MUNSON'S GAZETTA: VENI, VIDI, VICIT

My paraphrase of Julius Caesar's introduction to his Commentary on the Pontian War is intended to be translated as "I came, I saw, THEY conquered". As we stand on the threshold of this most momentous year, I have been rhapsodizing about what I have witnessed here. My arrival in Boise in '68 coincided propitiously with the Broncos first season as a college, and I have lived almost everyone of those intervening years within walking distance of Bronco stadium. In fact, I used to jog by it well before the term "jogging" was coined, when "running shoes" were sprinter's flats and no one had a clue why you were doing "double time". I was inspired to write this by a Wall Street Journal article about us; the guy must've gone back to the archives 'cuz he referenced our game against  Chico State. Well, I SAW that game, and in fact it was the incredible sideline scamper by a Chico State return guy that first got me to realize that there were some  athletes in that stadium. I can see it now as if it's happening, although the precise area of the stadium is actually now the track. I wanted this to be a capsule history, but I can't do it. I've tried. I keep going back, losing the "thread"-I typed several paragraphs and then erased it because it was incoherent. Those of you familiar with my typing know what a sacrifice that was.

So I'll toss the laboring oar to the readership; you'll have to do the heavy lifting on this one (how's that for an especailly bad mixed metaphor?) I'm going to talk about one game, played in November 1971, and have it represent all I could say about where we were, where we are, and what transpired to get us here. You'll have to pull apart the bones to get at the meat of this one.

November 1971: C of I versus Boise State, Bronco Stadium. Boise State had lost a tough game to ISU the week before; team was seriously down. Having stunningly demolished Idaho in the season opener, the loss to ISU meant no Big Sky crown (Idaho won it, ironically). 'Yotes had  also lost the week before , but their inspired come-from-behind play against Lewis & Clark (Portland-yeah they had a team, years before Monica) had given them some "edge". 'Yotes had a few players, most memorably Ed Jones, who should have been called "Big" but wasn't. Think Fat Albert in pads; his looked like little pancakes atop a mountainous pile of humanity. Not necessarily a gifted athlete, he was a relentless one at OG, and anywhere he was Broncos were flying back. Bill Schow was our (I was a Yote) middle linebacker, and he must've made 16 solo tackles that day. Anthony ("Tony") Quinn was a freshman safety and very good (as my soon-to-be-ex-fiance was about to find out). Overall the talent wasn't as one-sided as you might think, and had Quinn not hit  Bronco QB Eric Guthrie's pass up in the air, thus allowing the sure handed Don Hutt to make a sensational one handed grab and go untouched to the end zone, 'Yotes might've held Broncos scoreless in the 1st half. As it was, 'Yotes led 7-6 going in (which must've raised eyebrows around the Big Sky).

The second half was again pretty even, until (and this was perceptible) the Broncos said to themselves "heck, we're in a game, we might as well win it", and did. Final score: Broncos 28, C of I 21. Last time they would ever play, and C of I, which had around 800 students, gave up football before the decade was out. Indeed, of the teams Broncos played in their debut collegiate season, only one still plays football-Weber State ( who kicked our (bw)-then). Ever heard of Westminster, a Catholic college in Salt Lake City? Think what a Catholic school had going on in SLC 40 years ago (or now) and how many guys it could've gotten to come out for football. We played 'em-and won (yay!). 

Yep I saw those games. Didn't see our first game against Weber; it was away and I didnt venture behind the Zion Curtain much then. Glad I didn't; Statesman ran a spread on game-day that showed this giant Wildcat covering the top of the sports page. Prophetic-we lost 44-0, and it sounded (radio) a lot worse.

Back to '71; although not Big Sky champs (vanquished Idaho was) Broncos went to Camellia Bowl and won their first bowl as a college (they had been JUCO champs). Camellia memorable for a couple of reasons. We won on a controversial play when Hutt (best hands-EVER!) got the bounce off another Bronco. Some thought it should've been ruled incomplete but it turned out that was OK in college, not pros. Then we had to give trophy back back years later when it was discovered that  Guthrie had played some professional minor league baseball. There was talk of getting it back after NCAA changed rules but I don't know status.

If you've read this far, in the right frame of mind, you'll be ready for this-Alabama, Ohio State, Boise State. In the memory of one not really aged (c'mon) fan to encompass all this? Heck the guys who named the team, picked its colors, and the one who elevated it from the JUCO to the college level are all still alive. Alabama and Ohio State were legendary college programs whilst we were'nt even knee high to a grasshopper in collegiate football terms. And while I don't know if we'll get the chance, nor can I predict the outcome, I'll say this-we could play them, and anyone who says otherwise is either lying, stupid, ill-informed, or deliberately ignorant.

Coming from 42 years back,  that's saying a mouthful.