Fourteen black players in all were kicked off that team half a century ago after asking head coach Lloyd Eaton if they could wear the armbands marked with No. 14 in protest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ policy barring black men from the priesthood — a policy that’s no longer around. Members of the Black 14 recalled players at BYU, which is owned by the Mormon Church, using racial slurs during the teams’ game in 1968 as well as sprinklers being turned on afterward as a way to get them off the field.

The school and the state supported Eaton’s decision, sparking campus-wide protests of Wyoming and BYU. Three members of the Black 14 returned to the Cowboys’ football program the following year, but 10 of them never played college football again.

Wyoming beat BYU in 1969 and started 6-0 on its way to a top-15 ranking, but the Cowboys lost each of their final four games by at least two touchdowns. Wyoming followed that up with just one win in 1970 for its first losing season in more than two decades and had just one winning season the rest of that decade.

Follow UW athletics beat writer Davis Potter on Twitter at @DavisEPotter

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