Boise State football to allow fans at spring game; another former Bronco joins staff
The Boise State football team’s annual spring game is scheduled for April 10 (3:30 p.m.) and the plan is to admit more than 5,000 fans into Albertsons Stadium, the university announced Wednesday afternoon.
It will be the first time Boise State fans have been allowed into the stadium for a game since Nov. 12, 2020, when the Broncos hosted Colorado State.
The team opened last season in front of an empty stadium because of state and local COVID-19 protocols, but the university was granted permission by Central District Health to admit up to 1,100 fans for home games against the Rams and BYU.
“I know Bronco Nation is just as excited as I am to get back on The Blue,” Boise State Football Head Coach Andy Avalos said Wednesday in a press release. “Our guys are energized and ready to show the hard work they’ve put in together over the past few months. The Boise community is critical to our success this upcoming season and it starts with the Spring Game on April 10.”
Tickets for the game are $5. They go on sale at 9 a.m. on March 27 and will be available at BroncoSports.com/tickets. Fans can purchase up to four tickets, and all seating will be socially distanced and preassigned.
All proceeds will support BroncoBOLD, an initiative designed to encompass and showcase all aspects of the department’s mental health programming for athletes, coaches and staff.
COVID-19 testing will not be required for admittance to the spring game, but masks will be mandatory at all times unless fans are actively eating or drinking.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to welcome Bronco Nation back to Albertsons Stadium,” Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey said in Wednesday’s release. “We are hopeful we will have a lot more fans in the stadium this fall, but for now, this is a great start. The support of our fans is what has allowed Boise State to grow into what it is today, and we’re going to need all of Bronco Nation to keep growing.”
Of the 5,000 seats that will be available, 700 will be set aside for the general public, with the remainder going to season ticket holders, members of the Bronco Athletic Association and guests of football staff and student-athletes. An additional 800 tickets will be available for the Stueckle Sky Center, and SSC patrons will receive communication from the BAA regarding purchase options.
Boise State is also setting aside 500 tickets for students. Details on a student lottery will be announced next week through the Broncos’ social media accounts. Parking will be free in the stadium lots.
Pahukoa joins football staff
Former Boise State women’s basketball player Brooke Pahukoa has joined the football staff at her alma mater as assistant to Avalos, the university announced on Wednesday.
Pahukoa will aid Avalos in his day-to-day tasks and coordinate all aspects of the team’s on-campus recruiting. Avalos was hired in January to replace former head coach Bryan Harsin, who left Dec. 22 to assume the same role at Auburn.
“Brooke Pahukoa knows what it means to be a Bronco,” Avalos said Wednesday in a press release. “Her experience as a Boise State student-athlete and staff member will be an invaluable asset to our program and I am excited to have her be a part of our team.”
Avalos, himself a former linebacker at Boise State, has made a point of adding former Broncos to his staff. Running backs coach Winston Venable, wide receivers coach Matt Miller, defensive assistant Kharyee Marshall and cornerbacks coach Jeron Johnson all played at Boise State.
Pahukoa was a two-time Mountain West Conference Tournament MVP during her career at Boise State (2014-2017), and she was a team captain in 2016 and 2017.
After earning a master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in behavioral studies of sports from Boise State in 2019, she was hired as the athletic department’s student-athlete development coordinator. She has also served as the academic adviser for the volleyball and beach volleyball teams.
“I am thrilled and honored to join the football program under the leadership of coach Avalos,” Pahukoa said in Wednesday’s release. “The opportunity to continue impacting our student-athletes is something I will never take for granted.”
Avalos adds to strength staff
Avalos added what is likely the final piece to his strength and conditioning staff on Tuesday with the hiring of assistant director of sports performance Jalyn Baker.
He joins a strength staff led by Reid Kagy, who followed Avalos from Oregon, and he’s the Broncos’ third assistant director of sports performance, joining Brandon Pietrzyk and Lucas White. Pietrzyk was also at Oregon with Avalos.
“Coach Baker is an outstanding young coach, and an even better person,” Avalos said in a press release. “I believe the young men in this brotherhood will learn a great deal from him, and I am excited to have him join our staff.”
Baker joins the Broncos from Jackson State, where he served as assistant director of the Walter Payton Center and trained athletes from all JSU sports. He has also spent time at Houston and Prairie View A&M, where he played baseball.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 12:36 PM.
