also attends the occasional wrestling match,” Benson’s wife said.
After he graduated from UW Benson spent time working with the ski team. He spent a lot of time working with the team when UW actually had a team, his wife said.
When their coach, who was a friend of Benson’s, could not travel with them, Benson went in his place. In 2001, Benson and the rest of the 1957 UW football team were inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
The rules of the game may have changed since Warren Benson played, but his love for the game and his loyalty to UW never will.
