The unlikely blue field that became a fortress for Boise State football

Countries & Cities · Published 14 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the world of college football, green is the standard. But at Albertsons Stadium, the turf is famously blue. This striking visual identity is more than a gimmick; it is part of a legendary home-field advantage that has seen the Broncos dominate their opponents for decades.

Opened in 1970, Albertsons Stadium has become one of the most intimidating venues in the nation. Since the year 2000, the Boise State Broncos have maintained a staggering win record of 120-9 at home. This dominance is part of a broader era of excellence, characterized by 22 consecutive winning seasons and an 18-year streak of being ranked in the top 25.

The stadium's most iconic feature is its blue Astro Turf. While other programs use special colors for end zones, Boise State was the first to implement an entirely blue field, a tradition that began in 1986. This was a historic shift in football, as it was the first non-green playing surface in the sport's history. The stadium has cycled through several iterations of this blue surface, including a second version in 1995 and the current "Astro Play" turf installed in the summer of 2002.

The venue's history is deeply tied to the evolution of the Boise State campus. Before the current structure, the university utilized several different sites, including a 1950 stadium with wooden grandstands and a 1,000-seat 'College Field' that opened in September 1940. The stadium was known as Bronco Stadium for its first 44 seasons until May 2014, when Albertsons purchased the naming rights. Beyond football, the stadium has served as a multi-purpose venue, hosting NCAA track and field championships in 1994 and 1999, and serving as the long-term home for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl since 1997.

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