Boise State confirms rebrand of iconic blue turf for Pac-12 debut in $65m upgrade

Albertsons Stadium boasts the most iconic turf in college football thanks to the groundbreaking decision to go blue in 1986.

It put Boise State on the map and the program has been making strides on the field as well.

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Kellen Moore put up a 50-3 overall record to become the winningest QB in NCAA history between 2008 and 2011.

Ashton Jeanty took it up a notch in 2024 and finished second in the Heisman voting after a generational season which almost beat Barry Sanders’ all-time rushing record and earned the Broncos a first-ever CFP berth.

Boise State will leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026 as the march upwards continues, and celebrated with a $65 million facelift for Albertsons Stadium.

The iconic blue turf is also getting a revamp, with Pac-12 logos and tributes to the two greatest players to wear the jersey.

A refreshed north end zone is set to be shown off at the Broncos’ 2026 home opener against Memphis on September 12.

On both sides of Lyle Smith Field, the hash marks at the 2 and 11 yard lines will be painted orange to celebrate Jeanty and Moore’s jersey numbers.

“Similar to Lyle Smith, Ashton and Kellen didn’t just help us win a lot of games, they changed what was possible for Boise State football,” Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said in a press release. “We wanted to create something epic to celebrate their impact. This is more than a tribute; it is a permanent reminder of the standard they set.”

In addition, the kickoff markers on both sides of The Blue will be an outline of the state of Idaho as the team pushes itself as the jewel in the Gem State’s crown.

No. 2 Jeanty took 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 56 total touchdowns, with 2,601 of those coming in 2024 — just 28 yards shy of the FBS single-season rushing record.

He earned a move to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he will team up with Fernando Mendoza.

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No. 11 Moore had 14,667 passing yards, 142 touchdowns and 28 interceptions and finished fourth in the 2010 Heisman voting. Only Jeanty has surpassed that in a Broncos jersey.

After playing six seasons in the NFL, he is in his second year as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Why does Boise State play on a blue field?

Albertsons Stadium began life as Bronco Stadium with traditional green turf surrounded by an orange track.

In 1986, athletic director Gene Bleymaier saw opportunity when it came time to replace the surface.

“I was on an airplane and just thinking about the fact that we were going to spend $750,000 and pull up an old green carpet and put down a new green carpet, and nobody was going to notice or care that we had upgraded and spent the money to put in a new field,” Bleymaier said to The Coloradoan in 2016. “So that kind of bothered me.

“I was just thinking everybody knows that it’s artificial turf; there’s nobody that thinks it’s grass. They know it’s not grass, so there’s really no reason it needs to be green. Why not do it in our school colors?”

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Bleymaier took up his cause with AstroTurf and managed to persuade the company to aid his vision with University president John Keiser on board.

They decided to keep their plan a secret. Using the old adage, ‘Ask for forgiveness, not permission.’

It was the first non-green playing surface in football history — outside of end zones.

“It was our way of creating a home-field advantage,” Bleymaier added. “When you’ve got a Nebraska or Wisconsin, a lot of places around the country, it’s all red, all orange or whatever (in the stands), and it can be intimidating.

“So why not have a blue field, which is one of our colors, and try to create a home-field advantage?”

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The turf being replaced for the sixth time since its introduction in 2026 at an estimated cost of $1 million to $1.5 million which will be covered by an anonymous donor.

There was a myth that water birds have mistaken the turf for a large body of water and crashed landed to their deaths.

Former head coach Chris Petersen did claim to find a dead duck in 2007, but the original rumor is not true.

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