The 1996 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season, their first in Division I-A.

The Broncos competed in the Big West Conference and played their home games on campus at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

Led by fourth-year head coach Pokey Allen and interim head coach Tom Mason, Boise State finished the season at 2–10 (1–4 in Big West, fifth).

Diagnosed with a rare and aggressive muscle cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) shortly after the 1994 season,[1] Allen underwent surgery in August 1996,[2] then returned to coach the final two games of the season.

[3][4] While visiting relatives in Montana over the holidays,[4] Allen's condition worsened and he died in Missoula on December 30.