1980 Boise State Broncos football team

1980 Boise State Broncos football
National Champions (Div. I-AA) Big Sky Champions
1980 I-AA National Championship vs Eastern Kentucky, W 31–29
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
1980 record	10–3 (6–1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Jim Criner
Offensive coordinator	Gene Dahlquist
Defensive coordinator	Lyle Setencich
Home stadium	Bronco Stadium

1980 Big Sky football standings
	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
#7 Boise State $	6	–	1	–	0	10	–	3	–	0
Idaho	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Nevada	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	1
Idaho State	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Weber State	4	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Montana State	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Northern Arizona	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Montana	1	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion Boise State earned automatic berth in NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. Idaho State and Weber State met twice in league play with each game counting as a half game. Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA poll (released before championship playoffs)

The 1980 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Broncos competed in the Big Sky Conference and played their home games at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Jim Criner. The 1980 "Four Horseman" senior backfield of BSU featured quarterback Joe Aliotti, fullback David Hughes, and halfback Cedric Minter, with halfback Terry Zahner in reserve.

The Broncos finished the regular season at 8–3 and 6–1 in conference to win their fifth Big Sky title in 11 seasons, their first since 1976. BSU defeated their two Division I-A opponents, but lost a road contest in November to Cal Poly-SLO, the 1980 Division II national champions. The Broncos easily defeated rival Idaho for the fourth consecutive year in mid-October in Boise. During halftime of the Nevada-Reno game on November 8, BSU dedicated the playing field at Bronco Stadium to athletic director and former head coach Lyle Smith.^[1]

The Broncos were invited to the four-team I-AA playoffs. As Big Sky champions with a substantial stadium and fan base, BSU was chosen to host in the first round, a national semifinal on December 13, three weeks after the completion of the regular season. The opponent was Grambling State, coached by legend Eddie Robinson. The Broncos won 14–9 and advanced to the I-AA national championship game the following week at Sacramento, California, against defending champion Eastern Kentucky, coached by Roy Kidd. In a back-and-forth contest played in the fog at Hughes Stadium, Boise State won 31–29 to win their only I-AA national title.

The Broncos returned to the I-AA title game in 1994, then moved up to Division I-A in 1996.

Schedule

Date	Opponent^#	Site	Result	Attendance
Sep 6	at Utah (Div. I-A)*	Rice Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT	W 28–7	27,231
Sep 13	SE Louisiana*	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID	L 13–17	21,342
Sep 20	at Northern Arizona	Walkup Skydome • Flagstaff, AZ	W 20–18	10,787
Sep 27	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium • Bozeman, MT	L 17–18	9,121
Oct 4	Montana	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID	W 44–10	20,453
Oct 11	Idaho	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (BSU-UI rivalry)	W 44–21	21,812
Oct 18	Cal State Fullerton (Div. I-A)*	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID	W 26–11	17,052
Oct 25	Weber State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID	W 24–0	18,455
Nov 8	Nevada	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID	W 14–3	20,682
Nov 15	at Cal Poly (Div. II)*	Mustang Stadium • San Luis Obispo, CA	L 20–23	8,330
Nov 22	at Idaho State	ISU MiniDome • Pocatello, ID	W 22–13	13,865
Dec 13	Grambling State*	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 14–9	17,300
Dec 20	vs. Eastern Kentucky*	Hughes Stadium • Sacramento, CA (Division I-AA Championship Game Camellia Bowl - ABC-TV)	W 31–29	8,157
*Non-conference game. Homecoming.

References

↑ BSU Game Day program - 1980-11-08 - p.8

1980 Boise State Broncos football—NCAA Division I-AA national champions

Michel Bourgeau David Hughes Cedric Minter Randy Trautman Rick Woods Head coach: Jim Criner Assistant coaches: John Fox Lyle Setencich

Boise State Broncos football

Venues	Albertsons Stadium (1970–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Fresno State Idaho Nevada

Culture & lore	Buster Bronco 2007 Fiesta Bowl Albertsons Stadium

People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football champions

1970s	1978: Florida A&M 1979: Eastern Kentucky

1980s	1980: Boise State 1981: Idaho 1982: Eastern Kentucky 1983: Southern Illinois 1984: Montana State 1985: Georgia Southern 1986: Georgia Southern 1987: Northeast Louisiana 1988: Furman 1989: Georgia Southern

1990s	1990: Georgia Southern 1991: Youngstown State 1992: Marshall 1993: Youngstown State 1994: Youngstown State 1995: Montana 1996: Marshall 1997: Youngstown State 1998: UMass 1999: Georgia Southern

2000s	2000: Georgia Southern 2001: Montana 2002: Western Kentucky 2003: Delaware 2004: James Madison 2005: Appalachian State 2006: Appalachian State 2007: Appalachian State 2008: Richmond 2009: Villanova

2010s	2010: Eastern Washington 2011: North Dakota State 2012: North Dakota State 2013: North Dakota State 2014: North Dakota State 2015: North Dakota State

1980 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants

Boise State Eastern Kentucky Grambling State Lehigh

Champion – Boise State Broncos

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