Bronco Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bronco Stadium | |
|---|---|
| "Big Blue" | |
 |
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| Location | 1400 Bronco Lane Boise, ID 83725 |
| Broke ground | 1969 |
| Opened | September 11, 1970 |
| Owner | Boise State Univ. |
| Operator | Boise State Univ. |
| Surface | Blue AstroPlay |
| Construction cost | $2.2 million USD |
| Tenants | |
| Boise State Broncos (1970-Present) MPC Computers Bowl (1997-Present) |
|
| Seats | |
| 30,000 | |
Bronco Stadium is a football stadium in Boise, Idaho on the campus of Boise State University. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the BSU Broncos. The stadium is also the site of the annual MPC Computers Bowl.
The stadium opened in 1970 as a replacement for the original Bronco Stadium, a small facility built in 1950. The new stadium cost $2.2 million and originally sat 14,500. It originally consisted of two sideline grandstands, the west having a second deck. The field was green Astroturf. In 1974 the second deck was added to the east side, bringing the capacity to 20,000, with 2,600 temporary seats brought in for bigger games. A new green astroturf field was installed in 1978.
The most notable change occurred in 1986, when the first blue Astroturf (sometimes called “Smurf Turf”) was installed.[citation needed] It was replaced in 1995, as a part of a two-year major stadium expansion which brought the seating capacity to 30,000 seats, as BSU transitioned to Division I-A status (from Division I-AA Big Sky Conference). The sideline grandstands were extended to wrap around the corners of the south end zone, along the orange-colored Ed Jacoby Track. Also added were the Allen Noble Hall of Fame Gallery and the Larry and Marianne Williams Plaza to the southwest corner. Both are attached to the Nicholson-Yanke Athletic Center, an original part of the stadium, as is the Fedrizzi Fitness Center Annex (1988/2004) and the Bronco Football Complex (2000). Since the running track is still in use, the end zone seats remain temporary. The blue Astroturf was replaced during the summer of 2002 with blue AstroPlay, a more forgiving athletic field surface.
There are many myths about the blue turf. Two of the most prevalent are:
- There is an NCAA rule banning turf colors other than green, but BSU's field is allowed to remain blue under a "grandfather clause" (the NCAA has no such rule, though only BSU has a field other than green), and
- Birds have flown into the field as if it were water (not confirmed).
September 13, 2006 marked the twentieth anniversary of the first blue turf.
As the Boise State football program saw a rise to prominence in the early 2000s, Bronco Stadium became increasingly insufficient. The school is planning to build a new 3-story complex on the stadium's west side that would feature levels for a new press box, luxury suites, loges, and club seating (in descending order). Another plan is to enclose the stadium by adding seats in the north end zone, and completing the stadium's horseshoe in the south end zone. With the additions, Bronco Stadium's capacity is expected to increase to around 50,000. The planned additions have not yet materialized, as they have only been announced. The plans were announced around the time the university announced plans to build a new indoor practice facility. The practice facility, which officially opened in February 2006, is known as the Cavin-Williams Sports Complex and is located just outside of the north end of Bronco Stadium.
Since 1997, the MPC Computers Bowl (originally called the Humanitarian Bowl until 2003) has been held at the stadium. It holds the distinction of being the longest-running outdoor bowl game in a cold-weather venue.
[edit] External link
- Bronco Sports.com - history of Bronco Stadium
| Football Stadiums of the Western Athletic Conference |
|---|
| Aggie Memorial Stadium (New Mexico State) • Joe Aillet Stadium (Louisiana Tech) • Aloha Stadium (Hawaii) • Bronco Stadium (Boise State) • Bulldog Stadium (Fresno State) • Mackay Stadium (Nevada) • Kibbie Dome (Idaho) • Romney Stadium (Utah State) • Spartan Stadium (San José State) |
