Introducing: Andy Avalos

Boise State alum Andy Avalos was introduced as the 11th head coach of the Bronco football program, Sunday during a press conference at the Allen Noble Hall of Fame. Avalos was introduced by Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey and university president Dr. Marlene Tromp. Below is a selection of quotes from Avalos, Dickey and Tromp.

An archive of the press conference stream can be viewed below. A photo gallery follows the quotes.

Boise State Football Head Coach Andy Avalos
"It is with great honor that we stand before you today. It is a humbling, humbling opportunity to be able to come back home to this university, to the brotherhood that we belong to and to this community. We are excited to represent you guys with class and integrity. We also intend to uphold the tradition of success established by coach Lyle Smith and all the great coaches who followed him, like Dirk Koetter, Dan Hawkins, Chris Petersen, Bryan Harsin and coaches in other sports like Greg Patton, Beck Roghaar, Leon Rice, Gordy Presnell. All the great things that they do for this university and young men and women of this university. We intend to uphold that."

"We are energized and inspired by the new leadership at Boise State. Dr. Tromp, thank you for your passion and vision and determination to shape Boise State's destiny. Thank you. Jeramiah Dickey, I appreciate you, brother. You are the humble and hungry leader that Boise State is ready for. We are grateful to be a part of your team. Thank you."

"To the alumni, the brotherhood and Bronco Nation. We will put all of our effort and purpose into the development and growth of our current Broncos. We will reflect on the tenacious and relentless spirit of the blue-collar mentality. We look forward to seeing you in person, filling our events with that spirit. I've seen firsthand the difference Bronco Nation can make on us as competitors and at our competitions. We will need you as we continue to build the foundation of Bronco Athletics. We are eager to make you feel our passion and we have a strong desire to feel yours as well."

"Specific to the alumni and the brotherhood that I belong to. We all know the impact Boise State has had on our lives. We look forward to you guys coming back and impacting all of our programs and changing the lives in these programs, just as our lives have been changed by being a part of this university and this athletic department."

"To the players, it is a great honor to be back and be a part of your lives. To engage and find your why. To help you use your why as your inner motivation. To help you grow, lead and serve. We will surround you with men of high character and compassion, who value motivating and teaching in all aspects of your life. We will work together with purpose and for one another with a relentless mentality, a blue collar mentality. It isn't one thing. It's everything. It's a way of life. It's our state of mind and we can't wait to get to work."

"Dan Hawkins told me when I was probably a sophomore or a junior that I was going to be a coach, and I said 'no I'm not.' At that point in my life, I had tremendous love and obviously a passion for the game and it took no more than six months of being done at Boise State as a student-athlete to realize that I missed the game, I missed football, but I missed my brotherhood more than anything. I missed being around the comradery of the guys. I missed the impact that my coaches we having on me, the growth that I knew I needed as a young man. In those six months I found my calling, I found my passion to embark on this journey."

"I think everybody knows how passionate we are about this place and the opportunity that was there, but we focus on what's right in front of us. We focus on our responsibilities; we handle what the good Lord has given us. A couple of weeks ago, we took a deep breath and said 'hey, this is a place we've always wanted to be, there's an opportunity there but we need to focus, as we always have, on what we do and how we do it.' It was no better time to live in truth and uphold the standards we ask of others and no other time to exemplify that standard."

"There have been so many other coaches that I have been able to take bits and pieces from and be able to put it into what we believe and put it into action. We will continue to search for better ways to that fit Boise State, that fit our staff. We will work tirelessly to continue to learn and grow forward. To stay out in front, to be innovative, to give our student-athletes the best opportunities, again, to grow as young men, to excel in academics and to excel on the football field."

"We feel elated to be a part of this. We're very humbled by the opportunity to be a part of what's next and where we go from here. The vision, the plan of the president and the new AD, that inspired us to hear and learn about it… We feel extremely confident about being on this team with the leadership from the top, from the president to the AD. And we know this, this is a thriving community. This is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation, filled with great people. We intend to engage with them. We intend to show them our passion. We feel very strongly that they will show us their passion as well."

Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey
"You're not going to find someone who fits our mission better. We talk about bleeding blue. He was part of defining that for us as a player and as a coach. He exudes the blue-collar mentality of this program. So much so that the outpouring from fans, former student-athletes, alums was tremendous and it really cemented what I already felt was the best decision and the right decision. Now I feel it's the perfect decision. Everyone who I spoke to about Andy talked about his ability to lead young men. Not just his coaching, but to lead young men. In this day and age, that may be the most important thing he does."

"He has a defined vision; he knows where we're going; and yes we're going to win championships."

"He fits this school and he fits what we are about to accomplish."

"This isn't a guy who wants to rest on the successes of the past. You heard me talk about it last week. We are not putting this program into cruise control. We want to usher in a new era of Bronco football, build on what he helped create, but also what the coaches and student-athletes before him established.

"So what were we looking for in a head coach? We talked about mission fit. Do his core values align with who we are? We talked about him being a good partner and a teammate. That's extremely important to me and you heard that last week. Does he bleed blue? What does that mean to us? Work ethic is important. We are a blue-collar program and that's not going to stop. Was he a leader of young men? Was he developing them on and off the field? Is he going to hold people accountable to his vision and to our expectations? Was he a man of integrity and character? We needed someone who is endearing and genuine and authentic, who is going to represent us. Would he bring toughness? Those who know him know he will."

"The process was important to me as a new athletic director. Our student-athletes are a priority and they deserved my due diligence in this process. I thank Dr. Tromp for waiting for my hire, because I think it's extremely important for myself and this head coach moving forward. We are a national brand. We did a national search. Our goal was to identify someone as quickly as possible, but we were not going to make a decision until we did our due diligence."

"Being from the Boise family and the coaching tree. That was important to us, but it wasn't required. Our goal was to find the best person, the best fit, the best man and the best head coach for Bronco Nation and our student-athletes. And I feel we did that."

Boise State University President Dr. Marlene Tromp
"Boise State always strives for excellence. We seek leaders who drive forward our traditions of innovation, our blue-collar work ethic and excellence. Boise State University is incredibly unique. Not only has it risen from a junior college to a national research university with sheer grit and innovation. The character we are known for on our famous blue field is the character across our academic enterprise and our service to our community. The creativity and excellence of our athletic department mirrors that overall."

"We aimed to find the top candidates from across the country for our head football coach, just as we did for our athletic director. We engaged with an amazing pool of candidates. We made a plan from the outset to hire our AD first. We didn't even begin our head football coach search until we had Jeramiah Dickey on board to bring his expertise in this national search. National searches bring in amazing people, so it's never an easy decision. What I can say with absolute conviction is that I and we are elated with the outcome of both searches. Jeramiah Dickey did an amazing job in his first major effort as our AD. This whole process has made me even more excited about the future."

Gallery: (1-10-2021) Introducing Coach Andy Avalos

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