BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…October 2, 1993, 30 years ago today:
Quarterback Tony Hilde burns his redshirt year and makes his first career start as a true freshman for Boise State against Montana in Missoula. He threw the first of his 70 career touchdown passes—that one pulled in by Ryan Ikebe, who was burning his redshirt year that day as well. Hilde’s 388 passing yards and 406 in total offense in his collegiate debut would also be career highs. And it wouldn’t be enough, as the Grizzlies won 38-24.
Danny Langsdorf, who would go on to a successful coaching career and is now the offensive coordinator at Temple, started the first four games of the 1993 season for Boise State. But the Broncos, then 2-2, needed a spark, and coach Pokey Allen turned to his prized recruit from Pendleton. The Broncos were better with Hilde at the helm, but they’d go 3-8 in 1993, Pokey Allen’s first season as coach.
Allen would overhaul the roster at the end of the season, bringing in 23 junior college transfers, and Hilde was provided with a lot of weapons and a stout offensive line in 1994. He would help lead them to the Division I-AA national championship game and a 13-2 record. Hilde would rack up 9,107 yards passing and 10,138 in total offense over his four seasons, and 26 of his TD passes would go to Ikebe. Hilde was arguably Boise State’s first star at the quarterback position since Joe Aliotti led the Broncos to the I-AA national title in 1980.
Also notable in that 1993 Montana game, by the way, was a Boise State record for longest interception return, a 99-yard pick-six by Tasi Autele (the son of one-time Broncos QB Ron Autele). That mark has since been broken on 100-yard scampers by Jamar Taylor against Arizona State in the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl and Tyric LeBeauf at UCF in 2021.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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