A recap of Bronco Athletics from 2021

From newly launched apps and initiatives, to academic achievements, Boise State Athletics accomplished a lot in 2021.

Boise State football defeated two ranked teams this year after taking down the 10th ranked Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars and the 25th ranked Fresno State Bulldogs.

The football team also became bowl eligible for the 24th straight season. This streak is the third-longest active streak in the NCAA behind Ohio State with 33 and Georgia with 25.

Volleyball had a very impressive year as they won their first ever conference tournament championship and appeared in the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. 

“I’m so proud,” said volleyball head coach Shawn Garus. “So proud of the upperclassmen for building the confidence in this group.”

The women’s cross-country team competed at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in the spring, and had a ninth-place finish. This is the third-highest finish in program history behind two back-to-back sixth-place finishes in 2017 and 2018. 

The Broncos’ gymnastics team made its 13th-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Regional Championships.

The men’s basketball team was the No. 2 seed in the National Invitational Tournament. This was the team’s third postseason bid in the last four seasons.

Boise State Athletics also tried to make facility upgrades this year after partnering with AECOM’s sports practice to conduct comprehensive facilities analysis.

“From a facilities standpoint, this is our first step in determining what our programs need in order to be successful, and to be able to recruit and compete at a national level across the board,” Dickey said. “From there, we will prioritize and chart the course for the future of Bronco Athletics. This process will position our programs for long-term success and assure we are providing the best student-athlete experience we can offer.”

Boise State also made it a priority to improve the student-athlete, staff and fan experience in 2021.

To give fans the best experience, Boise State Athletics launched a new Broncos Athletics app. The app makes everything from game scores to team news much easier for fans to access. 

“We really wanted to focus on student engagement and trying to be more active in our community by reaching out and building more connections with them,” said marketing graduate assistant Amber Dalgleish. “We tried to provide fans with the best experience outside of game days.”

Along with the app, Boise State athletics also announced the selling of alcohol at Albertsons Stadium to try to make attending games more enjoyable for fans.

Bronco Athletics also launched Broncos United near the end of 2021. 

Broncos United is supposed to give support to their students and staff by improving their physical and mental health, personal/professional growth and development and community and belonging. 

In 2021, student-athletes improved their grades constantly. They set department records for grade-point average (GPA) in the spring, just to break them again in the fall. 

Boise State has now held an all department GPA of 3.0 or higher for the 29th consecutive year. The school also set a record 147 student-athletes named to the Academic All-Mountain West list and 129 to the Mountain West Scholar Athlete list this year.

According to Bronco Athletics, Boise State also had its all-time best NCAA Graduation Success Rate along with having 70 student-athletes earn their degrees this year.

“I am incredibly proud of the academic successes and accolades of our student-athletes,” said athletic director Jeramiah Dickey. “The young men and women competing for Boise State are doing a phenomenal job in the classroom, and the work of our department leadership — including academic staff, coaches and several others that impact this space — is elite. Congratulations to our collective team on such impressive numbers.”

Bronco Athletics made significant strides in 2021, but are continuing to aim for more in 2022.