History of Boise State Band Program
From its beginning as a junior college, Boise State has developed a long tradition of excellence in music. In 1932, the music department created an orchestra, and the small student body started a pep band to play at athletic events. The pep band was an on-again, off-again endeavor throughout the 1930s. The band members played in street clothes at the home football games and received partial academic credit for their efforts to rally Bronco fans to support their team. In 1940-41, the pep band became an official school project. The Les Bois (the Junior College Yearbook) credited the organization of the pep band to Bob Hays, Charles Jensen and Jay Belnap. The pep band, consisting of 16 members under the direction of Jim Baker, played at Bronco home games and became on of the finest bands in the Boise Valley. This was the first band to wear official uniforms, which consisted of dark pants, white shirt, tie and V-neck pullover sweater with the BJC music department emblem sewn on the front.
World War II took its toll on the pep band membership. By 1947, the pep band, wearing the same uniforms that they began with in 1940, played at both football and basketball games. Carroll E. Weber directed the band. The pep band became a welcome addition to all home games and took to the road in 1948, traveling with the team to some away games. In 1949, Jack Best directed the pep band. That year, the Boise Junior College Band attended the Potato Bowl in Bakersfield, California, and was described as "packed with violent enthusiasm." The following school year, 1950-51, marked the transformation of the pep band into a marching band. Under the direction of Best, the band consisted of 35 members clad in new uniforms of gray trousers, blue sweaters and bright orange bow-ties. The new marching band performed at both home and away games.
The transformation from pep band to marching band brought an increase in financial obligations. The music department had trouble recruiting enough students to play in the marching band. With limited funds, it was difficult to provide scholarships, sheet music, uniforms, and in some cases instruments, for the students. In addition, travel money was a problem. Community contributions to the music department and the general fund helped finance the band. Two major contributors from the community were banker John Schoonover and construction entrepreneur Harry W. Morrison. Both contributed money earmarked for scholarships that enabled students throughout the state of Idaho to attend BJC. During 1950, the Boise Junior College marching band traveled to the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, lending its support to the Broncos in the football game against Long Beach City College. The band also traveled with the Broncos to the Potato Bowl games in 1951, 1954, 1957 and again in 1965. It was the band's appearance in the 1957 Potato Bowl that inspired Morrison to write to Eugene Chaffee (Boise State's first president), stating that, "it seemed to me at Bakersfield that our band lacked considerably from the standpoint of dressiness and that maybe you will find it advisable to buy new uniforms for the band."
Morrison offered to pay the cost of the uniforms. At $102.30 each, the 60 uniforms came to a grand total of $6,138. The new uniforms consisted of coat and pants, a cap with an orange plume, breast patch including monogram, sand brown belt, citation cord, spats, shoulder patch, gloves and an additional white stripe. These uniforms served the marching band through the 1960s. The 1960s marked a period of transition for both the college and the marching band. Its last major appearance as the Boise Junior College Marching Band was in 1962 at the Seattle World's Fair. By the 1969-70 school year, the Boise State College Marching Band had grown to 115 and one of the highlights of the season was the marching band tour to Sacramento, San Luis Obispo and San Francisco, California. The trip was climaxed with a nationally televised halftime performance at the football game between the San Francisco '49ers and the Washington Redskins. This appearance brought national recognition to the music program at Boise State College.
But in the 1970s the band was in a financial crunch. With funds drying up and costs increasing, director of bands Mel Shelton faced a dilemma not unlike many other institutions of similar size. The funds available from the athletic department and the university were no longer substantial enough to meet the growing needs of the marching band. The ASBSU had become increasingly apathetic to the financial needs of the band, and money that had been coming from the community through the '50s and '60s was no longer available. In addition to financial problems, Shelton also had difficulty convincing students to give approximately eight hours a week of their time in return for only one college credit. Conflicts also arose over the use of the stadium for practice. Fan enthusiasm seemed lacking. It became obvious that once the football team left the field at halftime, the fans left their seas. The amount of time and energy expended to put together a proficient halftime show seemed to lack the appropriate appreciation. Due to these difficulties, the university decided that after the 1975 football season the marching band would no longer participate at athletic events.
Through the late 1970s and into the '80s, the music department felt that if it could not produce a top-quality marching band to do both itself and the university proud, it would rather have the band eliminated from Boise State activities. After much formal discussion, but contrary to the music department's preference, it was determined that a 31-piece pep band called the "Bronco Spirit" would play intermittently during football games while area high school marching bands would perform during the halftime. At the start of the 1978 athletic season, both the football and basketball pep band, now two separate groups, were totally financed by the athletic department. 
Boise state continued to grow over the next 11 years, but remained without a marching band until 1986, when a $250,000 scholarship donation from Keith and Catherine Stein of Boise gave new life to the music department's dream of reestablishing a marching band. A total of $545,000 was raised to support scholarships for members of the new Keith Stein Blue Thunder Marching Band. There were many contributors to the marching band fund, and the especially large outpouring from the community of Boise indicated that a university marching band had been missed. The Blue Thunder, directed by David Wells, made its debut at Boise State's first home football game on September 5, 1987. It became a source of instant pride to both the university and community. The band marched onto the field in new uniforms consisting of short blue jackets with a tuxedo-type lace shirt and bright Bronco orange cummerbund. The color guard, flag corps, and Mane Line Dancers accompanied the team on the field.
As the band marched into the '90s, it sported a more traditional look similar to the marching band of the 60s. With the continued financial contributions, the high expectations of the music department and the willingness of the band participants to give of their time and talent to ensure a successful program, the Blue Thunder Marching Band will have little difficulty marching for years to come.