By Jeff Bugher
8/9/2024
Vermont native Shawn Farrell didn’t previously have a connection to Wyoming. A ski trip to Steamboat during his senior year of high school in 1991 planted the seed in Shawn’s mind that attending the University of Wyoming might be the perfect opportunity for him. “I was skiing my senior year at Steamboat, and being a big skier, it was natural to want to go to a smaller state with good skiing,” Shawn shared.
The first event Shawn attended after driving across the country was a football game against Hawaii. Shawn recalls, “It was 1991, my very first day in Laramie. I had just driven cross-country, and there I was at War Memorial Stadium. I’ll never forget it—a streaker ran across the field! As an 18-year-old kid who knew nobody, it was an insane experience. Coming from a small state with no football team and then seeing 27,000 people in War Memorial—it was just amazing.”
Shawn is a very proud University of Wyoming alumnus, where he graduated in 1995 with a degree in History and a minor in Public Law. Shawn went back to Vermont following graduation, where he started a family and eventually became a restaurant owner and a bar owner. 2,000 miles separate Shawn from Laramie, yet he still makes it a point to attend games. “I started a family, and as my kids got older, I was able to bring them to multiple games each year. We’d go to two or three games a year, whether on the road or at home,” he said.
Advances in technology have also brought Shawn closer to his favorite team, “As social media became more prevalent, it allowed me to follow the teams even more closely, which only deepened my connection.” Shawn continued, "20 years ago...I used to get the Laramie Boomerang sent to me after I graduated. I would read all about the Pokes five days later because it would take five days to get to Vermont."
Shawn’s love for Wyoming athletics isn’t just limited to football; he’s also an avid basketball fan. His favorite basketball memory dates back to a game against Cincinnati. “Watching LaZelle Durden score 50-something points against us, and it coming down to the wire—that was an amazing game. More recently, watching players like Josh Adams and Larry Nance Jr. has been unbelievable.”
When it comes to game day traditions, you will find Shawn in the Ford lot of War Memorial Stadium. “I live 2,000 miles away, so I can’t go every week, but when I do, I love walking around Tailgate Alley and meeting people,” he shared. “My lifelong goal is to get an RV when I retire and drive to every game, home or away. That would be the dream.”
As for the future of Wyoming athletics, Shawn is optimistic. He’s excited about the direction of the football program under the new head coach Jay Sawvel. “Anytime you can promote from within, that’s a good thing. This is a Craig Bohl-oriented team, and if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I think they’re in a really good spot,” he said. “For basketball, what Sundance Wicks has done in a short amount of time is amazing. The program is definitely headed in the right direction.”
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