BOISE, Idaho — In a sitdown conversation for KTVB's 70th anniversary, former anchor Mark Johnson and KTVB columnist, and host of the Scott Slant, Tom Scott, spent some time talking about Boise State's famous Blue Turf.
Here's a transcription of their conversation:
Mark Johnson: "Think about the summer of 1986, and watching them roll out blue carpeting on what was once a green Lyle Smith field."
Tom Scott: "Who could have imagined that would ever work? I mean, it was Gene Bleymeier’s brainchild, and it was time to replace the old turf. I think he was about eight years old at that time. So, he talked to the turf company, the astroturf company, and said, 'is there a reason it has to be green? Could it be another color?' And they go, 'well, nobody's ever asked us that before, but I suppose it could be.' 'Well, I want it to be blue.' So, he got that pass through Dr. John Kaiser and they rolled out the turf, and it was a big deal because it was man, it was great TV."
Tom Scott: "Here's this just blue carpet with nothing on it at that time was just completely blue. Then at the press conference, they gave everybody little squares right off the Blue Turf. I still have one, and then the story ended up in Sports Illustrated about the Blue Turf. That's exactly what Gene Bleymeier did to happen."
Mark Johnson: "Do you remember that first Big Sky Football Conference when you and I met? What did Weber State coach Mike Price say? When I asked him what he thought of the Blue Turf?"
Mark Johnson: "He said, 'well, I think it's great. I think all coaches should have ponytails and earrings and wear tattoos on their necks, and I think that everybody should play in different colored stadiums, turf.'"
Tom Scott: "He said something about ballerina dresses."
(In a 1986 interview with Mike Price, he said, "it's really good for the league, I think. You know, I think all the coaches should wear earrings, and think we should all play on different colored fields. I think everyone should have a beard.")
Mark Johnson: "Yeah, he wasn't a fan. He was not a fan."
Tom Scott: "No, no, but too bad."
Mark Johnson: "There were other coaches that thought it gave an unfair advantage to Boise State when they wore their blue jerseys and pants on The Blue. He said they become invisible."
Tom Scott: Yeah, like Oregon doesn't when they wear all green and Autzen Stadium."
Tom Scott: "But Rocky Long was really the perpetrator of that when he was at San Diego State, and actually, for the first couple of years, Boise State was banned from wearing all blue on the Blue Turf. Then when Boise State kind of went to the Big East and wanted to come back, part of the deal was we can wear whatever we want on The Blue."
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