BOISE, IDAHO — When a team scores at Albertson's Stadium-- like the many touchdowns by BYU at Friday's Idaho Potato Bowl-- one thing's for sure: the numbers on the scoreboard don't change themselves.
"Now for the first years of my marriage, my wife was wondering, 'Where are you going on Saturday night?'"
For the last 41 years, Ray Stark was up there pushing buttons and keeping score. And he'd be going there for many Saturday nights to come.
"So if you can't beat em, join 'em! She bought season tickets to football and basketball with a girlfriend, and has attended right there along with me to all the games," said Stark.
And when he says "all the games," it's not far off. He says he has attended more than 300 games in his 41 year span, and he says he's only missed about 10.
"I have to do something after every play," said Stark, "Meaning that if it's first and 10, and they run the ball for no gain, all I do is press the button and it's second and 10."
And while this attention to detail might seem like a lot of pressure-- after all, thousands of eyes are keeping track-- he says, for him, it's actually not.
"You have to be alert the whole time... We have a great crew on the scoreboard and the P.A. announcer, and all the clocks. And we just get along really well. We've done it for years, and they're a great group of friends."
A group of friends that will miss him, no doubt-- as the Idaho Potato Bowl was his last game on the job .
"Worked 25 years in basketball, and now this is 41 years in football-- it's long enough."
But in true scorekeeper fashion, no tears for him-- or, apparently, his wife.
"I worked the games and she attended the games. So we're looking forward to even traveling during the football season for the first time in 41 years."
But if there's one thing he'll remember about his time with the Broncos at Albertsons Stadium, it's this:
"That this crowd of 37,000 could make almost just as much noise, as stadiums that we've been in around the country with 80,000 people."
So on behalf of that crowd: hey, thanks for looking out.
