Casey Bramlet and Gabe Knapton: The Border War Never Leaves You
- Jeff Bugher
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
LARAMIE, Wyo. - More than two decades have passed since Casey Bramlet (2000-03) chased down the Bronze Boot on the Colorado State sideline in Hughes Stadium.
Wyoming’s 35-28 victory over the Rams in 2003 was winding down when the Cowboys began looking across the field for the trophy. Once the clock expired, the team made a mad dash across the field toward the CSU sideline where the trophy was positioned.
“Everybody found where the Boot was on the other sideline,” Bramlet said. “As soon as that was over, that’s where everybody ran as fast as they could to grab that Boot and go celebrate with the fans.”
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The Boot is still very important to Bramlet, even 23 years later. When the former Wyoming quarterback returned to the Cowboys’ facility about a month ago, he posed for another picture with the trophy.
“It’s still one of those things where it kind of sticks with you forever,” Bramlet said.
Former Wyoming defensive end Gabe Knapton (2008-11) understands the feeling. He played in four Border Wars from 2008-11 and still talks about holding the Boot and how special those moments were.
“Before you touch it or look at it with your own eyes and feel it, you hear all the stories behind it and what it represents and just the rivalry behind it,” Knapton said. “It’s a pretty special deal and an awesome trophy.”
The conference labels have changed. For Bramlet and Knapton, the importance of the game has not.
Bramlet grew up in Wheatland, Wyoming, knowing what the rivalry meant before he ever put on a Wyoming uniform. The Cowboys and Rams were the two programs that offered him scholarships, but he said choosing Wyoming was never much of a decision.
“You knew that game was different,” Bramlet said. “That was a game that you’re going to remember playing those guys 20 years later. You’re still going to remember it.”
His final Border War provided plenty to remember.
Wyoming entered the 2003 Border War having lost three straight games to CSU. The Rams had won the Mountain West championship in each of the previous two seasons, but the Cowboys traded blows with them in Laramie.
Late in the game, Bramlet connected with wide receiver Malcom Floyd for a touchdown down the sideline. Floyd made the catch in the end zone, and snow began to fall soon afterward.
“It was almost like, OK, this one’s meant to be,” Bramlet said.
The victory helped Wyoming finish a 4-8 season with wins over two of its traditional rivals, BYU and CSU. Bramlet, who remains Wyoming’s career passing leader with 9,684 yards among other records set, said beating those two teams helped ease the disappointment of the other losses.
One Border War memory stands above the rest for Knapton.
Wyoming dominated CSU 44-0 in a shutout in Laramie in 2010, handling the Rams. Wyoming running back Alvestar Alexander had five touchdowns on the ground.
“Just absolute domination,” Knapton said. “We went out there and we put a big fat zero on the scoreboard for them and just dominated in every phase of the game. That’s probably my most memorable memory looking back on it.”
Knapton finished his Wyoming career with 368 combined tackles, the seventh-most in program history. He also earned second-team All-Mountain West honors in 2010 and 2011.
The placement of the Border War at the start of the season is new this year. The game has always been played later in the year, with anticipation building up after both teams had played non-conference opponents.
Knapton likes the change.
“You’ve got all your winter conditioning, your fall camp, all that building up to the opening game, which is CSU, the Border War, the Boot,” Knapton said. “You can’t really beat that and the hype that comes along with it.”
What was Border War game-week preparation like?
“Everybody knows kind of what it’s about,” Bramlet said. “They’re our neighbors. They’re right there. I think that’s the one game that, if you could pick one game a year to win, that’s the one you want to win.”
Wyoming and CSU began playing in 1899. Saturday will mark the 118th Border War. The Bronze Boot became the prize in 1968, and Wyoming holds a 32-26 advantage since its introduction.
In September of 2024, CSU announced it would be leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Pac-12, effective July 1st, 2026.
This move put the game's continuation in jeopardy, as the two teams would no longer be in the same conference for the first time since 1967. The two teams announced in September 2025 that they would meet again in 2026. Both schools have made clear they want the football series to continue.
Continuation is important.
Bramlet said he understood when Wyoming did not continue playing BYU every season after the Cougars left the Mountain West. CSU is different.
“I think this is the one you have to play,” Bramlet said. “I know people might be upset that they left the conference, but it’s still one that we have to play. We have to try to do everything we can to play it every year.”
Knapton had the same concern when news of CSU’s departure became official.
“The first thing I thought of when CSU was leaving the conference was, I pray to God that we still have the Border War game,” Knapton said. “The day that game is not played is going to be a very sad day for a lot of big-time Wyoming retired football players and fans as well.”
Knapton plans to be at Canvas Stadium on Saturday.
“We’re going to keep that Boot where it belongs,” he said.
That history will take on a different look Saturday when Wyoming and Colorado State meet in Fort Collins. The 118th Border War will be the first since CSU left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and the first meeting between the programs as non-conference opponents since 1967.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Canvas Stadium, with the game televised on USA Network.
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