Get to know the University of Idaho
Tuesday, August 26, 2014 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- OK, we'll go ahead and give you Boise.
Now, quickly, name the second-largest city in the state of Idaho.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Answer: Nampa, as in rhymes with “Tampa.”
After Boise, home to 205,671, according to the 2010 Census, the metropolis of Nampa checks in at 81,557. Rounding out the state's top 10: Meridian, Idaho Falls, Poctatello, Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls, Lewiston and Post Falls.
Then comes Rexburg at No. 11. Of course it does.
And Moscow, home to the University of Idaho (photo above), checks in at No. 12 with a population of 23,800.
The crowd Saturday night inside Ben Hill Griffin to see the Florida Gators open the 2014 season against Idaho figures to be at least three times bigger than the visiting school's hometown. Not that the Vandals, out of the FBS, haven't seen that sort of environment before. Last Nov. 23, they visited Florida State.
They lost 80-14 on the way to a 1-11 season.
If you're a hard-core college football fan, you probably knew that last fact about Idaho. This installment of “Harry Fodder” hopefully will serve to educate Gator fans with a bigger-picture look at UF's opening-day foe.
For example, does the name W. Mark Felt ring a bell? 
Felt was born in Twin Falls in 1913 and graduated from Idaho in 1935 and went on to a career in the FBI -- a right-hand man to J. Edgar Hoover -- and eventually rose to Associate Director, the second-highest post at the Bureau.
It was from that position, Felt clandestinely spoon-fed Washington Post investigative reporter Bob Woodward information that ultimately led to the downfall of President Richard M. Nixon following the Watergate scandal.
You may know Felt as “Deep Throat.”
In failing health, Felt was outed (waving from his front door, right) as our nation's most famous whistleblower in 2005 by his daughter, who wanted the world to know how famous her father really was.
Here's a clip depicting a Woodward meeting with “Deep Throat” from the film “All the President's Men,” simply one of the finest and smartest films ever made.
Memo to youngsters: Rent this movie, if for nothing else, its historical significance. Be warned, however, not one building gets blown up.
In the meantime, get to know a little more, GatorZone blog style, about the place called “U of I.”
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
Founded: Jan. 30, 1889
Enrollment: 12,312
Colors: Silver and gold (honoring the state's mining tradition)
Nickname: Vandals
Mascot: Joe Vandal (right)
Conferences: Sun Belt (football) and Big Sky (all other sports)
Of note: In 2012, Forbes ranked the University of Idaho 154th in the nation among research universities, while U.S. News & World Report placed UI at 85th among the nation's best public universities and 160th overall.
ABOUT IU FOOTBALL
Founded: 1893
All-time record: 443-568-26 (.440)
Conference championships: 10
Playoff appearances: 11 in Division I-AA and FBS classification combined
Playoff record: 6-11
Home stadium: Kibbie Dome (16,000)
Coach: Paul Petrino (2nd season, and yes, Bobby's younger brother)
All-time bowl record: 2-0 (Beat Southern Miss 42-35 in 1998 Humanitarian Bowl at Boise; beat Bowling Green 43-42 at 2008 Humanitarian Bowl at Boise)
FAMOUS FORMER IU FOOTBALL COACHES 
Dennis Erickson
The Vandals gave Erickson his first head coach job in 1982 at the age of 34. In four years, he went 32-14, including a 4-0 mark against rival Boise, and three times took the program to the Division I-AA playoffs before bolting to become coach at Wyoming. Erickson went on to some pretty big things at Washington State and Miami. Not so much in NFL.
John L. Smith
Like Erickson, Smith got his first head coach's post at IU, where he went 53-21 over six seasons and won two Big Sky Conference championships. He twice coached the Walter Payton Award winner, given annually to the best I-AA player in the nation, in quarterbacks John Friesz and Doug Nussmeier. Smith parlayed success at Idaho to head posts at Utah State, Michigan State, Louisville, Weber State (shortly) and Arkansas. 
FAMOUS IU ATHLETES
Dan O'Brien: Won the decathlon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (right).
Tom Cable: Offensive linemen for the Vandals, went on to become head coach for three seasons (2008-10) for the Oakland Raiders, with whom he posted a 17-27 mark.
Mike Iupati: Offensive lineman and first-round pick (17th overall) of the San Franciso 49ers in 2010. A Pro-Bowler in 2012 and helped Niners reach the Super Bowl that year.
Gus Johnson: By way of Boise Junior College, Johnson was the nation's No. 2 rebounder during the 1962-63 season at 20.3 per game (he once cleared 31 rebounds in game vs. Oregon). A second-round pick of the Baltimore Bullets in '63, Johnson was a five-time NBA all-star over his 11-year pro career and won an ABA title with the Indiana Pacers.
Jerry Kramer: Starting offensive guard for Vince Lombardi's great Green Bay Packers championship teams of the 1960s. It was Kramer who Bart Starr followed into the “A” gap for the game-winning touchdown as time expired in the legendary “Ice Bowl” game at Lambeau Field.
Dan Monson: He was a star wide receiver at Moscow High and went to play at IU before a knee injury ended his career. Monson focused on a coaching career and eventually migrated to basketball, where he became head coach at Gonzaga -- including the below game. Advance apologies to Billy D.
Mark Schlereth: Super-credible NFL analyst on ESPN. He was a 10th-round pick from Idaho in 1989 and went on to start on offensive lines for three Super Bowl champions: one in Washington (1991) and those John Elway- and Terrell Davis-led back-to-back Denver teams (1997-98). Known as the ultimate tough-guy, having undergone 29 knee surgeries in his career.
Bill Stoneman: Right-handed pitcher who threw two no-hitters, both for the Montreal Expos, during his eight-year major-league career. The first came in 1969 against Philadelphia in just his fifth career start and just the ninth game in the expansion Expos' history. His second came four years later against the New York Mets. In 1971, Stoneman finished third in the National League in strikeouts (behind only Tom Seaver and Ferguson Jenkins) to go with 20 complete games.
Wayne Walker: Three-time Pro-Bowler, one-time All-Pro while playing both linebacker and placekicker over 15 seasons for the Detroit Lions (1958-72). 
OTHERS NOTABLE ALUMNI
Holden Bowler: He was a professional singer on a South America cruise line when he met and befriended a young aspiring writer who vowed he'd one day write a novel and name the main character "Holden." Yes, the writer was J.D Salinger. Yes, the character became Holden Caulfield. Yes, in "The Catcher In the Rye."
Bill Fagerbakke: Regular on the sit-com “Coach,” playing Dauber Dibynski, but (apparently) more famous for voicing Patrick Star (right) in “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Sarah (Heath) Palin: As a point guard at Wasilla (Alaska) High, she was known “Sarah Barrcuda” while leading her team to the state basketball championship. She then after bounced around to four colleges before finishing up at IU with a degree in journalism and in 2008 became the most famous women on the planet ... for a few months.
