Former Boise State head coach Lyle Setencich gave decades to football as a player, high school coach, and college coach across different programs. He passed away on June 23 at the age of 81, Boise State's athletic department announced on July 16, 2026.

Setencich first joined the university in 1980 as a defensive backs coach under then-head coach Jim Criner. He was promoted to defensive coordinator before that season even started.

Then Boise State went out and won it all, a 31-29 win over Eastern Kentucky for the Division I-AA National Championship.

That title run defined Setencich's early years in Boise. He'd spent ten years coaching high school ball in California before this job came along, so walking straight into a national championship season hit different.

Per the July 16 Boise State University Athletics article, Setencich stayed on as the team's defensive coordinator for three seasons. He was promoted to head coach in 1983 when Criner left for Iowa State.

Setencich went 24-20 across four seasons leading the program, including a 16-12 mark in Big Sky Conference play. Those 24 wins tie him with Pokey Allen and current head coach Spencer Danielson for the ninth-most in program history.

His tenure at Boise State also included one of the most historic moments in college football.

On September 13, 1986, he was on the sideline when the Broncos played their very first game on The Blue, the iconic blue turf at Albertsons Stadium. They beat Humboldt State 74-0 that day.

After leaving Boise State, Setencich spent seven seasons as head coach at Cal Poly from 1987 to 1993, going 41-29-2. He then had assistant coaching stints at Pacific, Arizona State, and California before finishing his career as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 2007.

As a player, he competed at the College of the Sequoias and later at Fresno State from 1965 to 1966.

Lyle Setencich left a legacy that stretched far beyond Boise State

The Blue Turf is one of the most recognized playing surfaces in all of college football. Setencich was the head coach when it was unveiled.

When Boise State installed the blue field before the 1986 season, nobody outside of Boise knew what to make of it. Setencich coached the first game ever played on that surface, and the Broncos put up 74 points, per IdahoPress.

The field became a signature part of Boise State's identity in the decades that followed. Setencich was there at the very beginning of that story.

Setencich was born on June 4, 1945, in Reedley, California. He played college football at the College of the Sequoias and Fresno State before transitioning to coaching.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit