Pistol Pete, the cowboy mascot of the University of Wyoming — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen's alma mater — is on a Western New York tour this week, bringing awareness to the school that gave Allen his only Division I collegiate football scholarship offer and start.
On Friday, Pistol Pete visited Orchard Park High School before meeting with BTPM News at Explore and More Children’s Museum ahead of the venue’s big holiday event at the children's museum this Saturday.
The school's associate director of digital and content strategy at the University of Wyoming, Mindy Peep, highlighted the goal of the tour.
"We are just trying to create a commotion here in Buffalo," she said. "And we, above all, are attempting to see if we can get some of the students out in the Buffalo community interested in the University of Wyoming. We have a fantastic team with us here; they’re doing a wonderful job, and everyone has been in high spirits."
The tour kicked off in Buffalo on Wednesday with a recruiting event at Highmark Stadium, part of Wyoming's partnership with the Buffalo Bills. The night featured a private stadium tour at the new Highmark Stadium.
The tour moved to the classroom as the university went to four different schools across Western New York, the first being Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart in Eggertsville. Peep said that was the most unique of the visits.
"I will tell you now that that was the wildest and craziest and most exciting crowd we've seen. They had so much fun. We had kind of a pep band, assembly-style event for them and had some really great merch to give away, and those girls were just absolutely awesome." Peep said.
The tour moved on to West Seneca West and the West Seneca East School, which joined them for a band play with the local school directors and the directors of the university.
"The students got to see what it's like to be alongside college students playing in band," Peep said. "They're majors in psychology, majors in engineering, and art and business. So, it was very special to be able to have students from Buffalo interact with our students. "
Wyoming is teaming up with Explore and More Children’s Museum in downtown Buffalo this Halloween weekend and is sponsoring 300 free tickets for the first 100 guests at the 10 a.m. hour, 100 free for the 11 a.m. hour, and the same at the noon hour.
Peep has high expectations for the Halloween event.
"It's going to be chaos and candy, and a sugar high," she said.
Last on their itinerary before Sunday's Buffalo Bills game is a trip to the Golisano's Children's Hospital to do a check donation presentation alongside their alumni association for their Team 17 drive, which is a fundraising campaign organized by the University of Wyoming Alumni Association in partnership with Bills Mafia and Bills Elvis, John Lang, a well-known super-fan of the Buffalo Bills who has dressed up as Elvis Presley at games since 1992.
The goal of Team 17 Drive is to raise money for the hospital, specifically supporting the Patricia Allen Fund.
With the success of Josh Allen, Wyoming's VP of marketing and communications, Chad Baldwin, sees this time as an opportunity to capitalize on all of the good that is happening with their most notable alum.
"He's the most famous alum we have right now, maybe in our history. I mean, we've had some pretty big luminaries, but in terms of popular culture and public awareness, he represents so much of what we're all about," Baldwin said. "We've been in consultation with his agent, and we're not trying to do anything inappropriate. But we feel like this partnership we have to have with the Bills has been a very positive thing, and they've been very welcoming of us and encouraging us to continue."
Also welcoming in every room he walks into is their cowboy mascot, Pistol Pete, who has been a centerpiece of the tour as he represents what it means to come from the Wyoming area.
"We're the Cowboy State," Baldwin said. "When we talk about cowboys, we're not just talking about guys riding on horses and rounding out cattle. It's a spirit. It's a mentality. It's like you ride for the brand; you work hard. You're determined. You have grit. Maybe a little bit of an adventurous spirit. You're willing to take some risks, and those are the things that a cowboy represents."
On Halloween, Explore and More will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trick-or-treating with Pistol Pete will take place from 10:30 to 2:30 inside the museum.
The museum's executive director, Joanna Jacob, shared her excitement for the weekend and to be able to partner with The University of Wyoming.
“Every time I mention to someone that the University of Wyoming is coming and it's Josh Allen's school, they all have the same reaction: The fact that he's had such an impact on this community that people rally around him," she said. "I mean, the number of 17 jerseys we see on a regular basis, let alone this weekend, is incredible, and he's done so much for the children and families of the community, too. So to be able to host them in partnership with that is amazing."
