JONESBORO, Ark. (10/10/11) - A highly respected administrator and leader in college athletics, former Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier will speak at the ASU Convocation Center auditorium at 6:30 p.m. on October 17. A question and answer session with Bleymaier, the 2011 Bobby Dodd Division 1A Athletic Director of the Year, will follow at the conclusion of his program.
The event is free to attend, but seating is limited and those wishing to attend are asked to call the Red Wolf Club at 870-972-2401 to reserve their seats.
Bleymaier will discuss how Boise State transformed its football program into a national power on a yearly basis. Boise State was 2-10 in 1996, but dramatically evolved into a national contender during Bleymaier's tenure at the school. The Broncos established themselves among the elite teams in the country, producing a 69-2 home record from 2000-10 and an 80-5 overall record for a .941 winning percentage that was tops in the nation from 1997-2010.
Boise State also finished the season ranked in the top 10 of the final BCS standings five times since 2004 (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010). The Broncos won 12 or more games each of the past three seasons, including a 12-1 record in 2008 and 2010 and a 14-0 mark in 2009. They finished 13-0 in 2006, including a win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
"Boise State has clearly built an outstanding football program, and it is one that we have great respect for and that we want to emulate here at ASU," said ASU Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee. "I hold a great amount of respect for Gene, and we are delighted to have someone with his knowledge and expertise come in and share his experiences. What Boise State accomplished during Gene's time is something we truly believe we can accomplish here. This is an opportunity for our fans and supporters to hear first-hand how we can move our programs in that same direction here at Arkansas State."
Bleymaier joined the Boise State athletic department in 1981 and was named the school's athletic director in 1982. He helped guide Boise State in the transition from a Division I-AA to a Division I-A school in 1996. He was also the spearhead behind the decision to put down the now famous blue turf in Bronco Stadium and was a driving force behind the creation of the Humanitarian Bowl.
Under Bleymaier's leadership Boise State moved from the Big Sky Conference to the Big West Conference in 1996. In 2001 the Broncos joined the Western Athletic Conference and they are now competing in their first season as a member of the Mountain West Conference.
In 2009 Bleymaier was one of five nominees for the Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal and Sports Daily Athletic Directors of the Year award, and he was the only nominee from a non-automatic Bowl Championship Series conference school. In June 2009 he also received the Astro Turf Athletic Director of the Year Award. He served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Management Council and has served as a president and vice president of the NCAA I-AA Athletic Director's Association.
During his tenure, Bleymaier also helped improve the athletic facilities at Boise State, including the completion of a new tennis and soccer center, a 1997 expansion of Bronco Stadium, a new outdoor tennis facility, an indoor track facility, the Idaho Sports Medicine Institute, the Bronco Football Center, an expansion of the gymnastics room and the addition of a Hall of Fame gallery. Most recently Boise State completed work on a $9.5 million indoor practice facility that included a full size football field, band hall and a softball field.
Before taking the job at Boise State Bleymaier served as an assistant athletic director at UCLA, where he also played football and was named to the All-Pac 8 Conference Third Team as a tight end for the Bruins. He is a member of the California Bar Association and a graduate of the Loyola Law School.
