First installed in 1986, blue synthetic turf at Albertsons Stadium has become as much a symbol of Boise State University football as the Bronco logo.
Now, blue turf is under consideration as the school looks to update its softball field at Dona Larsen Park.
According to records obtained from Boise State by BoiseDev under the Idaho Public Records Act, the school last fall asked FieldTurf for price quotes for two projects. Jordan Feeney, assistant athletic director for operations and capital projects, said Boise State is looking to replace the turf at Albertsons Stadium, which was last updated in 2019 and is starting to see discoloration in the orange end zones. The second would swap out the turf at the “softball outfield and warning track,” with blue turf being one option.
A total of six blue fields have been installed at Albertsons Stadium, according to the Boise State athletic department website, with the most recent three installed by FieldTurf.
The school received a quote from FieldTurf to replace the current grass and dirt areas of the Dona Larsen Park outfield and warning track with turf in the same blue color as in Albertsons Stadium. The project could happen in conjunction with the replacement of the current turf at the stadium next year, according to BoiseDev's Don Day, who added that the two turf projects could cost between $1.3 million and $1.5 million.
Day reported that Boise State obtained a federal trademark for “the color blue as applied to artificial turf” in 2011. "The school’s other turf playing surfaces — one for intramural sports and another for an indoor practice field, uses green turf," Day wrote, "The school recently resurfaced four of its outdoor tennis courts from a mix of green and blue to all blue. In 2013, it briefly considered changing the color of the basketball court at then-Taco Bell Arena to blue, but decided against it."
