This Boise State great helped his high school — and saw the ‘really cool’ result
If you ever get a chance to fly into Oakland, California, take a look out of the window and you might see a surprise: a blue football field.
The plane hasn’t turned back to Boise. You’re just viewing what former Boise State offensive tackle Charles Leno saw last week heading into his hometown.
“When I was flying into Oakland, I saw the field,” Leno told the Idaho Statesman on Monday. “It was awesome. It was a really cool thing, man. It was a cool moment, cool experience.”
Leno wasn’t just hyped seeing blue turf more than 600 miles from the famous football field at Albertsons Stadium, where he wowed fans for several years before being drafted into the NFL in 2014.
The former Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders tackle helped make it all possible.
Leno donated $450,000 toward a nearly $1 million renovation of the football field at his old high school, San Leandro, just south of Oakland. His contribution allowed San Leandro to install a professional-grade turf field, and as one of the school’s most iconic alumni, Leno and his team worked to make the field blue.
The San Leandro Pirates’ primary blue color is very similar to that of Boise State, where Leno played 41 games between 2009 and 2013. He was drafted by the Bears in 2014, received a Pro Bowl invitation in 2018, and eventually retired in 2023 after three seasons with Washington.
Leno has remained in touch with those at his high school since graduating. He told the Statesman that he offhandedly asked the school’s athletic director whether they planned on installing new turf soon, and jumped into action when he heard that was the case.
“When it comes to San Leandro High, it has helped impact my life tremendously; it helped me get to Boise State,” Leno said. “I’ve got to pay that forward, and I’ve got to get back to where I started from, and going back to my high school ... why not?”
The turf Leno helped pay for is designed to reduce injury risk, he said, and has more of a natural feel while being more “forgiving” than typical turf.
“It’s one of the best fields I’ve ever stepped on. I’m not even just saying that, it feels great,” Leno said. “... It gives more than the average turf that you usually see on the field. It’s very forgiving, I would say, when you’re stepping on it and making the cuts and doing all that type of stuff.”
Leno was honored at San Leandro High’s homecoming game last week and got to see the field for the first time in person. Fittingly, San Leandro ran back a kickoff for a touchdown on the first play of the game.
Dozens of Leno’s family, friends and old teammates were in attendance for the game. He also spent time on the sideline talking to and hyping up the current crop of Pirates.
“I was happy that I was able to do that. And the only reason why I’m happy is so I can inspire someone else,” Leno said. “I want to inspire someone else who goes to my school — or not even go to my school, even if it’s a kid that, you know, goes to an opponent school, and he sees it.”
