History of the Broncos
The Santa Clara Broncos are athletic teams that represent Santa Clara University. The school colors are red and white. The nickname for the teams is The Broncos and the student fans are referred to as the "Ruff Riders." The Broncos compete in the NCAA Division I (NCAA) as members of the West Coast Conference of which Santa Clara is a charter member.
College Sports Established
1896
Location
Santa Clara, California
College Name
Santa Clara University
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1952 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
1952 - Present / West Coast Conference
Nickname
Broncos - It was Professor of Philosophy Hubert Flynn, S.J. who first suggested a bronco as a mascot in 1923 after he attended a rodeo. The unbroken horse, he said, “is a native Western piece of dynamite, not too large, it is true, but hard as nails, and always game to the core.”
In the initial pitch for the new name it was suggested the varsity teams be called the “bronchos.” That’s no typo. The “h” persisted for years. And it wasn’t unheard of at the time. Broncho the Horse earned an acting credit in the 1920 silent Western The Lone Hand. The last reference to Bronchos in The Santa Clara is in the mid-1960s.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that the player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
