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 |
| 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 1930s continuing into the 1950s. 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.
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