From enemy mascot to Wyoming icon: the surprising origin of UW’s Pistol Pete

From enemy mascot to Wyoming icon: the surprising origin of UW’s Pistol Pete

by Robert Waggener, assistant editor, WyoHistory.org LARAMIE, Wyo. — Few University of Wyoming fans know that Pistol Pete began not as a Cowboy, but as a Spartan warrior who nearly sparked a riot at UW’s War Memorial Stadium. A new article on WyoHistory.org reveals how Donald Bogdan, dressed as “Sparti,” the spear-carrying mascot for San Jose State University, created a moment of mayhem during a 1969 game in Laramie — and fell so in love with Wy…