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Bronco Stadium (I)

Albertsons Stadium
"The Blue"
Bronco Stadium 2012.jpg
South end zone exterior in 2012
Former names Bronco Stadium
(1970–May 2014)
Location 1400 Bronco Lane
Boise, Idaho
Coordinates 43°36′11″N 116°11′46″W / 43.603°N 116.196°W / 43.603; -116.196Coordinates: 43°36′11″N 116°11′46″W / 43.603°N 116.196°W / 43.603; -116.196
Owner Boise State University
Operator Boise State University
Capacity 36,387 (2012–present)
33,500 (2009–2011)
32,000 (2008)
30,000 (1997–2007)
20,000 (1975–1996)
14,500 (1970–1974)
Surface FieldTurf (blue) (2008–present)
AstroPlay (blue) – (20022007)
AstroTurf (blue) – (1986–2001)
AstroTurf (green) – (1970–1985)
Construction
Broke ground November 1969
Opened September 11, 1970
47 years ago
Expanded 1975, 1997, 2009, 2012
Construction cost $2.3 million
($14.2 million in 2016 dollars)
Architect Sink Combs Dethlefs
Tenants
Boise State Broncos (NCAA) (1970–present)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (NCAA) (1997–present)

Albertsons Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. It is the home field of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Known as Bronco Stadium for its first 44 seasons, it was renamed in May 2014 when Albertsons, a chain of grocery stores founded by Boise area resident Joe Albertson, purchased the naming rights.

Opened 47 years ago in 1970, it was also a track & field stadium and hosted the NCAA track & field championships twice, in 1994 and 1999. The stadium was used extensively for local high school football for decades until August 2012, when games were transferred a few blocks northeast to the new Dona Larsen Park, which is also the new home venue of Boise State's track & field team.

Albertsons Stadium is widely known for its unusual blue playing surface, installed in 1986, while Boise State was in the Big Sky Conference. It was the first non-green playing surface (outside of painted end zones) in football history and remained the only one among NCAA Division I FBS schools for almost 20 years.

Since 1997, it has hosted the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (also called the Humanitarian Bowl from 1997 to January 2004 & 2007 to 2010; as well as the MPC Computers Bowl from 2004 to 2006), which is the longest-running outdoor bowl game in a cold-weather venue.


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