They’re among us: The die-hard members of ‘Bronco Nation’ (8/12)

COURTESY/JASON HABERMAN

For some, the Boise State Broncos are a football team. For others, it’s a way of life. In part eight of a 12 part series on the most dedicated of Bronco fans, self-professed die-hard member of Bronco Nation Jason Haberman answers some questions about his ascension into the ranks of the Broncos’ most passionate supporters.

Q: What is your affiliation with Boise State University?

A: I graduated from Boise State in December of 2000.  Haven’t missed a home football game since before the 1992 season.

Q: When did you first catch Bronco fever?

A: Saturday, November 24th, 1973, Boise State was finishing its regular season schedule with an away game at UC Davis that afternoon. My dad, being an alumnus and fan, was listening to a young Paul J call the game in his first season on the job. My mom was very pregnant with me. In the middle of the 2nd quarter, Mom gives him those dreaded words, “Its time to GO”. Of course, he’s both upset and excited at the same time. I feel for the guy… the game is TIED for Pete’s sake! Fortunately for all involved , he made the correct choice and grudgingly drove mom and me to the hospital, game on the whole way. Upon arrival, Mom is admitted and Dad is off to find a radio. As my mom is wheeled into the delivery room, the doctors are actually listening to the game while my mom is giving birth to me. I’ve always said, I’m not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that BSU won the game (32-31) since I was risking a spike or a fumble either way. Luckily, both the doctors and the Broncos held on. It is very likely, that the first words I heard in my life belong to that of Paul J. Schneider calling a Boise State football game.

I also remember being 7 years old when my parents had a bunch of friends over.  They were watching something on TV, but I was more interested in my toys.  That was, of course, until all of these adults went absolutely BONKERS.  Screaming and yelling and jumping around.  I vividly remember not knowing what was going on.  Turns out, Boise State had just won the 1980 National Championship.

Q: Is there any difference between being a fan now versus when you first became a fan?

A: There are a few major differences.  First, is the sheer number of fans now.  That is what success brings.  The second would be the amount of “gear” out there.  I remember going to games and maybe 1 in 7 people had any sort of Boise State blue and orange on.  I think the logo redesign REALLY helped that.  Now, I would peg the number at 95% of all people at a football game have at least something school related on.  I love it.

Third, is the amount of coverage we get, both locally and nationally.  Even just 6 or 7 years ago, I used to have to scour the internet for any minute mention of Boise State.  It was almost like a safari.  Nowadays, there is so much said and written about the Broncos that there is no way you could take it all in.

Q: What is the difference between a die-hard Bronco fan, and a regular fan?

A: Die-hards live and die with the program.  They worry about upcoming games.  They get sick to their stomachs when the game is close. Don’t even talk about losses; those can take days to recover from.

Q: What do you think of fair-weather fans?

A: I can’t say they’re my favorite.  Every program/team/sport has them.  People like to associate themselves with a winner.  That is just life.  However, when you’re in a packed stadium fair-weather fans fill seats just as well as die-hards.

Since the Fiesta Bowl, we have a lot of new Boise State fans.  Frankly, I think that is great.  The more the merrier.  Keep buying gear, keep going to games, keep donating to the program.  However, there is part of me that is a little… I don’t know the word… not jealous.  Irrational, maybe.  I was a fan way back when.  Back when we sucked.  Back when Idaho beat us 12 times in a row.  Back when we had that disastrous 2-10 season in 1996.  That makes this time in Bronco football all the sweeter.  But to my mind, all these bandwagon fans somehow haven’t earned this glory time  we’re living in by not having the privilege of rooting for the Broncos through thick and thin.  It’s been all roses and gumdrops for them (losses to Washington and TCU notwithstanding).  I guess I worry if it gets too good around here, all these new people will simply come to expect the biggest and best every year, anything less than a BCS birth is a disappointment, and that simply won’t happen.  I know eventually something bad will happen.  I fear the reaction of these fans when it does.  I honestly don’t want anything to go bad, of course, but **** does happen.

Q: When I say you are a part of Bronco Nation, what does that mean to you?

A: I have legitimate case to wear one of those shirts that says “I was a Bronco fan before it was cool”.  I remember the years when I would watch ESPN and just stare at the “crawl” at the bottom of the screen waiting for that day’s Boise State score to scroll by.  We were nowhere big enough that they would spend a second of airtime talking about us, but when that name would come up, I got so excited.  It felt like a big deal to me, even if the game following ours was “William and Mary vs. Abilene Christian”.

To see where we are now is absolutely amazing.  I know people get in a twist if we don’t make a BCS game every year.  They should really stop and reflect on just how far we’ve come.  15 years ago, nobody outside of our old Big Sky foes ever even heard of Boise State.

Q: What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you while traveling to (or while at) away games?

A: I remember traveling for games when not that many people would go anywhere.  There was a sort of camaraderie you would feel when you ran into another Bronco fan on the road.  You always made it a point to share a smile and a “Go Broncos” when you walked past.  Then, I’ve been to games like Nevada, Utah State or the Fiesta Bowl where there are literally THOUSANDS of fans.  Everywhere you go.  Everywhere you look.  It seems that everyone you see is wearing the blue and orange.  It almost stops feeling like a road game.  And when your fans can dominate the crowd at an away game, that is an amazing feeling.

Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve experienced while tailgating?

A: Could be the half eaten hot dog that was thrown at me at Idaho.  Could be while tailgating at various road games having that team’s fans ask us to “Take it easy on us today”.  But, I would imagine the most interesting was when we put together a makeshift tailgate from the rental car in Hawaii.  Many of the Hawaii fans around us kept bringing us plates of whatever food they were serving.  We had the most amazing food… pulled pork, spicy local sausages, fresh pineapple… Everyone was so friendly.  It is one of my favorite tailgate days.

Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve experienced while inside the stadium during a game?

A: You mean other than every Bronco blowout?  Perhaps that rain that swooped in and dumped all at once during the Fresno State game in 2004.  When is started, the entire crowd let out a “Whoaaaa!” sound all at once.  That was pretty interesting.

Q: What is your typical game day attire? If it’s elaborate, how long does it take you to get ready and do you have any stories of costume malfunctions or interesting anecdotes to share?

A: I’m certainly not an attention hog so I don’t go all that far out in my game day gear.  I leave that sort of craziness to others.  Usually I’m sporting just a coaches polo or sweatshirt and hat.  Half of my closet is orange and blue, so I have a lot to choose from.

Q: What do you think about the BCS system?

A: It is what it is.  I think I would prefer a playoff but since that isn’t likely I don’t hate the BCS.  It has certainly been pretty good to the Broncos.  I like that they have made it easier for non-AQ schools to make it in.  The one tweak I would make is to make a rule that an automatically qualifying conference champion has to be ranked higher than 12 or 15 or something to get in.  It really sucks when deserving teams don’t get in because a #20 Pittsburgh happened to win a weak Big East championship.

Q: What do you think about the BSU vs. TCU match-up?

A: To be honest, when I first heard it I hated it.  I thought we got screwed.  I thought THEY got screwed.  “Separate but Equal Bowl”.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I was OK with it.  What would we prove by destroying Iowa?  I’ve said all year that TCU is the best team I’ve seen.  I truly think they should be playing for the National Championship.  That being said, it is a tall order for us to play them.  If we win, that WILL be saying something.  I still think that TCU deserved better.  They should have got the shot to take down a Florida, like we did with Oklahoma.

Q: If you could ask Coach Peterson one question, what would it be?

A: Does the early departure of Jeremy Childs and his subsequent failure to make the NFL make it easier for you to convince future Broncos to stay in school for their whole eligibility?

Q: If you could ask Bob Kustra one question, what would it be?

A: What is the real inside story on any Mountain West expansion and/or back room deals?  Or, what will it take, and how far away are we from expanding the stadium?

Q: Who is your favorite player this year and why?

A: That is a tough question.  I’m a big fan of Winston Venable.  Seeing him fly over the pile to hit Colburn was incredible.  I love to watch what Titus Young can do with the ball, and his endzone fumble recovery at Fresno was huge.  But, my favorite has probably been Doug Martin.  He is just so much fun to watch him turn a 3 yard loss into a 10 yard gain.  He refuses to go down.  Can’t wait to see more of him.

Q: Who was the greatest Boise State Quarterback and why?

A: Of all the QBs I’ve seen, I have to give the nod to Ryan Dinwiddie: the play-making, the spot on passes, the 500 yard games.  Plus, he has the greatest quarterback performance I have ever seen live.  Boise State 67, Fresno State 21. Dinwiddie coming back from a broken ankle, not playing the whole 1st quarter, but still ending the game 19-22, 406 yards and 5 touchdowns. Unbelievable. Kellen has a chance to get there, but isn’t there yet.

Q: How do you feel about the Vandals winning the Humanitarian Bowl?

A: I think it’s great.  Mainly because I’ve married a tried and true Vandal alum.  I’m contractually obligated to root for the Vandals. When they do well, my life is easier.

Q: Do you have any advise for fans traveling to the Fiesta Bowl?

A: My main advice is to just soak it all in.  When you get home, write down your experience.  It doesn’t even have to be for anyone else to read.  Just do it for yourself.  I still go back and read what I wrote at the time, and it never fails to give me chills when I read it. So glad I did it.

Q: Are you a first generation Bronco fan, or is your family long standing members of Bronco Nation? If so, do you have any memories of family adventures involving BSU football?

A: As I said above, my dad has been a fan my entire life.  I have lots of early memories involving Boise State football.  My parents have had season tickets forever.  I can remember my parents being out of town on Halloween  when I was a kid because they were going to a Nevada game.  I remember the first time I was in the stands with dad when it was raining, and thinking that the upper decks looked like crayon shavings (all the colored ponchos).  I remember the lady who supervised our elementary school recesses was dating Carl Keever, and he was quite possibly the largest person I had ever seen.

Q: Are there any other thoughts you would like to add about what it means to be a die-hard Bronco fan?

A: I only have one team that I live and die by.  Growing up in Boise Idaho, there aren’t many other options.  I don’t have a favorite NFL team.  I don’t have a favorite MLB team.  I don’t follow the NBA.  The Boise State Broncos are it.  They are a HUGE part of my life.  Fully 4 of my top 10 all time life moments somehow involve Boise State football.  I don’t take it for granted.  I want all of you out there to take the time to appreciate where we’ve come from and what a ride it’s been.

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Posted by Arbiter Staff on Jan 4 2010. Filed under Bowl Championship Series, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.