The continued popularity of blue-and-orange Boise State Broncos gear will result in $700,000 for scholarships to BSU this year, the university announced today. "It's been growing," said Mike Reed, BSU bookstore director, with the biggest jump coming in 2007 when Boise State's football wowed the nation at the Fiesta Bowl. That year, merchandise sales from the bookstore and "Bronco Shops" around the area resulted in a record $800,000 for scholarships; it's been in the $600,000 to $700,000 range ever since, Reed said, up from just a couple hundred thousand in the late '90s.

The bookstore and its affiliates return a portion of all profits to the university each year for scholarships. This year's payment will support a freshman-retention scholarship program for BSU students entering their sophomore year in the fall, and two other scholarship programs, for Idaho high school students and for high-achieving students.