The Story Albertsons Stadium and Its Blue Turf

Albertsons Stadium is home of the Boise State Broncos, and it’s a much-loved venue for fans. If you look at Google reviews, the stadium has maintained a 4.7 of 5.0 rating across 1,476 visitors. There are two main reasons for that high rating: blue turf and winning. Albertson’s Stadium is a Boise, Idaho tourist destination and the pride of the city.

The Blue Turf

The blue turf was introduced in 1986. Prior to that season, Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier had a $750,000 budget for the stadium. Prior to making a deal with AstroTurf for that season, he was on an airplane and realized that if he went with the traditional green turf, it wouldn’t stand out. Everyone knew it was turf anyway, so why not go for something that would actually give the Broncos a home field advantage?

This is how Bleymaier came up with the idea of blue turf because it would match the home team’s colors and be intimidating for visiting teams–whether they realized it or not. If you’re used to playing on that surface, your eyes adjust. If not, they don’t adjust in time.

When Bleywmaier brought the idea to the President of the school, he was hesitant, but he went with it. And this was only possible because Bleymaier threatened AstroTurf that he would take his business elsewhere after they too were hesitant. Of course, his gamble paid off, and in a big way. Since the blue turf was implemented, the stadium has had visitors from every state as well as 27 different countries. They saying is: “Here to see the blue?”

Not only has the blue turf been a huge plus for the Boise State Broncos, it has also led to the stadium brining tourism to Boise. This is the only blue turf in the world, and people want to see it. The blue turf has even made Albertsons Stadium the most recognizable sports field in the world, which has led to the stadium being an important landmark for Boise.

Now let’s take a look at the changes the stadium has gone through over the years. There have been more changes than you might have expected.

Stadium & Attendance Growth

In the very beginning, Bronco Stadium had a capacity of 1,000 in the 1940s. If it was a big game and there weren’t enough seats, they would borrow bleachers from Boise High. All Bronco Stadium had at the time were wooden bleachers. Nobody had any clue what was to come.

In 1950, the stadium went through a massive overhaul and could fit up to 10,000 people. This lasted through 1969, which was when they broke ground for the current stadium. They spent $2 million to add seats. By 1974, Bronco Stadium could hold up to 20,000 people. That lasted for a long stretch–until 1997.

In 1997, a $10 million project brought the seating capacity to 30,000 from 22,600. And in 2008, they added the Stueckle Sky Center to increase capacity to 32,000 from 30,000. The Stueckle Sky Center includes loge boxes, sky suites, and game/media operations.

In 2012, 3,500 seats were added to the North and South end zones. The current capacity is 36,387. However, attendance has been higher at times due to standing room only. Let’s take a look at those numbers as well as the success of Boise State when playing at home.

Albertsons Stadium Attendance & Winning Ways

The highest attendance ever recorded at Albertsons Stadium was against Hawaii on October 12, 2019. The Broncos won that game 59-37. The second highest attendance ever recorded at Albertsons Stadium was against BYU on September 20, 2012. The Broncos squeezed by in that one with a 7-6 victory. The third highest attendance ever recorded at Albertsons Stadium was on September 4, 2015. The Broncos had another close call, but won the game 16-13.

In fact, if you look at the top 20 highest attendances at Albertsons Stadium, the Broncos won all 20 games. If we look past attendance and just at their home record over the years, they have a win/loss record of 271-56 since 1970. Since 2010, their win/loss record at home is 120-10. These numbers are extremely difficult to compete with, and its why the Broncos draw so many people. It’s either that or the blue turf, but they seem to go hand in hand.