UW Women’s Athletics Programs Receive Significant Estate Gift

A significant gift from the estate of the late Roy C. Miller will add support to the Roy C. Miller Women's Athletics Fund for University of Wyoming Athletics. This generous gift will continue to foster excellence and provide financial support for women's athletics programs.

"Roy had a passion for women's athletics," says Tom Burman, UW's director of athletics. "His loyalty to the Cowgirls was deep, and he cared about them tremendously as both students and athletes."

In 2007, the Cowgirl basketball team won the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) championship game in the Arena-Auditorium in front of over 15,000 fans, and one of those fans was Miller.

Since that game, Miller developed a love for Wyoming athletics -- the atmosphere, the fans, the culture and the heart shown by the players and coaches. In 2012, he established the Roy C. Miller Women's Athletics Fund.

The contribution from Miller's estate will add to this fund, which supports women's sports at UW -- basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf, tennis, track and field, swimming and diving, and cross country.

"Since the beginning of my tenure at Wyoming in 2012, Roy was a mainstay of the athletic community. His unwavering support for our women's teams and his kind spirit made him a beloved figure to everyone he met," says Taylor Stuemky, senior associate athletics director for internal operations and senior women administrator. "His generosity will secure a place for Cowgirl athletics for years to come, and we are immensely grateful for his legacy gift."

Miller was born in Vallejo, Calif., in 1927 and moved to Wyoming in 2007, living in both Cheyenne and Laramie. He played football in high school and at a local junior college in California.

Between high school and college, Miller served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After junior college, he spent 33 years in the Army and then worked at the California Army National Guard.

After retirement, he became a volunteer at Lakewood High School, where he videotaped football games and eventually became involved in scouting for the team. After helping contribute to a team victory through one of his scouting reports, Miller became a valued part of the football program, traveling with the team and forming lasting friendships with coaches, players and their families.

When he moved to Wyoming, he carried that same spirit of dedication and service to the Cheyenne community. In 2007, to honor him, the Roy C. Miller Scholarship Trust was established at UW. The scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors of Cheyenne East and Cheyenne Central high schools.

After the 2007 WNIT championship run, Miller attended every Cowgirl basketball game, both home and away, for the following five years. Beginning in 2008, Miller showed his continued support for the Cowboy Joe Club and UW Athletics by becoming a loyal member and season ticket holder for many of Wyoming's home athletic programs.

Miller passed away in 2024 at the age of 96 and has a memorial in the Cheyenne Veterans Cemetery.

"Roy was one of the most passionate Cowgirl fans I have ever had the pleasure to know," says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. "Roy combined this passion with a generous spirit that will support our student-athletes in perpetuity. We are forever grateful to Roy."