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September 30, 2013
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come true
John Engel & MichaelSteen
Since watching Boise State’s miraculous 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Adrian Petersen and
the Oklahoma Sooners, Shane Swanson has wanted to meet the Boise State football team and
headcoachChrisPetersen.HisdreamwastowitnessagameonthefamousBlueTurf.
Shane,now12yearsold,isn’tfromBoise,Idaho,orthewesternUnitedStatesforthatmatter.
He lives in Bloomington, Minn. Shane has lived with Spinal Bifida his entire life and most
recentlyabrokenleg,whichrequireshimtouseawheelchair. Hehadonewish;tobecome
a Boise State Bronco for just one day. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his wish.
From the second he stepped off the plane from the Midwest, Shane was given the “blue
carpettreatment”hemostcertainlydeserved.
His inspiration was enough to lead the Broncos to a 60-7 win over South-
ern Miss on Sept. 28. He is the third honorary Bronco the Make-A-Wish Founda-
tion has brought to Bronco Stadium in the last four years.
After making the three-hour flight from Minneapolis to Boise, Shane was greet-
ed by the Idaho Make-A-Wish staff, the Boise State swim team and the Boise State
cheerleaders.
As he rolled through the sliding doors of the terminal, Shane, displaying his unfor-
gettable smile for all, could hear the cheers escalating.
Once Shane was escorted to Bronco Stadium for his press conference, and the
signing of his letter of intent. He was blown away by the Boise State campus and
all the attention he was receiving.
“I was just like, ‘wow’,” Shane said during his press conference in front of the
assembled local media. “That’s about the words that could come out of my
mouth.”
Shane received some applause of his own, when he announced to the media
that he is also an accomplished swimmer. He has broken multiple records at
the National Junior Disabilities Championships.
He arrived in Boise and signed a letter of intent to be an honorary member of
Bronco Nation. After hanging out at his own personal tailgate, Shane got the opportu-
nity to lead the Broncos out onto the field for the game against Southern Miss. Buster Bronco
entered the stadium first, as always, through the tunnel of cheerleaders lining the center of the
field. Then it was Shane’s turn to shine.
Pushed in his wheelchair by redshirt senior defensive lineman Charles Leno Jr. and redshirt
sophomore safety Taylor Loffler to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, Shane was
greeted through the cloud of fog by 35,356 screaming fans in Bronco Stadium. Fireworks
exploded behind the north end zone as Shane was wheeled down the sideline and towards
midfield.
Shane then joined captains redshirt sophomore safety Dillon Lukehart, redshirt
senior wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman
Marcus Henry and redshirt senior defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe as an
honorary captain for the game.
“Our players did a great job with Shane the last two days,” head coach Chris
Petersen said. “We just feel so honored when somebody like that wants to come
out and have a wish to spend with us.”
Shane then joined his family in their personal VIP seats for the game. He watched
his beloved Broncos cruise to a 60-7 victory.
Make-A-WishbringsyoungShaneSwanson’swishtolife
Design Megan Nanna/THE ARBITER
Photo Megan Nanna & Devin Ferrell/THE ARBITER