Where Did That Bronze Boot Come From?

This weekend marks "THE BORDER WAR" between Wyoming and Colorado college football teams.

Does the University of Wyoming have what it takes to keep the boot this year?

Honestly, Wyoming's team is not looking so good.

The rivalry between Colorado State University (CSU) and The University Of Wyoming (UW) has been a decades-long battle.

So, where did it all begin?

The Border War is one of the longest-running rivalries West of the Mississippi.

An epic, three centuries-long battle.

In 1968 the two schools decided to create a traveling trophy for football.

The Bronze Boot was worn by Dan Romero SR.

Dan was a Vietnam War veteran and CSU alumni.

After his deployment to Vietnam, Romero had his size eight boot bronzed and mounted on a walnut base.

The universities thought it was a great idea for a trophy.

“The boot tradition is important to the Cowboys because it shows our schools’ love for our military veterans. In addition, it gives an amazing opportunity for football players to represent something bigger than themselves or their school,” @barstoolwyo said.

Every year the state's ROTC detachments run the boot to the stadium that will host the game that year, like the Olympic touch between the Wyoming/Colorado border and exchange the game ball.

It's a long run between the two schools with one of the two locations being a hight altitude location.

The winner of the game keeps the Bronze Boot for a whole year until next season’s Border War game.

“No other school has a military boot cast in bronze, so to us, that makes it the best trophy and certainly the most underrated,” @barstoolwyo said.

Then the news broke: CSU is leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026, while Wyoming will remain in the Mountain West.

It meant that one of the oldest rivalries in college football would end.

That won't be the death of this rivalry. The teams are determined to continue the border war despite the change.

It will take time to adjust their non-conference schedules, as these schedules are set years in advance. Wyoming will not see a Border War at all in 2026 or 2027.

That only means UW and CSU will be chomping at the bit to battle it out come 2028!