Led by first-year head coach Dennis Erickson in his only season at Wyoming, the Cowboys compiled a 6-6 record (4-4 against conference opponents), and finished sixth in the WAC.
Hired in early December 1985, Erickson was previously the head coach for four seasons at the University of Idaho in Moscow.
His four-year contract at Wyoming included a base annual salary of $60,000 plus $20,000 from radio and television, and the rent-free use of a home in Laramie.
[1][2][3] The Cowboys had previously run the wishbone and were 3–8 in 1985, tied for seventh in the nine-team WAC.
After the season in early January 1987, Erickson left Wyoming without notice to return to the Palouse as head coach at Washington State University in Pullman.