When Boise State College became Boise State University in 1974, the university held a nationwide competition for a new fight song with a $200 prize offered by the Bronco Athletic Association. Ten entries from Idaho, Tennessee, Ohio, California, and Massachusetts were screened by a committee, and a final selection committee picked three entries.
During a football game on September 21, 1974, fans were given a ballot that included the 3 final selections as well as the “Orange and Blue” fight song that Boise State had used since the Boise Junior College years. All four songs were played by the Blue Thunder Marching Band at half-time. Fans voted to keep “Blue and Orange” as the official Boise State University fight song, and a slightly revised version (re-written around 1990) is still the fight song today.
See Also: Fight Song
Sources:
MSS 66 Folder 307
Boise State University Fight Song Case File
Written by Annika Severts, Spring 2018 intern