Wyoming News Exchange

Cadets bring ball to Laramie in ‘Border War’ tradition
 
By Luke Tilley
Laramie Boomerang
Via Wyoming News Exchange
 
LARAMIE — The Border War rivalry has been on for more than a century, but members of the University of Wyoming's and Colorado State University’s athletics and military programs came together at the Wyoming-Colorado border Thursday to honor an annual tradition since 1968: the Bronze Boot Run.
“There’s rivalry and there’s tradition, and tradition trumps rivalry every time,” retired Air Force veteran Terry Creekmore said.
Commemorating the service of veterans in actual wars, the Bronze Boot is a traveling trophy that UW and CSU’s football team vie for each year. It is indeed a bronzed combat boot that once tread in Vietnam, protecting the right foot of Captain Daniel J. Romero. The Boot will be on UW’s sideline during the game, under guard by UW’s cadets.
Romero worked with CSU’s Reserve Officers' Training Corps program upon his return from Vietnam and proposed that his boot be a traveling trophy for the Border War rivalry.
“The schools agreed, and then the ROTC program suggested we should run the ball from one stadium to the other,” UW’s Major Michael McGee said. “It’s become the tradition since 1968 that CSU runs it to the border, we have a ceremony, hand it off, we run it to the stadium here – and in the off-year we run it down, hand it off to them... We’ve won the last three, tomorrow should be number four.”
UW Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Tim Harkins said this will be the 52nd game since the Boot came into the picture, with UW holding a small lead with 27 wins against CSU’s 24. Since the beginning, however, CSU has won 58 games over UW’s 47, along with five ties.
“The overall Wyoming/Colorado State series actually began in 1899. This year’s meeting will be the 111th meeting overall,” Harkins said. “Since 1946, the end of World War II, the two teams have played every year uninterrupted. It’s both our longest series against any other opponent, and it’s also Colorado State’s longest series against any other opponent.”
After yesterday’s hand-off ceremony, UW cadets resumed the game-day ball’s route up Highway 287 into Laramie just in time for a snowstorm.
After regrouping at the South Express Lot with Cowboy Joe and the Boot itself in a horse-drawn wagon, the cadets formed up for a parade through town to the tailgate lot across from War Memorial Stadium – with Creekmore bringing the game-day ball home.
“I live in Colorado and drive 287 every day - for 19 years I’ve watched the ROTC run the ball, so I suggested that perhaps they should put a veteran in the procession also,” Creekmore said. “So this year I’m the veteran.”
For Army cadet and nursing major Victoria Delate, the experience of running the ball was defined by unity.
“Because we were coming into town people were going a little bit slower, it was nice to get a honk and a wave and stuff,” Delate said. “A lot of camaraderie, the fact that Army and Air Force can do it together – I think it’s very holistic.”
Creekmore’s experience marching alongside the cadets of today put him in a reflective mood.
“I was thinking back to when I was their age – that was a long time ago in a land far away,” Creekmore said. “The world has changed since I joined the military. In World War II, 22 percent of the population of the United States wore the uniform. Today it’s less than one half of one percent.”