The new Boise State football facility will be done in about 4-6 weeks. It will be dedicated to an Athletic Director who was fired and built to keep a coach in Boise. The facility will be named after former Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier, but really should be remembered as the House That HAD To Be Built To Keep Pete.
I believe this facility was built to keep Chris Petersen at Boise State.
I think it was named to keep boosters happy.
About November 2010, Larry Williams and Jerry Caven requested that the name of the facility be for Bleymaier and they made a major donation. Bleymaier wouldn’t be dismissed till August 2011.
Williams was one of the biggest Bleymaier supporters and he already had an indoor facility and plaza named after him. So, he wanted to recognize Bleymaier. Jim Harbaugh officially left Stanford Jan 7, 2011. Petersen admitted having a conversation with Stanford but decided to stay at Boise St about Jan 9, 2011. In Feb of 2011, the State Board approved the $22 million project with only $4.5 million cash on hand. The rest would be financed with bonds. Another $7.8 million was pledged by boosters to cover the bond debt payments. When BSU president Kustra pulled the trigger on the facility he used a decent chuck of bond money the State Board allows him to use. Presidents usually pressure AD’s to raise the money privately so they can use bond money to build parking garages and buildings that are not as donor friendly as a football facility. But, with Stanford knocking on Petersen’s door, Kustra did the right thing and put the Universities money into football. How fast or hard the athletic department worked to raise the money privately before this Stanford emergency is up for debate. At the time, the economy was in the tank and usually raising money to build facilities that create revenue is the priority. Of course, Boise State obliged and the deal went forward. Boise State will become the only Mountain West school with football only facilities for weight training, locker rooms, meeting space, coach’s offices, medical, and academic center.
