The downtown of Tucson, Arizona was abuzz with Wyoming fans, Toledo supporters, marching bands, and mascots. On the eve of the highly anticipated matchup between the Cowboys and Rockets, the traveling fan bases of each school were soaking up the warm weather and enjoying the restaurants and shops of the desert town.
Hundreds of pedestrians sported brown and gold gear, and while long sleeves were still in style, Pokes fans were happily shedding their heavy winter coats. As the fans mingled and enjoyed the energy brought to the downtown by the Western Thunder Marching Band, they discussed when they arrived and how they were enjoying Tucson.
“We drove all the way down here,” said Basil Cozad, a junior at UW. “We got here yesterday and went shopping and enjoyed a lot of good food.”
Some fans didn’t have quite that long of drive compared to most Wyoming supporters. “We’re from Lubbock, Texas,” said Paul and Julie Dominguez. “Our son is a graduate assistant for the marching band.”
Even while being new Pokes fans, the Dominguez family couldn’t help but get fired up for the Cowboys. “We were happy to see Texas Tech get beat this year and the fans here are pretty incredible.”
For the band, they also hit the road to get to Arizona. “We left Laramie around 8 p.m. on Wednesday night and got into Tucson the next day around 3 p.m.,” said Marie, a trombone player for the Western Thunder. “We’re hanging out and having a good time,” she said.
Despite all the different paths to the Arizona Bowl, all these Pokes fans have one objective while here in Tucson: watching a Pokes’ victory in Craig Bohl’s final contest.
“We’re here for a win,” said Richard Schwahn, who also came to the Arizona Bowl in 2019. “It’s good to see the last game of Coach Bohl’s career, and we came to see him go out with a win.”
It’s undeniable that the Pokes fans traveled well down to Arizona. About two thirds of the supporters at the pep rally were wearing brown and gold and joining in the singing of Ragtime Cowboy Joe. It may be too early to declare that Cowboys’ fans outnumber the Rockets’ devotees, but if the hubbub downtown was any indicator, the stadium crowd will lean towards Wyoming this Saturday.
Nevertheless, the team will take all the support they can get and will no doubt use the energy that traveled down to Tucson to their advantage.
