Celebrating 70 years: The evolution, history of KTVB's sports coverage
National championship runs, the Blue Turf's debut, Fiesta Bowl wins, Jerry Kramer's NFL HOF induction – KTVB has covered endless historical Boise sports moments.
Despite its size, sports, whether they be professional, collegiate, or high school, have been a staple of the Treasure Valley for decades.
"I think when you look at Channel 7 today, it is what it always was: It's number one, and one of the reasons is sports," Tom Scott said. "Channel 7 is still committed to it with Jay Tust and Brady Frederick – and they work their tails off."
Below is a very brief history of sports in Boise since 1953.
1960s
It is believed Dan Peters was KTVB's very first sports director, who started sometime in the 1960s (though it is unclear exactly when).
Klaus Wagner later replaced him.
1970s
Larry Maneely
In 1975, Larry Maneely came to Boise from Reno to become the station's next sports director.
"(Sal Celeski) called me one night after a newscast in Reno and asked me if I'd be interested in making a trip up and visiting Boise and having a chat with him about the opportunity here," Maneely said. "I had never been to Idaho before."
Maneely stayed until 1983 before taking a job in Sacramento.
He would later come back for a second go around with KTVB from 1988 - 1996.
1980s
I-AA National Championship
On Dec. 13, 1980, Boise State hosted Grambling State in the I-AA national semifinals at Bronco Stadium in sub-zero temperatures.
The Broncos eked out a 14-9 win to advance to the national championship.
"Boise State had always been good, but had finally reached the pinnacle beating Grambling in the semifinal and on a frozen day in Bronco Stadium on the green turf," Tom Scott said.
On Dec. 20, 1980, Boise State played in the I-AA national championship game against Eastern Kentucky on a foggy Sacramento day.
"If you think about the feeling after the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, you know the euphoria," Scott said. "That's what it was like in 1980, just on a smaller scale."
"One of the great memories was standing in the end zone, 20-30 feet from Duane Dlouhy when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass, with about 20 seconds left in the game to beat Eastern Kentucky," Maneely recalled.
"(Joe) Aliotti scrambles and he throws all the way across the other side of the field into the corner, Duane Dlouhy makes the catch and it was just, you know, what it feels like. It was just – it was like the Statue of Liberty, just on a much smaller scale," Scott said. "But at that time, and in a much smaller Boise, It was everything."
The Broncos brought the national championship trophy home to Boise for the very first time.
Mark Johnson
In 1983, Sports Director Larry Maneely left the station and Mark Johnson joined the team a few years after graduating from the University of Missouri.
"I was working in Cape Girardeau at the time, and I got a call from a headhunter who said the news director in Boise, Idaho, had seen my tape and wanted me to come out and interview," he said. "And the first thing I said was, where's Boise, Idaho?
"They said, 'We heard you like to snow ski.' And I said, 'Well, yeah, as much as a midwestern kid can.' And they said 'We've got a ski hill 38 minutes up the street.' And I said, 'I'll interview, but I'll take the job.' And I came out and interviewed and took the job."
Tom Scott
In April 1986, Tom Scott came to work at KTVB in the sales department.
"At the time, I was doing the games on the radio with Paul J. I was doing the Bronco games, football, and basketball at KBOI," he said.
"After the 1986 football season, they decided not to send a color guy on the road anymore, so I became available."
Blue Turf Installed (1986)
In 1986, one of the most recognizable fields in all of college football was installed.
"Gene Bleymaier, the athletic director at the time, wanted to find some sort of public, publicity stunt to increase the awareness of Boise State, and he came up with the Blue Turf," Mark Johnson said.
"Who could have imagined that would ever work? I mean, it was Gene Bleymaier’s brainchild and it was time to replace the old turf," Scott said. "So, he talked to the turf company, the astroturf company, and said, 'Is there a reason it has to be green? Could it be another color?' And they go, 'Well, nobody's ever asked us that before. But I suppose it could be.' (And Bleymaier said) 'Well, I want it to be blue."
"I thought it looked like a pond from the airplane shots that I had seen," Johnson said.
"And here's this just blue carpet with nothing on it at that time, was just completely blue," Scott said. "Then, the story ended up in Sports Illustrated about the blue turf. That's exactly what Gene Bleymaier wanted to happen."
Over its more than 40-year history, the turf has been replaced several times, but remains the only blue turf in college football.
Boise Hawks (1987)
In 1987, Boise became home to a minor league baseball team, the Boise Hawks.
1990s
1994 National Championship run
During their 1994 season, the Broncos went 10-1 in the regular season before starting their run at a 1-AA national championship.
"In the '94 playoffs, Boise State bid on games and got three home games," Scott said.
The Broncos would host three home games, but there was a problem.
"It's hard to resell the stadium from zero. Every week, they had to resell or from zero, so they got 17,000, 15,000 the first two games, and Pokey Allen wanted 20,000," Scott said.
The Broncos won their first two playoff games against No. 18 North Texas (24-20) and No. 17 Appalachian State (17-14).
They were slated to face No. 2 Marshall at home on Dec. 10.
The Broncos had to start from zero and fill up Bronco Stadium on what was expected to be a very cold winter day in Boise.
"We did a promo on the Blue Turf," Scott recalled. "I'm talking on camera, Pokey – he's got his back to me – I saw something to the effect of ‘they do it in Green Bay, they do it in Buffalo, you can do it in Boise! Bundle up, get ready for snow!’ And then Pokey turns around, rips off a ski mask, and says ‘if we get 20,000 at Bronco Stadium Saturday, I’ll ride a horse down Broadway.’ The promo ran all week and I'll be darned if over 20,000 didn't show up and he rode a horse down Broadway."
More than 20,000 people filled Bronco Stadium and watched them beat No. 2 Marshall 28-24, to earn a spot in the 1-AA national championship game.
The following week, they traveled to West Virginia, ultimately falling to No. 1 Youngstown State 28-14.
Idaho Steelheads (1996)
Idaho's very first professional hockey team came to Boise in the 1996-1997 West Coast Hockey League season.
More than 25,000 southern Idaho residents submitted their ideas for a team name, which came down to two choices: the Idaho Steelheads or the Idaho Ice Hawks.
Season ticket holders ultimately chose the Steelheads as the mascot.
In 2003, the team joined the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and won their very first ECHL Kelly Cup.
The team would win the Kelly Cup again in 2007.
Sunday Sports Extra (1996)
Mark Johnson had just returned to KTVB after working in both Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The rights to televise Boise State games were given to another local station, so KTVB was looking for a way to keep up with Bronco Football.
The idea: Sunday Sports Extra.
"Let's call it Sunday Sports Extra, and let's put it on Sunday night. We'll just do, you know, we'll do Boise State, Idaho, Idaho State – we'll do the whole nine yards," Scott said.
In August 1996, the premiere episode included Mark Johnson, Tom Scott, and Ed Vining.
Sunday Sports Extra continues today with Sports Director Jay Tust, sports reporter Brady Frederick, Tom Scott, and The Scott Slant.
Idaho Stampede (1997)
Idaho's first semi-professional basketball team came to Idaho as part of the "Continental Basketball Association."
From 1997 to 2005, the team played in Nampa at the Ford Idaho Center, before moving to what is now known as Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
In 2006, the team joined the NBA-D League, and in the 2007-2008 season, the Stampede won the NBA-D League title.
In 2015, the team was sold to the Utah Jazz, ultimately moving to Salt Lake in 2016. The team is now known as the Salt Lake City Stars.
Friday Night Flights (Friday Night Football)
The one-of-a-kind prep football show started sometime in the 1990s, and for several years, included a helicopter in its coverage, hence the original name "Friday Night Flights."
The helicopter would gather highlights from the air, and even land at several schools across southern Idaho and eastern Oregon as part of our coverage.
Those highlights would air during the Friday night News at 10.
Today, the KTVB sports team and a handful of photographers go out every Friday night and gather highlights, ultimately putting them into a commercial-free YouTube show.
Prior to COVID, local teams would be invited on set to talk about their season and previous games.
In 2023, teams returned to the KTVB studio.
2000s
2007 Fiesta Bowl
The No. 9 Broncos went a perfect 13-0 in the regular season, earning them a spot in their very first BCS bowl game against No. 8 Oklahoma (11-3).
The Sooners were favored by more than a touchdown, but the game ended in a 35-35 tie, sending the contest into a well-remembered overtime.
Oklahoma would score first, but Boise State pulled off one of the greatest upsets of all time, thanks to the two-point "Statue of Liberty" play.
2010s
2010 Fiesta Bowl
The No. 6 Broncos (14-0) won their second Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2010, against the No. 4 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (12-1) in Glendale, Arizona, under head coach Chris Petersen.
2014 Fiesta Bowl
The No. 21 Broncos (12-2) won their third Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2014, against the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats (10-4), 38-30.
Jerry Kramer inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame (2018)
After years of waiting, University of Idaho and Green Bay Packers great Jerry Kramer was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
KTVB was the only local station to cover his induction ceremony.
"A lot of stations would say, 'we can't fund that. We can't send you to go cover Jerry Kramer's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton, Ohio. It cost too much money.' This station goes, 'let's figure out how to do that because that means something to our market,' and we did," Johnson said. "We went to Canton, Ohio, for three days. We were the only local station that covered Jerry Kramer – arguably Idaho's most famous football player's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame – and that's another reason this place is so special."
RELATED: NFL great Jerry Kramer Remembers Super Bowl I
RELATED: The story behind Jerry Kramer's lost Super Bowl ring: 'It was quite incredible that it ever came back'
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.