SweetwaterNOW congratulates the Class of 2019 Rock Springs High School Hall of Fame inductees. We will feature each inductee throughout the week leading up the banquet on Saturday, September 7. Profile features are made possible by Tanner Family Dentistry.
Bill Strannigan – Outstanding Athlete
A native of Dalry, Scotland, Bill Strannigan moved with his family to Rock Springs when he was two years old. When he was in the eight grade, he caught the eye of coach Okie Blanchard, and the rest as they say, is history.
Bill became a legendary star at Rock Springs High School, leading the team to three consecutive state titles from 1935-1937.
He earned 11 varsity letters while at RSHS, and was also named to All-Conference and All-American teams in basketball and baseball while attending the University of Wyoming.
“He could play any sport and play it better than anyone else I have ever known,” said longtime friend Doug Essert, a Yoder resident. “One time he came out of basketball practice at the university and went to the student union. A bunch of us had watched while the new university champion ping pong player was crowned. Strannigan took on the champion and beat him.”
After graduating from Rock Springs High School, Strannigan attended the University of Colorado for two years before transferring to Wyoming.
Awards and Accolades
At Wyoming, he lettered in football and basketball in 1940, 1941 and 1942 and became the Cowboys’ first All-American in basketball in 1941. That year he was also named a Chuck Taylor First-Team All-American.
Before taking over for the Cowboys, Bill coached five season at Iowa State 
Bill and his buddies settle in for a round of golf.
In 1941 and 1942, Strannigan was named an Amateur Athletic Union All-American. The three-time All-Skyline Conference player for basketball played at tailback for the Cowboy football team in 1940. In 1941 and 1942, he was named an All-Skyline Conference pitcher as a member of the Cowboy baseball team.
His athletic prowess on all levels and in multiple sports earned him the nickname “Billy the Kid.”
The Cowboy Way
Before coaching at Wyoming, Bill began his coaching career at Loveland, CO High School. He then took over the head coaching position at Colorado State University where he led the Rams to a Skyline Conference Championship in 1954. After leaving CSU he coached at Iowa State for five years. He led the Cyclones to a No. 3 national ranking, the highest in school history at the time.
But he wasn’t long in Ames before his heart-strings came callilng him home.
Strannigan began his coaching career at Wyoming in 1959 and served as head coach until 1973, amassing a 179-187 record and taking his team to NIT appearances in 1968 and 1969 and to the consolation round of the NCAA Tournament in 1967.
He was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1967 and was inducted into the Wyoming Hall of Fame in 1994.
