USA -- Boise State's 2009 football uniforms were unveiled for the first time to Bronco players. The reaction was a resounding thumb up to the new design and innovative jersey material that will be worn during the upcoming season.

Bronco footwear, apparel and equipment partner, Nike, created the uniform design, which took several months and a series of modifications by Boise State before being finalized.

The public got their first opportunity to see the new digs in photographs of senior All-American candidate Kyle Wilson. Sporting his well known number 1 jersey, Wilson showed off the revamped home blue and away white uniforms.

"The material is lightweight and very tight," said Wilson. "I like the new design a lot, especially where we've added in some gray to highlight things."

The new jerseys are comprised of cordura material, a performance fabric that optimizes fit and durability. The cordura stretch mesh of the jerseys is similar to a dry fit material that wicks away moisture to help keep the jersey lightweight, while the durable fabric is resistant to tearing and ripping.

Although the new uniform design doesn't represent a radical change from past jersey and pant combinations, there are a number of noticeable differences. The jerseys now include a specialized "Bronco" number font that is gray in color and outlined in orange for home jerseys. On the white road jerseys, the number is blue with an orange outline. The number takes on an italicized form and includes a look similar to the Boise State athletic word mark.

The home blue jerseys also include a rounded horse head on the collar, and fans will notice that "Boise State" is absent from the front of the jersey. On the back of the jersey, "Broncos" is printed below the number in a modern wing box. The word "Broncos" in the highly recognizable Boise State font does appear on the front of the white away jerseys.

Shoulder piping on both jerseys is different than in years past, with a dual stripe (top being about an inch thick and bottom a quarter inch) mirroring the same piping that is seen on the backside of the pants.

A new style 1/4 inch stripe highlights the uniform pants, going down both sides (orange on the home blue pants and blue on the road white pants). A closer look at the left side of the pant reveals a new twist to the uniform, with "Boise State" printed top to bottom along the stripe in a light gray, a subtle branding reference that had been missing in previous uniforms.

The use of gray in the Bronco uniform does not end there, as Boise State will dawn gray facemasks for the first time in 2009, complimenting the gray numbers and wording on the pants. Other than the color change to the facemask, the helmet will remain the same as the previous seven seasons, colored blue with the Boise State primary athletic logo on each side.

And, last but not least, fans will notice the Nike logo prominentlydisplayed on the uniforms, in much the same way it has since 2003 when the Broncos became a Nike team. The swoosh mark apears on the chest of both the home and away jerseys, as well as at the top of the pants.

This is Boise State's fourth new uniform combination this decade. The Broncos went with a rounded shoulder pattern for the 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons, before updating that look with a much thicker stripe down the side of the jerseys and pants from 2003-2006. The past two seasons, Boise State's jersey and pant have included a thin stripe down the side.

Over the past nine seasons, Boise State has used a combination of jersey and pant colors, with the most common being blue on blue at home. The away look has included white on blue (2002 and the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl), white on white (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008) and white on orange (2005, 2006, 2007 Fiesta Bowl and one game in 2008).

This year, the standard combination for the new uniforms will be blue jersey and blue pants at home, with white jersey and white pants on the road. But, the uniforms were designed to accomodate a mix of those combinations if desired.
 
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