The Blue Collar Club and you!

In case you’ve lived under a rock the past few years, Boise State has been trying to get to a Power 5 conference for... some time. To that end Boise State has made some progress: student population, facilities, new fields, coaches salaries, etc. Of course, like always, things change and that change requires a little more (money).

Like with any organization, Boise State is constantly trying to find ways to fund raise for their projects to make the school more appealing for whatever next step. But fund raising is difficult and, for lack of a better way of saying it, sucks.

To that end sometimes the “gathering” portion is what can be all the difference. A different way of asking for help and a different type of connection. A different way to deliver certain messages and outreach.

That’s where the Blue Collar Club comes in. The Blue Collar Club is a fan-made organization that encouraging folks to do their part to make sure Boise State is aligned to make the next step in the Power 5 journey.

When possible please take some time to read about the Blue Collar Club from the founder:

Boise State Athletic director Jeramiah Dickey shared recently that for Boise State to be considered a good candidate for Power 5 membership, their donor base needs to have at least 10,000 members. The money contributed is important, but it’s a matter of donor base numbers as well. You may not know that currently, season ticket buyers do not count for that donor base. So how can we get as a fanbase get to 10,000 donors? One of the avenues to reach that goal is The Blue Collar Club. You may have seen some excitement on Twitter the last couple of weeks, or maybe you saw the Blue Collar Club logo prominently displayed in the front row of College Gameday for Notre Dame vs Wisconsin, or many you may just be reading about it now. But what is it?

The Blue Collar Club is the brainchild of quarantine, nervous energy, and a love for all things Boise State. It began in August of 2020. I knew a lot of people like myself who wanted to support Boise State but never had the means to have a building named after them, so, I got in touch with the BAA and asked them if there was a way to start up a program where small donors could give monthly and support an athlete’s cost of attendance, about $41,000 annually. We had an account created where 100% of the donations would go to the BAA and they would distribute any communications as needed.

But what communication did The Blue Collar Club need? The second driver of the creation of this organization was a desire to develop community across the vast geography known as “Bronco Nation”. We wanted people to be able to help without feeling like a number and get a few benefits for their money in return no matter where they lived. So we reached out to a few Bronco legends and luminaries like Tom Scott, Dave Southorn, Aaron Tevis, James Webb, and Ryan Watkins. All of them were 100% on board with sharing their time to answer questions from our members and reveal some behind-the-scenes stories that had never seen the light of day before. Then we planned a meet-up at the UCF game in Orlando with the Idaho Press-Tribune that helped create that community feel. I was able to meet with some members for the first time and guess what? They are a pretty great group of people to share a drink with and talk sports.

However, “what’s next”, as our athletic director likes to say, is extremely exciting. We at the Blue Collar Club have been chosen by Boise State to be an ambassador group for a donor drive program known as “Horsepower”, a plan to increase Boise State’s current donor base of 4,000 people up to 10,000. We as Blue Collar Club members now have a bigger goal: to help get our beloved Broncos into a Power 5 conference. Joining is as easy as visiting BlueCollarClub.org and signing up for a monthly donation of $10-$50 a month. Blue Collar Club members will be counted as BAA members as well. If you’re not ready for that, we could use a quick one-time $25 donation to the Horsepower Drive at https://ponyup.boisestate.edu/amb/BlueCollarClub. You’ll be a BAA member, just not have access to the Blue Collar Club benefits.

The bottom line is if you’ve been wondering how to get involved with Boise State but do not possess the means to have the field named after you, I highly recommend you give the Blue Collar Club your donation or at the very least contribute to the Horsepower Drive. For the price of a Netflix account, you’ll be helping the program and joining a community of members like yourself who want to get Boise State in their rightful position as a Power 5 conference member. Follow our Twitter account @BlueCollarClub or reach out to me if you have any questions by emailing jaywhy17@yahoo.comor sending a Direct Message on Twitter to @jaywhy17. Boise State needs your membership to get to the next level, it is time to get off the sidelines and become part of the solution. “Every dollar counts, every person makes a difference.” - Jeramiah Dickey

Thank you!

Joel York

To show my enthusiasm, I also joined.

If you are able, please do what you are able to encourage Boise State’s next steps. You may be the difference.