Playing on the Road in Laramie
For the fortunate few, they never have to take the trip to Laramie. The silver lining is that at the most you only have to go twice. I had the opportunity to go to Laramie my sophomore and senior year and it was quite different each time. Here is my account on what it is like to play the Pokes in War Memorial Stadium…In 2005 I was a sophomore outside linbacker. I remember hearing all the horror stories about going to Laramie and having to stay in a dumpy hotel and that the place was just a frozen tundra with nothing around. That friday night, November 11th, was my birthday, and I was so looking forward to spending it with the Pokes. Truth is, nobody or nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to experience. There are no hotels in Laramie, so you have to stay at this little truck stop off the highway. When we pulled in I was thinking, “Yeah its a bit shabby, but its not too bad.” Then I went to our room on the 2nd floor. The staircase is on the outside and it was a bit chilly as there was a night time breeze. When I got to the room with my roommate, Kayle Buchanan we promptly turned on the heater. In an instant our room was filled with dirt. Yes, the heater blew dirt all through the room. I am still mystified as to how dirt got into the heater on the 2nd floor, but as I recall we were not the only room to have this problem. In fact it was more the rule than the exception.
On Saturday morning we woke up to go to breakfast only to see that the wind was howling and blowing the snow completely sideways. It was not a heavy snow, but it was very windy and a bit odd. We had our walkthrough in back of the motel and you could not hear a word people were saying because you were trying to be bundled up in your warm up suit, and the wind was just howling!
The wind did not die down for the game either. In pre-game it was just miserable. I can remember John Beck not being able to throw the ball more than about 15 yards dead into it. When we came back out for the 1st quarter, things seemed to be a little better. Not as much wind and the temperature was feeling good…and then the sun went down. I have never been so cold in my life. I can remember a specific play in the 2nd quarter… I was running, “Backer” which is a blitz off the edge and as I lined up to rush my legs just started to shake uncontrollably and I just had this pain shooting through them. After the play I came running off the field and Coach Tidwell said, “What are you doing? Why aren’t you in there?” I said, “Coach my legs are so cold, I can’t move them and they just kill.” He looked at me like I was crazy, but it was the truth…I could not run. I went and stood by the heaters on the sideline to thaw out, and at halftime put on all the long stuff I could find.
My final memory on that game was that on November 12th, game day it was Justin Luettgerodt’s birthday and recovered all 5 turnovers in the game! It was a fun game and I don’t really remember the fans being too crazy. But my parents who were sitting in the stands tell me otherwise!
Justin Luettgerodt — Now there was a crazy guy that could blow things up at any time and get the D pumped.
I was at this game. FREEZING.
That “hotel” sounds terrible. I googled and found a few decent motels in Laramie. Hopefully, Bronco has pulled strings to have the team stay at a place that at will at least adhere to the Geneva Convention.
We always stay in Rawlings the night before. Rawlings I think is smaller than Laramie and the Motel 6 or Super 8 was pretty nasty. The place and the people are terrible but thats what make it fun to go.
During the game that KC Bills punched a fan, A female tried to beat me up.
If I recall that hotel may have been the Ramada or Days Inn. Probably about the same even now.
Laramie does have a new Hilton Garden Inn and new AmericInn which are both brand new. Maybe the team should still stay at the Ramada or Days Inn though so they can soak up the Laramie experience and then kick ass on the field.
There used to be a Holiday Inn right off the freeway on the exit you take to go over to Ft Collins. It wasn’t the Marriott but we stayed there several times with our kids and it wasn’t THAT bad. I think it is something else now with a new HI somewhere else in town. I remember making fun of the signs saying it was the proud home of the “Cowboy Joe” club.
Finding something to eat was always a challenge.
The team apparently spent the night in Cheyenne before heading to the game in Laramie. Probably a wise decision.
Wow. I guess the TCU loss lit a fire under SOMEBODY.
two concerns…
When Jacobson was running after that catch it didnt’ look like he was running as fast as he used too… was he just scared to pull the hammy again?
When Riley finally got put in, all he did was drop back look for half a count and run, is this a foreshadowing of what is to come?
I used to visit the truck stop just outside of Larami on my trips back East, always wore my BYU shirt or hoodie depending upon the weather. I’m 6′3″ 250 lbs. Never had a comment (that I heard) but, got some pretty serious stares— No way I would stay in one of those motels, I would rather sleep in my truck.
Bob
Markel, I have an off-topic, strange question:
On the sidelines of every game this year is a HUGE, WIDE Tongan dressed in street clothes with a ginormous smile that is the first to greet and congratulate the players as they come off the field. I see him from the stands at the home games, and he is always in the shots of the sidelines at the away games.
WHO IS HE?
Thanks
I’ve noticed him for the last couple of years as well Blue. Some kind of volunteer coach or something.
Laramie is like Fillmore or Beaver with a University in it. Cedar City is about twice as big. I never got serious crap in Laramie. We lived in Fort Collins and tripped up to the games in BYU gear (6′4″, 255 and my buddy, Zach: 6′4′, 280). The funny thing about Laramie (22,000 pop)and Cheyenne (60,000 pop) is that people go out on the weekends to Fort Collins because there is really nothing to do (no decent theaters, restaraunts, etc). Fort Collins kids give major flak to Wyomians when they show up local.
The Only HUGE Tongan I can think of that you guys would be talking about is Mark Atuaia…The former BYU Football player?
Is that who you guys are talking about?
I don’t think it’s Mark Atuaia Staff. This guy is usually grinning ear to ear in BYU sweats. I think he shaves his head as well.
It’s Mark Atuaia for sure. He’s been a graduate assistant the last three seasons. (And he’s from Hawaii, not Tonga).
Thank you for the info on Atuaia. Huge smile, that’s Atuaia for sure!
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