Hand-painted ‘Front Porch of Idaho’ helmets set to be featured at Sept. 27 football game
On Sept. 27, the Boise State Broncos will take to the field for their second home game, this time adorned in custom, hand-painted helmets.
The artist behind the air-brushed designs, Armando Villareal, custom-painted each helmet to capture the essence of what Boise State Athletics believes to be the “Front Porch of Idaho”.
Villareal is subcontracted with Schutt Sports, the helmet manufacturing company supplying the Broncos’ football helmets and has hand-painted helmets for other schools, such as the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and the University of Illinois.
Each helmet displays realistic artwork depicting Boise State’s mascot, the bronco, on one side, and on the other, the Capitol Building stands tall in front of the beloved Boise foothills. The back of the helmet features Albertsons Stadium, the iconic blue turf and trees lining the Boise River.
Assistant Athletic Director in Merchandising and Brand Operations, Matthew Sterling, first discovered Villareal’s work for Utah and Illinois, leading him to reach out about the potential of receiving hand-painted helmets for the Broncos.
“What can we do here to get some excitement from fans?” Sterling questioned, regarding his thoughts before working with Villareal. “I saw that helmet and was like, that’s what we need to do.”
Originally from Imperial, Nebraska, Villareal knew he always wanted to be an artist. He discovered his love for airbrushing in high school, but was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a mechanic. Finding a happy medium, he spent his youth painting motorcycles to enter in shows.
Throughout his early career, Villareal gravitated towards sports art and has been grateful to receive opportunities to create work for professional teams. The artist took a temporary hiatus in Nebraska and found himself back in the world of sports art and painting athletic gear in 2018, with a focus on painting football helmets since 2022.
“It’s a lot of hard work — a lot of being told no [and] a lot of starting over,” Villareal said. “I’m so blessed to be in [the field].”
Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs, Chris Kutz, oversees the branding committee and watched the helmets come to life after the idea was first pitched to him in the off-season.
He noted the “Front Porch of Idaho” tagline is a term often used within the athletics department, which made it fitting to form the concept of the helmet art around it.
“Boise State is known to be innovative, and it requires us to be bold and take chances,” Kutz said. “There are so many ways to tell our story, so why not put it on a football helmet for everyone to see?”
As the brand committee came up with recognizable images from Boise and the state of Idaho that could be painted on the helmets, Villareal created examples and mock-up designs. He then sent them back to the branding committee for feedback until they decided on the final product.
“We tried to think, what are we known for?” Sterling said. “The Capitol ties us into the state, the foothills and the City of Trees ties us into Boise.”
Villareal’s designs are available on other merchandise at Scheel’s, The Blue and Orange Store and on the Fanatics website, with two t-shirt designs already sold out. Some helmets will be on display at the Sept. 27 game and are currently available for purchase by members of the Bronco Athletic Association. Any remaining helmets, including those worn by players during the game, will be made available to the public after the game, with proceeds going to the athletic department to fund facilities, travel and scholarships.
“It’s an honor to be invited into something that means so much to the school, the town and the state,” Villareal said. “It doesn’t feel real that I’m the guy who did that, it’s kind of out of body.”
Kutz described the reaction from fans as “affirming and rewarding”. He hopes the hand-painted helmets will become a tradition, with some concept art already in the works for future games.
“If Bronco Nation is as happy and supportive as it seems everybody is, then we would love to continue doing it,” Sterling added.
