Broncos not the only champs in Boise
Boise State shares hometown with six-time NWL champion Hawks
On Monday night, the Boise State Broncos ushered in the New Year with an exhilarating 43-42 Fiesta Bowl victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.
The topsy-turvy overtime win completed a 13-0 season for the ninth-ranked Broncos, who are one of just two Division I teams to have gone undefeated this season. The other, top-ranked Ohio State, will play Florida State for the BCS National Championship on Monday.
The Broncos' triumph garnered nationwide attention, but that celebrated squad is not the only sports phenomenon to emerge from Idaho in recent years. Although they have been in existence for just two decades, the Northwest League's Boise Hawks have won 11 division titles and six league championships while helping to develop a multitude of top prospects.
The Class A Short-Season franchise, founded in 1987 as an independent team, spent 1990-2000 as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Under the leadership of legendary skipper Tom Kotchman, the club won four titles in five years, including three in a row from 1993-1995. During this illustrious period in the team's history, Major leaguers such as Troy Percival, Garret Anderson and John Lackey took the field for the Hawks.
And to really help with the Google hits, the story makes sure to include a mention and a picture of Notre Dame wide receiver and 2006 member of the Hawks Jeff Samardzija.
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