On October 17, 1969, University of Wyoming Head Coach Lloyd Eaton dismissed 14 Black football players from the team when they sought to discuss wearing black armbands during an upcoming game against Brigham Young University. The players sought to protest what they viewed as racist policies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns and operates BYU and at that time excluded Black men from the priesthood.
The Cowboys had won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference championships in the previous three years and were ranked 12th in the nation when the incident occurred. The players arrived at Coach Eaton’s office wearing black armbands over their civilian clothes to show what they had in mind. According to witnesses, Eaton dismissed them immediately for violating team rules before they could present their case.
The incident drew national attention at a time when the country was already divided over civil rights and the Vietnam War. The negative publicity affected Wyoming’s football program for years, with the Cowboys losing 26 of their next 38 games through 1972 and having only one winning season during the 1970s. The dismissed players faced significant hardships, losing their athletic scholarships and becoming targets of racist threats. Many left Wyoming, though 11 eventually completed their college educations elsewhere.
In 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the incident, the University of Wyoming invited surviving members of the Black 14 back to campus and issued a formal apology. The Black 14 were recognized with the 2023 NCAA Inspiration Award.
Dates of Event: 1969-2020s
Project Partners:
The oral history interviews are held by the Casper College Western History Center and the Wyoming State Archives.
