He won a Super Bowl and ‘rescued soldiers.’ Now this former Boise State star is home
Former Boise State offensive lineman Daryn Colledge can still remember his welcome-to-college-football moment.
He was on the sideline watching a game during his first year in the program when former Broncos running back Brock Forsey took a handoff and delivered a devastating blow that left a linebacker flat on his back.
“I thought he died,” Colledge told the Idaho Statesman. “He started twitching, and Brock stumbled forward for a gain. I had to have a moment with myself like, ‘I don’t know if I belong here.’ ”
It didn’t take Colledge long to prove he belonged.
The native of North Pole, Alaska — a town with a population of 2,052 — was a starter on the Broncos’ offensive line from 2002 to 2005. He was a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 NFL Draft and helped the team win Super Bowl XLV at the end of the 2010 season.
Colledge said he and his wife, Megan, have had a home in Boise for years and always planned to raise their children here, but he still felt as if it was an official welcome home when he was hired as the Bronco Athletic Association’s director of development and Varsity B coordinator in November.
“We’ve kept connections in Boise for the last 20 years, but to be back here full time and to be back with the university is something special,” Colledge said. “This is where my life in Boise started.”
Varsity B is an alumni association for Boise State athletes across all sports. Its mission is to “encourage and promote the heritage, traditions and success of Boise State students and Boise State athletics for all former Broncos,” according to the club’s website.
Colledge is especially qualified to celebrate Boise State’s history. He played a central role in it after starting what was, at the time, a program-record 52 games and helping the Broncos amass a 45-7 record during his playing career.
“The time I spent at Boise State helped me become who I am today,” Colledge said. “I take great pride in where I came from, and value the experiences I had here as a student-athlete. … I am thrilled to be able to impact the student-athlete experience for all of the men and women that choose to don the blue and orange.”
The road less traveled
After his college career ended, Colledge moved from tackle to guard and started 76 games in five seasons with the Packers, including all 16 regular season contests during the team’s run to a Super Bowl title as a wild-card team. He later spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, and the final season of his playing career with the Miami Dolphins in 2014.
Unlike many players, he didn’t consider a profession in coaching when his days in pads came to an end.
“I tell everybody that not all great players are destined to be great coaches, and I wasn’t always a great player,” Colledge said. “Most of the coaches I know, especially the ones in this program, have forgot more about football than I’ll ever know.”
Instead, he joined the Idaho National Guard. Colledge said feelings to serve were instilled in him at a young age and then reignited after greeting troops during a United Service Organizations tour following Green Bay’s Super Bowl win.
Colledge joined search-and-rescue and fire suppression squads in and around Boise, and in 2018, he was deployed to Afghanistan as part of a medical evacuation unit.
“We rescued soldiers, and we were able to bring soldiers back to their parents,” Colledge said. “That’s a unique and special thing, and I was excited to be part of that. But anybody who has done that will tell you war is hell. … I’d go do it again if I had to, because bringing someone back to their family is something I’m always in for, but I’m definitely in no rush.”
Reuniting with a Boise State mentor
After his time on active duty ended, Colledge was looking for a way to get involved with his alma mater. He said he reached out to one of his former college teammates, Boise State football coach Andy Avalos.
Avalos was a linebacker from 2000 to 2004, and Colledge remembers him as one of the smartest, best-prepared players on the field at every practice.
“He taught me how to be a better offensive lineman,” Colledge said. “I don’t think anybody looked at Andy and was like, ‘That dude is going to be 6-4 and 250 pounds and out-physical everybody.’ He was always prepared and in the right spot, and he was always a mentor for me.”
Avalos remembers his time with Colledge a little differently. According to his recollection, it was Colledge who forced him to play at a high level every day — not the other way around.
“Guys like Daryn are not only talented, but they use their talents every single day to get better,” Avalos told the Statesman on Thursday. “Practice was harder because of him. You had to be on point every play or you were going to get exposed.”
Mutual admiration between the former teammates made trying to find a role for Colledge at Boise State a no-brainer, Avalos said.
“He’s a guy with tremendous character and class, and we’re excited to have him back around here,” Avalos said. “His experiences in the NFL and his relationships in the community, and with people who are supportive of the athletic department and university, are going to be huge for our athletes — past and present.”
Colledge doesn’t have much experience as a fundraiser to draw on in his new role, but raising money is a very small part of his job, he said. His days are spent connecting with former athletes and finding new ways to celebrate their contributions to the university.
“Any athlete that played one year here is a letter winner in our minds, and they need to be celebrated for that,” he said.
Colledge said he’s been at work planning Boise State’s Gridiron Social — an annual gathering of alumni scheduled for April 8-9, coinciding with the weekend of the Broncos’ Spring Game. He also has some ideas for new events.
Colledge said he’s still not interested in becoming a full-time coach. But if his friend came calling, he said he’d find a whistle and get on the field.
“If Andy walks in my office and says, ‘We’ve got to have you or this team isn’t going to do anything,’ then I’ll go out there and start rigging up tackling dummies for him,” Colledge said. “But for now, I’m in a good role for him and he’s in a good place for me.”
