Sale of Stadium Naming Rights, On-Field Ads Coming to Wyoming?

LARAMIE -- Generating revenue is the way of the world when it comes to college athletics.

Wyoming's football program, which brings in anywhere from "65 to 80%" of the athletic department's annual budget, will receive a shot in the arm this fall with the addition of loge and suite seating on the westside of War Memorial Stadium.

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After all, something needs to offset the costs related to the recently resolved House Settlement, which will cost the university $550,000 annually in back payments to former student-athletes over the next 10 years.

That's not all.

Wyoming will also dispense $2.8 million to its current athletes this fall as part of a new revenue-sharing model. Funds will be disbursed from "three buckets": Name, Image and Likeness licensing agreements ($1.5 million), scholarships ($300,000) and Alston money ($1 million).

The program's longtime athletics director Tom Burman is also looking for new avenues to raise money for his 17 NCAA-sanctioned sports.

"You start with a dream and you refine it as you are forced," he said in a brief chat with the local media in early July.

That dream included the possibility of a "party deck" jetting off from the southwest corner of the stadium and into the end zone. With the help of consultants, Burman said he has even looked into ways to knock down the wind.

Bleachers could also be making a return to what was formerly known as the "Knothole." Capacity has taken a hit with the improvements to the stadium to the tune of roughly 5,000 seats.

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"(Seats could be) recessed up against the trees, elevated so people can still stand on the fence, because that's another tradition here," Burman said, adding that the addition of that section could bump the occupancy up anywhere from 26,000 to 28,000.

"What I'd like is, we sell out four of the six games every year," he said. "That makes the value of season tickets raise."

Could the home of the Cowboys face a name change in the near future?

That's a last resort, according to Burman, who did say the naming rights for the Arena-Auditorium, on the other hand, has been "proposed to some people."

"We're not giving it away," he added. "It's going to be expensive."

As for the football stadium, Burman wants tradition to stand pat.

"I think there are only three War Memorial Stadiums left in college football," he continued. "There used to be about 40, but they've all sold out corporate names, which I'm not criticizing, but in Wyoming, because of the state legislature and governor's support, we are able to avoid that. I think that's a great tribute to the many men and women who have served this country, from the state of Wyoming and from all over the country."

The department is also actively pursuing suitors to add advertisements to Jonah Field. That might not happen this fall, Burman said, as they look for the right partners. Jersey patches could be imminent, though, he added.

"There's going to come a time when you have a corporate entity logo on a Cowboy jersey, whether we like it or not," he said.

There's one key to this entire money-making -- and spending -- endeavor if you ask Burman: Winning.

"We gotta win," he reiterated. "We have to provide a product for fans that when they come -- they are coming a long way -- they gotta trust the experience."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players