Bronco Stadium
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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. Since 1997, the Humanitarian Bowl (called the MPC Computers Bowl from 2004-2006) has been held at the stadium. It holds the distinction of being the longest-running outdoor bowl game in a cold-weather venue.
Bronco Stadium is best known for its distinctive blue playing surface, the only non-green football playing surface in the NCAA.It is known as the "Smurf Turf" to some fans because of the blue field.
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[edit] History
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 seated 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.
[edit] Attendance Record
30,950 is Bronco Stadium's current attendance record, achieved on Sepember 10, 2004 during a game against Oregon State.
[edit] The Blue Turf
Bronco Stadium is also home to the only blue Astro Turf in the World. In 1986 Bronco Stadium would first install its most notable feature – the blue Astroturf (often referred to as “Smurf Turf”) for which it is best known. 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's 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 Astroturf was replaced during the summer of 2002 with blue AstroPlay, a more forgiving athletic field surface.
[edit] Blue turf myths
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". In reality, the NCAA has no such rule; any school may paint its field any color other than green if it wishes. Though painting the end zones is common, and schools have wide latitude in how to do so (for example, Neyland Stadium's distinctive orange and white checkerboard scheme), only BSU has chosen a non-green color for the field itself.
- Mistaking it for water, birds have flown into the blue turf. This has never been confirmed. In 2007, Broncos coach Chris Petersen claimed to have found a dead duck on the field, though it is unclear whether or not the duck had mistaken the turf for water.[1]
[edit] Future expansion
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, lounges, and club seating (in descending order). Another plan is to complete the stadium's horseshoe in the south end zone and round the corners in the north end zone while leaving it open so the stadium will still have the view of the Boise Foothills. With the additions, Bronco Stadium's capacity is expected to increase to around 50,000. The first of the planned additions, the press box, was approved funding in January 2007. 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. The press box facility began construction on February 11th, 2007 and should be opened by the beginning of the 2008 season.
[edit] Home Dominance
During Boise State's recent streak of conference championships, Bronco Stadium has proved to be a tough place for opponents to play at. The Bronco's are 51-2 at home since the 1999 season with the only losses being to Washington State in 2001 and Boston College in the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl. If post season play is not included, The Broncos are 48-1 at home since 1999.
[edit] References
- ↑ Penner, Mike (2007-01-11). "Boise State is making new friends". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
[edit] External link
- Bronco Sports.com - history of Bronco Stadium
