zappinpoke
Well-known member
This is taken out of the book A Million Cheers,100 years of Wyoming Cowboy football written by Steve Weakland.
There's nothing like a dome on the range-a place where UW athletics, not deer and antelope, could play. And in 1976, a legislative push was intended to accomplish exactly that.
The concept, discussed as early as 1967, was to expand War Memorial Stadium to form an indoor 50,000-seat, bowl shaped all-events center to house Cowboy's athletics. Athletics's Director Red Jacoby envisioned a four-stage plan to update the athletic facilities. Architectural plans were drawn up in 1969, and stage one of the project, the semi-circular west upper deck addition, was completed in 1970. Further plans included the symmetrical east upper deck, the end zone seating, and the dome.
In the early 1970's, however, the Cowboy's fell on lean times-on the field and in the athletic budget.
The dome would cost $20 million to build. Opposition to the dome was particularity harsh in Natrona County, where Casper broadcast executive Jack Rosenthal led the fight.
In a series of scathing KTWO- Radio editorials, Rosenthal blasted the project as being a "sump-hole" for tax monies, termed the universities values "distorted", and described the dome as a " Roman circus".
At the time, Casper was planning an all-events center also. Furthermore, legislative efforts to establish Casper College as Wyoming's second four-year university were narrowly defeated in 1975. The dissenting votes cast by Laramie and Cheyenne legislators were the difference. Rosenthal's editorials intensified the increasing anti-Cheyenne/Laramie/University of Wyoming sentiment in Casper and northern Wyoming.
Despite the hostile political atmosphere and seemingly poor timing, two House bills to establish funding for the dome were broached in the 1976 legislative session. The bills needed two-thirds approval to be officially introduced.
The first bill proposed granting the the Univerity Board of Trustees power to issue a $30-million bond extracted from the mineral severance taxes to pay for the dome. The bill was refused by a resounding 42-19 margin.
The other bill funded the dome through a 25-cent-per-ton tax on coal mining. The bill received 36 "ayes", 26 "nays", and fell six voted shy of the two-thirds criterion. All 10 Natrona County representatives voted against it.
War Memorial Stadium still stands exposed to the elements, but the 1979 legislature approved $14 million for the Arena-Auditorium to replace the venerable Memorial Fieldhouse.
Although denied a Superdome. the university had the last laugh. The shape of the Arena-Auditorium? A dome.
So there you have it boy's and girl's. That's why we don't have a dome. By the way you should all get a copy of the book, it's a great read on the first 100 years of Poke football, written by Steve Weakland.
There's nothing like a dome on the range-a place where UW athletics, not deer and antelope, could play. And in 1976, a legislative push was intended to accomplish exactly that.
The concept, discussed as early as 1967, was to expand War Memorial Stadium to form an indoor 50,000-seat, bowl shaped all-events center to house Cowboy's athletics. Athletics's Director Red Jacoby envisioned a four-stage plan to update the athletic facilities. Architectural plans were drawn up in 1969, and stage one of the project, the semi-circular west upper deck addition, was completed in 1970. Further plans included the symmetrical east upper deck, the end zone seating, and the dome.
In the early 1970's, however, the Cowboy's fell on lean times-on the field and in the athletic budget.
The dome would cost $20 million to build. Opposition to the dome was particularity harsh in Natrona County, where Casper broadcast executive Jack Rosenthal led the fight.
In a series of scathing KTWO- Radio editorials, Rosenthal blasted the project as being a "sump-hole" for tax monies, termed the universities values "distorted", and described the dome as a " Roman circus".
At the time, Casper was planning an all-events center also. Furthermore, legislative efforts to establish Casper College as Wyoming's second four-year university were narrowly defeated in 1975. The dissenting votes cast by Laramie and Cheyenne legislators were the difference. Rosenthal's editorials intensified the increasing anti-Cheyenne/Laramie/University of Wyoming sentiment in Casper and northern Wyoming.
Despite the hostile political atmosphere and seemingly poor timing, two House bills to establish funding for the dome were broached in the 1976 legislative session. The bills needed two-thirds approval to be officially introduced.
The first bill proposed granting the the Univerity Board of Trustees power to issue a $30-million bond extracted from the mineral severance taxes to pay for the dome. The bill was refused by a resounding 42-19 margin.
The other bill funded the dome through a 25-cent-per-ton tax on coal mining. The bill received 36 "ayes", 26 "nays", and fell six voted shy of the two-thirds criterion. All 10 Natrona County representatives voted against it.
War Memorial Stadium still stands exposed to the elements, but the 1979 legislature approved $14 million for the Arena-Auditorium to replace the venerable Memorial Fieldhouse.
Although denied a Superdome. the university had the last laugh. The shape of the Arena-Auditorium? A dome.
So there you have it boy's and girl's. That's why we don't have a dome. By the way you should all get a copy of the book, it's a great read on the first 100 years of Poke football, written by Steve Weakland.
