The History of (Boise State) Football and its Fans

Yesterday I went to gobblercountry.com and decided to poke around for a little while. The main reason in doing so was to re-read all of Virginia Tech's takes and reactions to the Labor Day game against Boise State. I was impressed number one by how much both the Hokies and the Broncos and their fans respected each other, what they stand for, and the season-long goals that each team has. It was really cool, actually. Virginia Tech fans understand and have experienced the talent, focus, and will of the Boise State Broncos. It is no longer a mystery. They know the Broncos play hard, play physical, and get it done in crunch time. As I sat there in awe and wonder of the respect that I now have for the Virginia Tech Hokies, I saw a line from a blog on gobblercountry.com in a post from furrer4heisman. You can see it here at the bottom of the post, but it said; "Your team is certainly ready for prime time, but your fans aren't. That's the only thing I'm going to say on the subject." At first I was a little upset. Who does this guy think he is? But then I though about it a little more and realized "You know what? This guy, sadly, might be right. It was the only real negative comment that I found on the entire site.

Are Boise State fans really delusional and not ready for the success the team has had and will have? Are we annoying to other fan bases and teams? I think the answer to this question is probably yes. Don't get all offensive and start hating Bronco Chase. We have a reason and a right to be how we are as Bronco fans. There is an explanation that I owe you that will explain why I decided the answer to the question is a yes. It involves a history lesson and a lesson on football fanatics.

From the moment Boise State began getting noticed in the 2006 football season, there has been constant bandwagon fans that have jumped on board. You know who they are; they didn't even pay attention to the team until they got good and started winning everything. You know plenty of them and if you don't, you might be one of them! If you had nothing to do with Boise State when Bart Hendricks and Nate Sparks were running the offense, then you are a bandwagon fan. It's OK though, we want you and need you. You are now part of us. Just don't stop believing (I feel a song coming on!) or watching when they finally lose another game a la at Washington in 2007. Who knows, you may even become a die hard as time goes by. All storied programs need fans and they have to come from somewhere.

Beyond the bandwagoners, Boise State fans in general have had much less time cheering for a successful program in comparison to "traditional" college football schools. Allow me to present to you yet again the match up that brought the Broncos so much fame to begin with; the Oklahoma Sooners.

BOISE STATE...............OKLAHOMA

Years Playing Football in any Level or Division:
....42..................................115

Years as a Division-1 Football Program:
....14..................................76

National Championships (Division 1-A):
.....0..................................7

All-American Players (Division 1-A):
.....5.................................148

Heisman Winners:
.....0..................................5

Current NFL Players:

....11..................................53

These are the numbers that I have found thanks to Wikipedia. You can scroll through both for yourself. Boise State is here and take a look at Oklahoma right here. I have listed the most obvious things that I could find. It is also of worth to note that the Sooners play in the Big 12, a perennial power conference with a huge national following. Compare that to the Broncos who are just now getting ready to leave the lowly WAC and get into the Mountain West. While their fan base is growing, it is nowhere near what Oklahoma has for support. Basically, there is no comparison when comparing the two programs.

What is my point? Boise State fans have been nothing but spoiled in the past 5 seasons. Since the first Fiesta Bowl season in 2006, the Broncos have gone a staggering 55-4. In fact, 2 of their losses have been in bowl games. They have had 2 undefeated regular seasons in a row and are currently working on a third. That is unheard of! While the team enjoys their success and it helps in the recruiting of more and better players, the fans are the ones that get the most from it. We can gloat, talk crap to Idaho fans or those of any other team that our guys beat, and fill up message boards and blog comment sections with stories and facts of our awesomeness! At times it even resorts to belittling other schools and their fans (see everything for Oregon and Oregon State in the past 3 years for proof). I contend that it has all gone to our heads.

Boise State has been so dominant that its fans are constantly jacked for anything Bronco-related. We defend ourselves and our team to the death (me included, I'll admit it) from evil-doers who are scared of Bronco Nation and OUR team. It has all been too much too fast. I understand that all teams have rabid fans, but ours are different. Oklahoma has had years and years of success to which their fans have adapted. They expect it. Boise State, however, bleed their schools colors and literally cry themselves to sleep in a bout of depression if the Broncos lose. It is literally the end of the world. In other words, the highs of winning are higher than that of other teams' fans, and the low of losing is way worse. I hate to say it because I am there with you guys, but let's chill out, please! Life will go on, I promise. The ebbs and flows of college football are not the most important things in life, although at times it sure seems like it.

So I ask again, is furrer4heisman right? Are we as fans not ready to go the distance with our team? Right now, I think the answer is no. Some call it being a die hard fan while others call it a blind craziness that takes over one's mind. Trust me, it is important for us to have something to lean on and enjoy, but don't let it get to the point where you need to be fitted for a straight jacket and take Prozac after Boise State loses. Not getting into the National Championship is what it is. Again, chill out. Rankings? Brian Murphy of idahostatesman.com has that one covered for me.

Like I said, being a fan is important. But let's try and get a life. Me included (please see yesterday's post and read the rant that my fingers concocted when I was ripe with the same over exuberance and BCS Rankings-related anger that I have been talking about today. I am as guilty as the next person). We just need some time to mellow a little bit and get used to winning. Let's go Broncos!