Bronco Buzz Goes Nationwide

Want some kind of idea of the ramifications of Boise State’s amazing Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory Monday night? On Tuesday, a New York film producer contacted Frank Zang, the university’s director of communications and marketing, about the exclusive rights to “The Boise State Story.”

That’s just one example of what has transpired since the Broncos stunned Oklahoma and the rest of the sports world with their improbable 43-42 overtime win on New Year’s Day. Not only did the Boise State football team beat one of the nation’s best teams and most storied programs from a major conference and finish the season 13-0, but it also created a nationwide interest in the university unprecedented in its history.
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Operation Bronco Fan Alive and Well
in Afghanistan

Apache helicopter support unit soldiers from Idaho     stationed at Forward Operating Base Salerno in    Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Gowen Field.

Thousands of Bronco fans scooped up tickets to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and many thousands more cheered on the home team from Boise at tailgate parties, local restaurants and in front of big-screen TVs. But one of the team’s largest contingents of devoted fans didn’t have it so easy — they took in the game from war-torn Afghanistan.

Even 7,000-plus miles couldn’t separate these diehard Bronco fans from devotion to their team. Most of the 250 National Guard members of the 10th Mountain Division, 183rd Aviation Battalion are from Boise; many are even Boise State students who have temporarily put their educations on hold. But their loyalty to the Broncos is as active as ever.

Stationed in Salerno and nearby Kandahar, Afghanistan, the Apache helicopter support unit followed the team’s regular season through ESPN-televised games (often shown in the wee hours of the morning, local time), or through recorded DVDs provided by the Boise State Athletic Department. Once the team cracked the BCS barrier, they weren’t about to miss its moment of glory in Glendale.

Chief Warrant Officer Shane McKenna, who played defense for the Broncos from ’94-’97, was among those rooting for the home team at 5:30 a.m. Afghanistan time. He admitted to being nervous but optimistic before kickoff. view a short movie here

Boise State freshmen majoring in engineering and computer science fields are eligible for up to $10,000 in renewable scholarships as part of a new $500,000 grant awarded to the university by the National Science Foundation.

click here for a campus calendar of events

ANOTHER BIG KICKOFF

The spring 2007 semester will officially kick off with President Bob Kustra’s annual mid-year address from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Jan. 10 in the Jordan Ballroom, followed by the university’s collegewide meetings.

The Jan. 10 schedule of collegewide meetings, with each college’s dean making a mid-year presentation, is as follows:

College of Applied Technology — 10:30 a.m., ET 110
College of Arts and Sciences — 10:30 a.m., MP 101
College of Business and Economics — 10 a.m., B 105
College of Education — 10 a.m., Hatch A/B
College of Engineering — 1 p.m., MEC 106
College of Health Sciences — 10 a.m., Taco Bell Arena Blue Room
College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs — 10 a.m, Hatch C/D

ON OUR CAMPUS

Sold Out

General tickets to former Vice President Al Gore’s Jan. 22 lecture at Boise State are gone. The Student Union Information Desk began distributing 700 free tickets at 10 a.m. and they were gone within 10 minutes. A limited number of $50 reserved seating tickets are also sold out.

Several hundred people were in line for the tickets, many arriving as early as 7 a.m. Gore is the keynote speaker for the 23rd annual Frank Church Conference titled: “Global Warming: Beyond the Inconvenient Truth.”

‘FUTURE CITIES’ Competition Saturday at Boise State

About 100 seventh- and eighth-grade students from Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Utah will present the 3-D cities of the future they have created and built on Saturday as part of the Idaho Regional Future City Competition.

The annual event, sponsored by Boise State’s College of Engineering and a number of other organizations, will be held from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Student Union Hatch Ballroom. read more

Boise State Forensics Coach Earns National Award

Marty Most, coach of the national champion Talkin’ Broncos speech and debate team at Boise State, has been awarded the 2006 John Shields Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pi Kappa Delta. Most took over the coaching position in 1988, and this past semester coached the team to its 11th straight tournament win at a competition in Shreveport, La. read more

Poet Clayton Eshleman to Read as Part of Boise State's MFA Reading Series

Poet Clayton Eshleman will read from his works at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room at Boise State. Eshleman’s reading is part of the MFA Reading Series and is free and open to the public. read more

WANTED: YOUR STORIES ABOUT BOISE STATE’S BUILDINGS

The next issue of FOCUS magazine will feature an in-depth look at the buildings, both present and past, on the Boise State campus. We are seeking remembrances from faculty and staff about their experiences tied to these buildings for an article in FOCUS.

If you remember the way the campus used to look, spent years working in a particular building, know about campus “ghosts” or other legends, experienced the challenges and joys of moving to a new space, observed how new buildings helped re-shape campus culture, or have other anecdotes about your experiences with the university’s buildings, please share them with us. The FOCUS editorial staff will compile the information in an article for the alumni magazine.

Please send your stories to communications@boisestate.edu. Include your name, what you do at BSU, and a phone number where we can reach you.

Deadline for submissions is Jan. 22. If you can send it sooner that would be great! FOCUS reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and brevity. Thanks for your interest.

For more information, please contact Janelle Brown, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu or Anna Fritz, (208) 426-1577, afritz@boisestate.edu in the Office of Communications and Marketing.

CAMPUS CRIME

Weekly Crime Log

Boise City Police and Campus Security present the weekly crime report. read all about it

The final score (top). John Kelly photo Boise Mayor Dave Bieter presents the "keys to the city" to football coach Chris Petersen upon the arrival of the Boise State coaches and players Tuesday afternoon following their Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma Monday night. President Bob Kustra (far left) was among the dignitaries who traveled with the team to Arizona for the game. Carrie Quinney photo

Jim Weatherby, emeritus public policy and administration, was quoted in a Dec. 27 Idaho Statesman story on Gov. Butch Otter electing to close his swearing in ceremony to the media.

Ellie McKinnon, Renaissance Institute, was quoted in a Dec. 22 story on the program’s spring semester offerings. The story ran on the New West news blog.

History professor Lisa McClain wrote her own page of history last week when she appeared on the TV game show Jeopardy! McClain won her first game on Dec. 27, earning $22,500, before losing a close match the next night.

other news sources:
The Idaho Statesman - The Idaho Press Tribune - The Boise Weekly - The Arbiter - Boise State Radio