Home installation of Boise State's blue turf sells for $25,000

Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles Boise State's Sire Gaines runs across the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium, which will be replaced this summer. Loren Orr/Getty Images Share articleNot to take anything away from the success of Boise State’s football team, but there’s one unmistakable identifier connected to the program known across the country outside of the wins. And it’s that the Broncos play their home games on blue “Smurf Turf.” Even a sports-TV channel flipper immediately recognizes when a game is at Boise State thanks to its signature playing surface. Given that, there might not be a better piece of Boise State memorabilia than a portion of Broncos game-used Smurf Turf. With the school tearing up the current turf at Albertsons Stadium in June, why not turn the old surface into one of the more unusual collectible pieces in college football? The university, in collaboration with college sports-focused collectibles company CollectU, is selling off pieces of the blue turf in all shapes and sizes to allow fans to literally own a piece of the football program’s history while putting money back into the athletic department’s pockets in the ever-expensive college football landscape. CollectBSU.com capped off its first blue turf drop by selling a 400-square-foot sheet of playing surface, which will be professionally installed in the winner’s home, for $25,000 via auction Tuesday night. A 6-by-12-foot 40-yard-line turf marker (signifying the 40th anniversary of the program’s implementation of the blue turf) sold for $4,000, while the 6-by-4-foot “2” in the 20-yard-line also sold for $2,000. const eBayApiUrl="https://api.theathletic.com"; Boise State athletic director Jeramiah Dickey watched the Broncos challenge national powerhouses in the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, but to do so more regularly, with the program moving into the revamped Pac-12, will take money to compete for players and maintain and enhance facilities. “How much the industry is changing, it’s my job to continue to invest in our program, and to do that, I need resources,” Dickey said. “You’re going from a place of stretching dollars to how do you make more and how do you set up your infrastructure in your department to do so to take advantage of opportunities. … “This is low-hanging fruit. We know that every seven to nine years, we’re going to have to change out the blue (turf). 
We know the blue has power.” The larger pieces of turf may present a “Wow” factor, but the university and CollectBSU made a concerted effort to present a variety of blue turf items at different prices. They range from $40 for a 6-by-4-inch swatch to a $300 turf ring for men and women on which the band will contain pieces of the soon-to-be-removed turf. “We’ve sold some unique items. I think one of the things that’s fun in this is listening to the market and what they want,” Jay Sharman, founder and CEO of CollectU, said. “And so one of the things that Boise State was insistent upon was having price points to make it available for everyone. “As for the turf, this is by far the most comprehensive approach to it. In the past, and I don’t want this to sound disparaging, but it was more of a garage sale feel. The world has changed, people’s lens around it has changed, revenue generation has changed. Those confluence of factors have Boise State and us looking at this through a completely new lens.” The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms