Wedding Bells on The Blue
Taylor Dowdy
As part of ongoing efforts to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Blue, Boise State Athletics will be releasing various stories about The Blue's impact on Boise State, the city of Boise and the state of Idaho. Here is one of those stories.
Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, Boise State Men’s Tennis Head Coach Luke Shields never imagined his tennis career would lead him to Boise, Idaho.
“We were in a small town out in the middle of nowhere with 40,000 people,” Luke Shields said. “There were no indoor tennis courts, but any opportunity that we got we took advantage of it, and Greg [Patton] provided some of those opportunities as a USTA [United States Tennis Association] coach.”
Patton, former Boise State men's tennis coach, took a chance on the Colorado native as a coach at the junior level.
“Back then the USTA kind of favored the Florida kids and the SoCal kids and they encouraged the top juniors in the country to move to SoCal and Florida,” Shields said. “But Greg looked out for us.”
Previously building a relationship with him during his junior career, Shields was Patton’s first call when he became the Boise State men’s tennis head coach.
After only visiting the city of trees a handful of times, Shields was particularly drawn to the ever-evolving blue turf.
Still to this day, The Blue is different from any other program and that innovative side drew me in. As a recruit going in, you don't want to just be a part of the same thing. You're searching for something that's unique, and that's what I saw here, a unique opportunity. I had a great experience in my recruiting and The Blue played a big role in that.Luke Shields
Even as a recruit, Shields could clearly see the forward-thinking spirit behind the vibrant blue field that continues to push boundaries, spark creativity and build success.
“I could tell there was a unique atmosphere at Boise State,” Shields said. “There's a true brotherhood and I could tell this place was special. And it wasn't just the tennis program, it was the whole athletic department at the time.”
Shields began his collegiate career at Boise State in 2004 and competed for four outstanding seasons. During that time, he broke program records in career and single-season singles wins, and represented Boise State at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship.
After a successful playing career at Boise State, Shields went on to coach at two other collegiate programs, and returned to his alma mater as an associate head coach from 2013 to 2015 in between those two tenures.
In May 2022, Shields was officially hired as a head coach at Boise State where he serves as the 11th head coach in program history.
“This opportunity came available and Jeramiah Dickey recruited me to come back here, I was thrilled,” Shields said. “This is always a place I want to eventually come back to.”
Prior to Shields making his return to the Broncos, he was inducted into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame alongside other notable athletes, including former Green Bay Packers player Korey Hall. The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 was celebrated during a football game at Albertsons Stadium, and unbeknownst to Shields, this wouldn’t be his biggest moment on The Blue.
Sitting just a few yards away in the stands was his soon-to-be wife, Sarah, who happened to be a Boise State football season ticket holder and Green Bay Packers superfan.
“I didn't know him at this point, but I remember when he got inducted to the Hall of Fame,” Sarah Shields said. “Korey Hall was out there and I'm a huge Packers fan and then right after was Luke.”
Not long after, the two officially met through one of Luke’s family members and eventually got engaged a year later.
When it came time to plan a wedding, they knew they wanted to get married in the city of Boise, but they couldn’t find a location that would fit all of their preferences. Until they thought of the place where it all started: The Blue.
“We were thinking about who we were going to invite to our wedding and it all kind of made sense because a lot of my best friends played here,” Luke Shields said. “I think they were all really excited to come back here and relive some moments.”
Around 30 former Boise State student-athletes attended the wedding where they returned to their alma mater and revisited old memories.
As a Boise native, Sarah and her family have always cheered on Boise State which curated a venue special for the both of them that also accommodated all of their wedding day needs.
“It'd be really special to do it here on The Blue and my wife and her family are passionate about Boise State Athletics too,” Luke Shields said. “She said my family would be so stoked to have it on The Blue and get that experience.”
The wedding ceremony and reception were both held in the Stueckle Sky Center overlooking the Boise skyline and the blue turf. The entire wedding party had the chance to step on to the turf, and even kick some field goals.
“The venue was so gracious and awesome to work with and we thought it was perfect,” Sarah Shields said. “It's an unbelievable view. For a lot of our guests, it’s the only time they're ever going to get up into this Stueckle Sky Center, and to see the blue field. It's an iconic mark for all our sports fans, and my family really loved it.”
Luke and Sarah Shields are one of many in the past 40 years to tie the knot on the iconic blue turf.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of The Blue, Boise State Athletics will celebrate throughout the year with limited edition collectibles, replacing the turf, and adding new features to Lyle Smith Field at Albertsons Stadium.
