From Madonna to Metallica, every Boise State football has a name — and a story
There probably aren’t a lot of people who love Metallica and Madonna equally, but former Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien does.
And we aren’t talking about music tastes.
It’s one of those hidden-in-plain-sight things, hard to notice from the stands or even the sidelines, but most of the footballs the Broncos use have their own names, written on the white stripe.
“It got to the point where I felt like I had a nice relationship with every ball, because I knew them by name,” Rypien said. “It’s really true that no ball is created equal, and there were always a few I liked more than the others.”
When new footballs arrive, they aren’t ready to go out of the bag. They must be washed and broken in a little bit, so the equipment staffer who does the work gets to name the ball. There is usually a theme, like Greek gods (Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon), rappers (Rich The Kid and Lil Uzi Vert), 1990s basketball stars (Shaq, Stockton and Malone) or “The Office” characters (Jim, Pam, Dwight and Michael).
It started about three years ago with the quarterbacks, who always have their specific likes and dislikes, and now most of the position groups have footballs with names, too — the defensive backs have one playing off their perceived inability to catch, Butterfingers.
With the chance to name them whatever they want, you better believe the players and equipment staff have a little fun with it.
“We probably sit there and think about it for like 10 minutes, ‘What should we name these balls?’ ” said Dustin Kelley, assistant director of athletic equipment . “It takes probably 20 minutes to scrub one ball, so you put some hours into it and it feels good when it’s actually in the game, like, ‘Oh cool, Dumbledore scored, I made that ball.’ ”
In practice, when a ball is just right, a quarterback will tell the staff, and it will get stashed away in the game ball bag to be used later. Kelley said equipment staffers originally put their initials on the balls, but the nicknames made it much easier to differentiate.
Even the guys who oversee every minute detail of the program are mostly unaware of the practice.
“I honestly didn’t really notice. I sort of remember Brett talking about a ball called Lightning or something,” coach Bryan Harsin said. “If they have some fun with it, that’s great. I know what I’d write it on it — Completions — or something like that. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own, I guess.”
Student manager Will Black works with the receivers and said coach Eric Kiesau just noticed the names this week.
“He was throwing the other day and saw J. Cole on one, and says, ‘Isn’t he a rapper?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, all the ones we have are rappers’ names,’ and he just goes, ‘Really?’ ” Black said.
Senior quarterback Jaylon Henderson said it was not something that teams did at his previous stops at junior college and the University of Texas-San Antonio. But even a practice like naming a ball has made coming to Boise State enjoyable.
“Most people would just think a ball is a ball, but quarterbacks like things to be perfect,” Henderson said with a laugh. “It adds another element of fun to the whole thing. It’s hard to be uptight when you’re saying, ‘Toss me Metallica.’ Honestly, it’s a really smart idea.”
A game ball usually will last an entire fall, though bad weather can affect the lifespan. Some get stored in the equipment room for later use, and some are given away when the year is over. Former receiver Austin Cottrell, for example, was given a ball named after his favorite rapper, Young Thug, after his last game in 2017.
“The guys have some influence, too, they’ll suggest names and we’ll put them on there sometimes,” Kelley said.
This summer, a new batch of about 100 balls for use in fall camp and the 2019 season will arrive. And when the Broncos score, they’re carrying a ball with its own story, too.
“We have fun with it, I know the equipment guys do as well. It’s just a neat thing we all have a part of,” Rypien said.
This story was originally published April 4, 2019 at 3:17 PM with the headline "From Madonna to Metallica, every Boise State football has a name — and a story."
