Santa Clara Broncos football
| Santa Clara Broncos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1896 |
| Last season | 1992 |
| Stadiums |
Kezar Stadium (1925-1952) Buck Shaw Stadium (1962-1993) |
| Seating capacity | 6,800 |
| Field surface | Grass |
| Location | Santa Clara, California |
| NCAA division | Division II (1956-1993) |
| Conference | Division II Independent |
| All-time record | 352–244–28 (.587) |
| Bowl record | 3–0 (1.000) |
| Conference titles | 2 (1983, 1985) |
| Colors |
Maroon and White[1] |
| Rivals |
St. Mary's College Gaels California Golden Bears Stanford Cardinal |
| Website | SantaClaraBroncos.com |
The Santa Clara Broncos football program were the intercollegiate American football team for Santa Clara University located in Santa Clara, California.
Santa Clara played their first football game against St. Mary's College in San Francisco in 1896.
Santa Clara enjoyed major college football success as the "Notre Dame of the West" in the 1930's continuing into the 1950's. The pinnacle of that success was perhaps Buck Shaw's Broncos winning the Sugar Bowl in 1936 and 1937. The program was disrupted by the Second World War, but following the conclusion of the conflict, Santa Clara alumnus Len Casanova, a future coach and athletic director at the University of Oregon, lead the program to a victory in 1950 Orange Bowl against Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant and his Kentucky Wildcats.
Citing increased costs related to travel and equipment, as well as increased competition with the new San Francisco 49ers for home game dates at Kezar Stadium, Santa Clara President Herman J. Hauck announced football would be discontinued following the 1952 season.
Football was reinstated in 1956, first as a club program, then as an NCAA Division II program. Santa Clara competed favorably at this level, producing NFL players like Brent Jones, Dan Pastorini, and Doug Cosbie.
In 1993, new NCAA legislation prohibited football programs from "playing down". Santa Clara, who had always played all other sports at the NCAA Division I level, had to either elevate their program to Division I, or disband. The University chose the latter, much to the disappointment of the student body and alumni.
Santa Clara compiled an all-time record of 352–244–28.[2] At the conclusion of the 1992 season, the Santa Clara football program was discontinued due to new NCAA regulations which mandated all sports be played at the same level at each university. Santa Clara had fielded all Division I teams with the exception of the Division II football team, and elected not to field a team at the Division I-AA level.[3]
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
- Bryan Barker
- Brent Jones
- Mike Carey
- Len Casanova
- Mike Kellogg
- Pat Malley
- Mike Nott
- Dan Pastorini
- Doug Cosbie
- Nello Falaschi
Championships
Conference championships
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Western Football Conference (Co-Championship) | Pat Malley | 6-4-0 | 2-1 |
| 1985 | Western Football Conference | Terry Malley | 8-2-1 | 4-0-1 |
| Total conference championships | 2 | |||
Conference affiliations:
- 1896–1981, Independent
- 1973–81, Division II Independent
- 1982–91, Western Football Conference
- 1992–92, Division II Independent
Bowl game appearances
| Season | Date | Bowl | W/L | Opponent | PF | PA | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | January 1, 1937 | Sugar Bowl | W | LSU | 21 | 14 | Buck Shaw | notes |
| 1937 | January 1, 1938 | Sugar Bowl | W | LSU | 6 | 0 | Buck Shaw | notes |
| 1949 | January 2, 1950 | Orange Bowl | W | Kentucky | 21 | 13 | Len Casanova | notes |
| Total | 3 bowl games | 3–0 | 48 | 27 |
References
- ↑ "Santa Clara University Color Palette". Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Santa Clara Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
- ↑