Back in 1986 Boise State University installed a new field with a new color, blue. It was immediately dubbed " Smurf Turf" and is now recognised around the country.
I still recall as recent as 2000 when on those rare occasions Boise State Football appeared on ESPN, the announcers would say, don't adjust your set, your TV is fine, blue is the actual color of the field.
The idea behind Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier's heresy was to try to get his stadium on the cover of sports illustrated. That did not happen, however thanks to the blue rug, Bronco Stadium is considered on the nations top 10 most recognisable sports venues.
Now Eastern Washington wants to join the ranks of stadiums that have rugs that are not green.
Leading the charge is current Tennessee Titan and former EWU stand out Michael Roos, he has pledged $500,000.00 towards the project. Cheney, Washington based EWU hopes to raise the rest of the funds through private donations and contributions from local businesses. Their hope is to have the new rug ready for the 2010 season.
So what will the EWU field look like?
"There is no doubt that one of Boise State's claims to fame has been their blue turf and like it or dislike it, it has certainly brought them a tremendous amount of notoriety," EWU athletic director Bill Chaves said. "In a similar vein we have a tremendous opportunity at Eastern to do the same by differentiating ourselves with the red turf while providing a superior playing surface."
Contrary to the belief there is a NCAA Rule in place prohibiting schools from using their colors for their field, EWU is with in its rights to go blood red.
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