Boise State to have Mountain West’s largest video board. After delays, where’s it stand?
Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium will soon be home to the largest video board in the Mountain West.
Work began last year on the 6,000-square-foot board, which will tower over the south end of the stadium, but it was slowed by shipping complications and shortages of materials.
Progress has picked up in the past couple of months, the school said, and the steel frame for the new board is almost complete.
Construction of all support structures will be finished in the next 7-10 days, and the rest of the installation is roughly a six-week process, according to Boise State Senior Associate Athletic Director Bob Carney, who is leaving the university to take a job with Ada County.
Carney said it will be mid- to late March before the new board is turned on, allowing calibration and testing to begin. That likely means the first time Boise State fans will see it in all its glory will be the spring football game in early April.
The project is being funded through a $4.5 million gift from Melaleuca, a health product manufacturer based in Idaho Falls. It was the largest one-time donation in program history — until it was surpassed by a $5 million gift the athletic department received in December 2022. That will go toward the expansion of the north end of Albertsons Stadium, as well as projects for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Boise State has received nine donations of at least $1 million since December 2020.
The new video board is 120 feet wide and 50 feet tall. It’s roughly 1,800 square feet larger than the next-largest video board in the Mountain West.
The primary video board at Colorado State’s Canvas Stadium is 84 feet wide and 50 feet tall (4,200 sq. ft.). The main board at Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium is 84 feet wide and 38 feet tall (3,192 sq. ft.). San Diego State’s new Snapdragon Stadium, which opened last year, features two video boards, the larger of which measures 73 feet wide and 42 feet tall (3,066 sq. ft.).
The video board in the north end of Albertsons Stadium was upgraded last year thanks to a $1.8 million donation from Agribeef, a beef producer headquartered in Boise. It’s 77 feet wide and 37 feet tall (roughly 2,850 square feet), and made its debut during the Broncos’ 2022 home opener against UT Martin.
Boise State announced a $300 million facilities upgrade in April 2022 and coined the project its “Playbook for Success.” It includes upgrades to Albertsons Stadium and ExtraMile Arena, and the construction of a soccer stadium and a 5,000-seat arena on campus, among other projects.
Here are updates on several aspects.
▪ Boise State has moved into the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase of its expansion of the north end of Albertsons Stadium and will begin accepting bids from construction firms.
Boise State got approval from the Idaho State Board of Education last October to begin the design phase of the project, which is expected to cost between $32 million and $40 million.
The renovated north end will feature premium seating, including loge boxes and field-level suites, the addition of general admission seats and the construction of a dining hall, which will serve all of Boise State’s athletic teams.
▪ Boise State has also moved into the RFP phase of its project to install new LED lights in Albertsons Stadium. The project is being funded in part by an anonymous $750,000 donation the athletic department received in November.
▪ Boise State will request approval from the Idaho State Board of Education in February to begin the design phase of a project to build a new practice facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Plans to renovate the Arguinchona Basketball Complex include a new weight room, offices for coaches and staff, and an improved practice court that includes a new scoreboard. Boise State announced last August that the project is estimated to cost $5.5 million.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
