MILWAUKEE, Wi., October 13, 2017 – – This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a bobblehead commemorating the University of Wyoming’s 1943 Men’s Basketball NCAA Division 1 National Championship. The bobbleheads, which are individually numbered to only 216, are only available in the National Bobblehead HOF and Museum’s Online Store. This is the first bobbleheads commemorating Wyoming’s National Championship.
The bobblehead features Wyoming’s mascot, Pistol Pete, on a Wyoming logo base with a replica National Championship trophy as well as a commemorative backing. This is the 26th bobblehead released in the series that commemorates schools that have won a Men’s Basketball National Championship. The officially licensed bobbleheads are expected to ship in November. They cost $40 each, with flat rate shipping of $8.
The Cowboys defeated Georgetown by a score of 46-34 on March 30th at the Madison Square Garden in New York City to win the National Championship. The team became the first from the Rocky Mountains to win an NCAA Basketball Championship. The team was led by Kenny Sailors, who is credited with creating the shot known today as the jump shot.
After St. John’s won the 1943 National Invitation Tournament, the team claimed it was better than Wyoming and that the NIT was a better tournament than the NCAA Tournament. Wyoming’s coach, Ev Shelton, talked Ned Irish, the promoter at Madison Square Garden, into hosting a showdown game, with proceeds going to the Red Cross. Two days after winning the NCAA Championship, Wyoming played NIT Champion St. John’s in a Red Cross benefit game for the war effort. Wyoming beat St. John’s in overtime by a score of 52–47, in Madison Square Garden.
“These bobbleheads are the perfect way for Wyoming fans to commemorate the school’s historic championship,†said Phil Sklar, Co-Founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. “These will be cherished collectibles that celebrate Wyoming’s championship season.â€
The NCAA has crowned a Men’s Basketball National Champion since 1939, with only 35 different schools winning at least one National Championship and only 15 schools winning multiple championships. Wyoming marks the 26th school produced in the series. The first series featured schools that won multiple championships and included the following schools: Kentucky Wildcats (8 Championships), North Carolina Tar Heels (5), Indiana Hoosiers (5), Connecticut Huskies (4), Louisville Cardinals (3), Kansas Jayhawks (3), Villanova Wildcats (2), North Carolina State Wolfpack (2), Michigan State Spartans (2), Oklahoma State Cowboys (2), San Francisco Dons (2), Cincinnati Bearcats (2) and Florida Gators (2).
The following schools were produced in the second series, which included teams that won a single National Championship: Arizona Wildcats (1997), Arkansas Razorbacks (1994), California Golden Bears (1959), Georgetown Hoyas (1984), Marquette Golden Eagles (1977), Ohio State Buckeyes (1960), Oregon Ducks (1939), Syracuse Orange (2003), UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (1990), Utah Utes (1944), UTEP Miners/Texas Western (1966) and Wisconsin Badgers (1941).
The Hall of Fame and Museum hopes to complete the series over the next year. Championship bobbleheads for the following schools have yet to be created: UCLA, Duke, Maryland, CCNY, Holy Cross, LaSalle, Loyola (Ill.), Michigan and Stanford.
All bobbleheads in the series were produced exclusively for the National Bobblehead HOF by Forever Collectibles and are officially licensed.
