Coach Dave Christensen
Cowboy Football Head Coach Dave Christensen has been suspended for a week and fined $50,000 following his post-game rant towards Air Force coach Trey Calhoun.
Following the Oct. 13 Homecoming and Military Appreciation game, Christensen expressed his frustration towards Calhoun. Christensen was upset because he believed Air Force faked an injury to buy time to plan the next play, which resulted in Air Force scoring a touchdown and taking the lead.
In a news release, Athletic Director Tom Burman said, “After a long and difficult week of consideration, I believed it was in the best interest of the University and our Athletics Department to take this action.” He also described the reputation of University and the athletics programs as being of the “utmost importance.”
In making his decision, Burman said that a factor to consider was the “well-being of the young men in our football program.” He thinks it is “important to send the right message to them in terms of taking responsibility for your actions.”
Tim Harkins, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations, Public Relations and Broadcasting, said in a written statement on behalf of Burman, “The suspension needed to be significant enough to let Coach Christensen know that his actions and language were not acceptable behavior by a representative of our athletics department.”
Harkins also said that Burman spoke with other respected individuals in college athletics in regards to the situation but the final decision “was not based on any specific previous incident.”
The outrage was caught on camera and was uploaded to YouTube. Within days, it received thousands of hits and went viral; however, the original video has been taken down.
The video showed the entire interaction between coaches and ended with Christensen’s daughter pulling him away toward the Cowboy locker room.
Burman explained the situation being difficult for the Cowboy’s and he hopes that “fans will show their support for the team this coming weekend.”
Many UW students feel the suspension and fine were well deserved while some feel that the punishments were not enough or were too delayed. With the delay of the punishment, some students are questioning the reasoning and the logic behind it.
In response to the video, one student said, “I’m embarrassed to call myself a Wyoming Cowboy.”
Not only does Christensen represent the football program and the athletics department, but he also represents the University and the state of Wyoming.
UW student Casie Murphy said one can control what they say, no matter how competitive it gets. She said Christensen made national news, but not the “way we wanted to.”
Regardless of whether or not Air Force faked the injury to buy more time, many students feel that Christensen’s actions were not acceptable. However, some say they may have done something similar in that situation. One student said that Christensen works very hard to get his team ready for the games. He added the Cowboys were in a position to win and they ended up “getting beat by a trick.”
Students have not forgotten an email sent by Christensen a few years ago requesting that the student section no longer use the explicit “first down” chant and many think it is “ironic” that he chose to act this way, especially towards a respected military academy coach.
Murphy also added that Christensen’s actions may have an affect on recruits in the future.
UW student Parker Robison believes that Air Force did fake the injury to buy time and it was “very obvious.” He said, “I’m disappointed with both teams, to be honest. In what was supposed to be an awesome, honoring day, both schools were misrepresented.”
