LARAMIE — Josh Allen is coming back to Wyoming.
It’s been seven years since No. 17 last stepped onto the field at War Memorial Stadium, and he’ll return Saturday to be honored as the first Wyoming Cowboys football player to have his jersey retired.
That jersey retirement ceremony is just one element of a jam-packed 20-minute halftime. UW will also honor the football program’s seniors, pay tribute to military members, and the marching band will perform with some special formations in honor of the NFL MVP.
Oh, and some football will be played, as Wyoming takes on Nevada in the final home game of the season with a kickoff at noon.
Although Allen hasn't done so since he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2018, it’s common for former Cowboys-turned-professional players to return for games — The Denver Broncos’ Frank Crum, say, or new Dallas Cowboy Logan Wilson.
Allen’s visit is a whole other game because he’s in a “different stratosphere,” said Peter Prigge, UW’s senior associate athletic director for compliance.
“You pursue perfection on things like this,” Prigge said. “We’ve been jumping through hoops and running sideways to get ready.”
A Special Day For UW
Even with the clock ticking on Allen’s planned arrival into town sometime on Friday, some details for the weekend are still being finalized, Prigge said. That’s because the Buffalo Bills quarterback is in the midst of his regular season and has a game Thursday night in Houston.
Even if Allen is coming to Wyoming for fun, the football phenom has to get back to business pretty quickly. Sometime during the latter half of the game, a police escort will whisk Allen away and he could be on a plane headed for Buffalo while the college players are still on the field.
However brief his time in Laramie may be, Allen’s return is historic and has created a lot of excitement from near and far, said Jack Tennant, executive director of the UW Alumni Association.
“It’s going to be a special day for the university," he said.
Whether you’ll be in Laramie this weekend — or simply wishing you were — here’s a preview of what to expect.
Friday Night Kickoff
You don’t expect Cowboys fans to sit on their hands on Friday night, do you?
The weekends when Wyoming hosts rival Colorado State typically see the busiest days and nights of the year for business at bars in downtown Laramie, said Danny Punches, owner of the 3rd Street Bar.
The Allen factor changes the equation.
“I’m basically anticipating this weekend will be somewhere around close to double, if not a little more, than that,” Punches said of those heavily trafficked rivalry weekends.
It doesn’t hurt that months of anticipation have led up to the return of the pro athlete, who regularly came in for the burgers while in college at Born in a Barn, the downtown bar owned by Clayton Scholl.
“There seems to be quite the buzz around town and the state,” he said.
Even if you’re not keen to get a buzz on Friday night, there’s another reason to head downtown: The university’s Western Thunder Marching Band will make the rounds at various bars and play a couple of songs at each, as it always does on the Friday night before a game.
Punches and Scholl said the band often comes by their respective establishments between about 9:30-10 p.m. And you can’t miss the band because players lugging around the biggest instruments, like tubas or drums, often perform from the street while their bandmates pile inside.
If it’s your first time to Laramie, don’t skip Friday’s festivities, Tennant advised. “Go take in the nightlife, that’s really fun.”
Tailgaters celebrate the University of Wyoming Cowboys before every home game, and will be especially excited Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, with the return of Josh Allen to have his jersey number retired. (Photo by Kyle Spradley, University of Wyoming Athletics) 
Tailgaters celebrate the University of Wyoming Cowboys before every home game, and will be especially excited Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, with the return of Josh Allen to have his jersey number retired. (Photo by Kyle Spradley, University of Wyoming Athletics)
Saturday Starts Early
But don’t forget to set that alarm for Saturday, because there’s a lot going on ahead of kickoff.
Allen doesn’t have any public appearances ahead of the game, though the athletics department is still finalizing plans for him to chat with the current players behind closed doors. “That’s important for our team and the players,” Prigge said.
What’s important for the fans is…tailgating. While some people may arrive in Tailgate Alley even earlier to set up, Tennant said he anticipates the crowds starting to flow in around 9 a.m.
Come with a hearty appetite. There will be a competition for the best tailgate food and, if you’re lucky, you might snag a maple bourbon bacon cinnamon roll from the alumni association’s tailgate.
At around 9:30 a.m., you’ll want to experience the long-running tradition of the “Cowboy Walk,” as the football players head into the stadium.
From then until kickoff, you can expect a lively tailgating atmosphere complete with a potential Elvis sighting, Tennant said. That’s right, John Lang, aka Bills Elvis, is coming to Laramie from Buffalo to be part of the weekend festivities.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Tennant said.
Gametime
If you don’t have a ticket to the game, the bars downtown will be open ahead of kickoff—potentially as early as 9 a.m. at 3rd Street Bar and the normal 11 a.m. at Born in a Barn—where you can lessen any FOMO feelings with a Bloody Mary or just some beer.
Inside the stadium, the action will be going on and off the field leading up to halftime. “We’re going to be going 100 miles per hour,” Prigge said.
Even if Allen will be the big man on campus on Saturday, he’ll be joined by many of his former teammates, including James Price who is now the wide receiver coach for Nevada.
“Those were the teams, with Josh at the helm, that turned the corner for Cowboy football,” Prigge said.
Win Or Lose, We Still Booze
Whenever the game wraps up in the afternoon, Punches anticipates that Cowboys fans will stay true to an oft-quoted saying around town: Win or lose, we still booze.
“The outcome of the game isn’t necessarily any determining factor,” he said, though the downtown scene will likely be busier if the Cowboys pull off a victory.
With so much buzz about Allen’s return and a forecast that calls for temperatures in the high 40s, decent for this time of year, Scholl is anticipating a post-game crowd that’s “pretty raucous.”
“People are going to be revved up, not only from the night before but from everything going on, and carry it through,” he said. “The football game itself gets lost in it.”
For Fans From Afar
Wyomingites who aren’t in Laramie can still get in on the fun from afar, as the game will be televised on Altitude. Viewers at home will get treated to some on-air commentary from a few former players, who will talk about their experiences playing with Allen, Prigge said.
And keep an eye on your social media platform of choice because the university and alumni association have plans for extra coverage on Saturday so that fans everywhere feel like they’re part of the action.
“We’re planning on covering everything,” Tennant said.
