Top Ten Greatest Boise State Broncos

Despite going undrafted in the 2003 NFL Draft, Mikell has made a solid name for himself as the play-making safety of the Philadelphia Eagles (filling huge shoes left by legend Brian Dawkins). To Boise fans, however, Mikell’s name is very familiar. He is the program’s No. 2 all-time leading tackler with 401 career stops. He was also an All-American as a senior in 2002 by multiple publications.

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This play-making wide receiver/return specialist is probably the best pass catcher to play at Boise. He finished his career with 204 career catches for 3,063 yards and 25 touchdowns. However, stretching defenses in the passing game was not all Young did during his stint in Boise. He also ran the ball 47 times for 350 yards and 8 TDs while returning 56 kickoffs for 1,449 yards and two more touchdowns. He also returned 11 punts for 76 yards as well. The do-everything athlete was selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

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Statue of Liberty and marriage proposals aside, Ian Johnson will go down in Boise history as one of the most productive players to ever suit up for the Broncos. All told, Johnson carried the ball 752 times (strangely, the identical number of carries as another talented RB on this list) for 4,184 yards – good for second-best in school history. His 25 rushing scores in 2006 are second-best and his 58 total rushing TDs rank first in school history. His 1,713 yards in ’06 are a single-season school record. His 4,953 career all-purpose yards were good for fourth all-time in school history. The Broncos were 44-7 in Johnson’s four seasons at Boise State. And, of course, he scored the most important two points of his career — and in Boise State history — when he took the Statue of Liberty hand-off and raced around the left end and into NCAA history in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. Five seconds later, he was engaged to be married to long-time girlfriend and BSU cheerleader Chrissy Popadics.

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It didn’t take long for Broncos fans to realize how good Wilson would be. As a redshirt frosh, Wilson capped a freshman All-America season by making 10 tackles in the historic 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. As a sophomore, Wilson earned second-team all-WAC honors after 41 tackles, two INTs, a sack and blocked kick. In 2008, he led the team in INTs (5), passes broken up (10) and passes defended (15) as a junior. He also scored on three punt returns (33 returns for 470 yards) and was awarded All-America honors by several publications. As a senior, Wilson led the team to a second unbeaten season in his four-year tenure and playing a huge game against TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl win. Boise went 49-4 in his time on campus. Wilson was selected with the 29th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.

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As a redshirt sophomore, Zabransky took over the Boise offense and led the Broncos to an 11-1 record in 2004. Despite a tough start against Georgia in 2005, Zabranksy still started all 13 games, leading Boise State to a 9-4 record (with losses to Oregon State, UGA, Fresno State and Boston College). As a senior, Zabransky topped his career with an unbeaten 13-0 record and memorable performance against Oklahoma in the historic 2007 Fiesta Bowl win – where the QB earned Offensive MVP honors. His 66.3% completion rate was a single-season school record at the time. He finished with a fourth-best 144.99 career QB rating, a fourth-best 8,256 passing yards and fourth-best 58 TD passes.

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As a redsirst freshman, Clady started 11 of 13 games in 2005. After several All-America awards, Clady switched to left tackle for 2006 and started all 13 games, helping lead the Broncos to a historic unbeaten season and Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. He started every game as a junior in 2007 and was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He has become one of the league’s elite backside protectors in only a few seasons.

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As a two-time All-American, Minter set the single-season rushing record for Boise as only as sophomore when he posted 1,526 yards in 1978 (later broken). As a senior, Minter became the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,475 yards – a mark that still stands today. His 37 career rushing TDs were a school record at the time and are still good for third-best today. Minter helped lead the 1980 Broncos to the I-AA National Championship.

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If it were not for No. 1 on this list, Dinwiddie would go down in Boise history as the greatest quarterback in school history. Boise owned a 33-6 record with Dinwiddie as the quarterback, and he left school with his name atop every major passing list in school history. His 9,819 career yards were a school record. His 82 career TD passes were a school record. His 4,356 yards in 2003 are still a single-season record. His 532 yards against Lousiana Tech in 2003 are a school record. The most impressive marks from Dinwiddie were his efficiency, however. He set an NCAA record with a career QB-rating of 168.79 (later broken), and his 188.18 QB-rating in 2003 is a school record - and technically is better than Colt Brennan's recognized 186.0 NCAA QB-rating record.

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This two-time All-American is the only Boise State Bronco to be inducted into the NCAA Football Hall of Fame. The monster defensive lineman dominated Big Sky competition and earned the 1981 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He helped lead the Broncos to the I-AA 1980 National Championship and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

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Moore has had the best statistical start to a college career of any quarterback in the history of the game. In three years as the starter, Moore is 38-2. He was second in the nation in QB-rating as a sophomore (161.65) and led the nation in QB-rating as a junior (182.63). His touchdown-to-INT ratio thus far is 99:19, and he has 10,867 yards passing — all of which are already Boise career records. He currently owns virtually every single school passing record and still has another season to go. Moore was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2010 and enters his final year as a front-runner for the stiff-armed trophy. In his career thus far, Moore has two wins over Oregon, a Fiesta Bowl win over TCU and a dramatic come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech. An eight-win season would make Moore the winningest QB in NCAA history, and a 12-win season would make him the only QB to ever win 50 games in his career.

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