Justifiably jubilant Idahoans will let their inexhaustible pride burst forth again tomorrow, Saturday, when the official celebration of the Boise State Broncos' stunning last-seconds Fiesta Bowl victory over the Oklahoma Sooners spills into the streets of Boise.
Frigid weather or not, thousands are expected to turn out for the 3 p.m. parade from the BSU campus to the Idaho Statehouse and celebratory speeches, then an autograph session with Broncos players at 6 p.m. at the sports complex near Broncos Stadium.
Nothing as big as the BSU win has happened in recent memory to put Idaho on the national map. Even the jaundiced, who have seen the best that college football offers and still seem reluctant to acknowledge Boise State's powerhouse football program, have had to admit that coach Chris Petersen's heart-stopping Statue of Liberty ball handoff and the hook-and-ladder reverse gave the game a memorable ending rare in the history of gridiron classics.
One need not be a football fanatic to hail the Broncos' victory. All it takes is basic pride that BSU has fielded young men who are dedicated and disciplined to following a skilled coach's vision of what it takes to win and pursuing that vision of a champion.
And it's worth mentioning in these early days of the Legislature's session, the Broncos victory puts the national spotlight on Idaho's education system. It's a timely reminder and prod to lawmakers that the state's higher education should be endowed with what it takes to be in the national academic big time as well.
