January 7, 2010, 15 years ago today: Boise State’s “Decade of Dominance” is capped with a final ranking of No. 4 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll following a 14-0 season. It remains the best finish in school history.
January 6, 1995, 30 years ago today: With Atlanta’s 112-90 win over Washington, Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens becomes the NBA’s all-time leader in regular season victories at that point. His 939th win topped the mark set by Boston Celtics great Red Auerbach.
January 3, 2004: What is now the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl gets a one-time-only opportunity—a spot on ESPN’s schedule all by itself, midday on a Saturday in January. Furthermore, it was sandwiched in between the BCS bowls.
Virtually any national media person with any shred of credibility has said it: Boise State belonged in the Fiesta Bowl.
December 30, 1999, 25 years ago today: Boise State plays its first Division I-A bowl game ever—at home in Bronco Stadium—beating Louisville 34-31 in a dramatic Humanitarian Bowl.
It’s quite obvious that Penn State is going to try to make Maddux Madsen beat them Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions figure that if they can bottle up Ashton Jeanty and prevent his trademark explosive runs, they’ll be able to handle Madsen, spunk and all.
December 26, 2018: The most bizarre finish to a football game in Boise State history. The First Responder Bowl was historic for the Broncos and Boston College—for all the wrong reasons.
I, for one, am not surprised by the point spread of 10½ for Penn State against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. In a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, the Nittany Lions’ 38-10 waxing of SMU Saturday in the College Football Playoff first round set the table for this.
December 20, 1980: Boise State wins the Division I-AA national championship with a 31-29 win over Eastern Kentucky at the Camellia Bowl in Sacramento. It was the culmination of a two-year run that saw the Broncos keep a promise to themselves.
December 19, 1974: Former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer is born in Boise. His formative years at Smiley Creek in the Sawtooths are well-documented (around here, anyway).
