Santa Clara University Broncos: A Legacy of Athletic Excellence

Santa Clara University boasts a rich athletic tradition, fostering champions at the highest levels of NCAA Division I competition. With dedicated coaching and training staffs, supportive faculty, and enthusiastic fellow students, the Santa Clara Broncos embody a commitment to athletic and academic achievement. Beyond varsity sports, the university offers a diverse array of club and intramural activities, ensuring opportunities for all students to engage in athletic pursuits. From chess to cornhole, equestrian to swimming, ice hockey to field hockey, Santa Clara provides avenues for students of all interests and skill levels to participate.

A Tradition of Success in the West Coast Conference

Santa Clara's Division I teams have a history of excellence in the West Coast Conference and on the national stage. The school colors are red and white, and its athletic teams are known as The Broncos. Student fans, known as the "Ruff Riders," provide enthusiastic support at games. Entry to all regular season home athletics events is available to all Santa Clara University undergraduate and graduate students by showing their valid access ID card (physical or mobile credential), subject to capacity on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Ruff Riders are the official student section of the Santa Clara Broncos. Santa Clara University supports a broad intercollegiate athletics program and is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a founding member of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Heather M. is the Athletic Director.

With 20 intercollegiate sports, Santa Clara fields men’s teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, track and field, golf, rowing, soccer, tennis, and water polo. The women compete in basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, track and field, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, and water polo.

A Closer Look at Key Sports Programs

Baseball

The Santa Clara University Broncos baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team that represents the school in NCAA Division I. Santa Clara Baseball competes in the West Coast Conference, of which the Broncos were a charter member. The Broncos play their home games on campus at Stephen Schott Stadium, which opened in 2005. Santa Clara began play in 1883 and has enjoyed a long history of baseball excellence. Santa Clara has won eleven conference titles and appeared in twelve NCAA Tournaments, including a runner-up finish in the 1962 College World Series. Not to be outdone, Bronco baseball was also crowned WCC Champions in 2023, winning the conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. Pitcher Skylar Hales went on to be a fourth round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. In total, Santa Clara has been to 12 NCAA tournaments, including a trip to the 1962 College World Series title game. The team featured eight future major league players, including three who went straight to the major leagues. Overall, there have been 171 Broncos selected in the MLB draft. One of the most famous Santa Clara baseball players, Randy Winn, started as Nash’s backup as point guard on the basketball team before concentrating on the diamond. Winn played in 13 MLB seasons, including five for the San Francisco Giants.

Men's Basketball

Men's basketball played its first season in 1904. Since then, the men's basketball team has historically been a strong program within the West Coast Conference. The program has produced 13 All-Americans, with their first, Ralph Giannini, coming in the 1940 season. The program has produced NBA stars Steve Nash, and Kurt Rambis, as well as college stars Ken Sears and Bob Feerick. The Team has played in the NCAA tournament in 11 different seasons, reaching the 1952 Final Four. On February 12, 2007, the men's basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50-game home winning streak. Led by head coach Herb Sendek, the fourth most winning coach in program history, and one of just three active men’s basketball coaches in the WCC with 500 career victories, Santa Clara posted their third-straight 20-win season in 2023-24. It is just the third time in program history in which they have posted 20 wins in three-consecutive seasons. Additionally, the Broncos have posted 20 or more wins in four of the last five seasons, which includes the shortened 2020-21 campaign. In 2022, the Broncos had one of their best seasons of recent history with a third-place finish in the WCC and a second-consecutive postseason appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Broncos posted 23 regular-season victories, their most since 1968-69. Sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski was named WCC Co-Player of the Year as well as Newcomer of the Year, and went on to be selected by the Golden State Warriors with 19th overall selection in 2023 NBA Draft, giving the Broncos back-to-back first round selections. Jalen Williams was selected 12th overall in the 2022 draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder to become the Broncos’ first NBA draft pick since 1996, when Steve Nash was also selected in the first round. With Williams and Podziemski both selected inside the top 20 of their respective drafts, Santa Clara was one of just five programs (and the only one from the WCC) with multiple players selected in the top-20 of the 2022 and 2023 drafts. Santa Clara went to three NCAA tournaments during Nash’s four years on the Mission campus, including an upset of second-seeded Arizona in 1993. Nash would go on to become a two-time NBA MVP and is among the most decorated players in NBA history. Other former players include NBA champion Kurt Rambis and fourth-overall NBA draft pick, Ken Sears.

Women's Basketball

Women's basketball played its first season in 1963. Since then, the women's basketball team has historically been a strong program within the West Coast Conference. The Women's Basketball team won the WNIT in 1991. The 2012-13 Santa Clara Broncos women's basketball team was another notable team. Head Coach JR Payne signed a contract with the Santa Clara Bronco in the 2014 season. Finishing with a record of 10-20 during the season of 2014-15, the Broncos came out with an outstanding record of 23-9 beating Stanford University on November 23, (61-58). Coach JR Payne accepted a head coaching position at Colorado University at the end of the 2015-16 season. In April 2016 the Broncos hired Bill Carr, who was the head coach for 8 seasons. The women’s basketball program has made 13 postseason appearances, including in 2023-24 with a trip to the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). The Broncos won their first game of the tournament, giving them their first postseason victory since 1992. The current Head Coach, Bill Carr led the 2020-21 squad to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament for the first time since 2016 when the team qualified for the National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Carr has more than 250 career wins as a college head coach and collected a pair of league coach of the year honors.

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team is one of the nation's elite teams having since 2006 been among the top eight programs of the NCAA for developing professional players overall. The men's soccer team has reached the championship match of the College Cup three times. In 1989, they faced the University of Virginia; both teams were declared co-champions after the game ended in a 1-1 tie. In 1991, they again faced Virginia and again tied after regulation, this time 0-0, but lost on penalty kicks. In 1999, they lost to Indiana University, 0-1. Men’s soccer was co-champions of the WCC in 2023, which was their 14th conference title in program history. In total, they have been to 21 NCAA Tournaments, five College Cups and took home a national title in 1989 when current head coach, Cameron Rast, was a star on the team.

Women's Soccer

The women's soccer team is one of the nation's elite programs in the NCAA consistently ranking among the top ten teams nationally with twenty consecutive years in the Top 10. The program won the national title in the 2001 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, beating University of North Carolina 1-0, and again in the 2020 NCAA Championship, defeating Florida State 4-1 on penalties. The team has had over 40 players in play in the top professional leagues in the country: Women's Professional Soccer and National Women's Soccer League. The team's most famous player is Brandi Chastain who took the Broncos to two NCAA Final Four appearances in 1989 and 1990. She would later be on the American Olympic team that won the gold medal in 1996 and the American World Cup teams that won in 1991 and 1999. Her husband Jerry Smith is the coach of the Santa Clara women's team, currently in his 36th season at the helm. Santa Clara women’s soccer team is perennially among the nation’s elite. On the heels of winning the 2020 National Championship and following up as the 2021 National Championship Semifinalist, the Broncos repeated as WCC Champions in 2022, their third-straight conference championship title and 13th overall. In the 2023 season, the Broncos qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time in program history in 2023. Under the direction of head coach Jerry Smith, women’s soccer has appeared in 33 NCAA Tournaments, 12 College Cups, and won two National Championships (2001, 2020), becoming just the seventh program with two or more crowns. The Broncos’ 34 NCAA Tournament appearances are the third-most all-time in NCAA Division I, and their 12 trips to the College Cup is tied for the fourth-most all-time.

Other Sports

Santa Clara University fielded an intercollegiate football team from 1896 to 1992. The Broncos were the first team to play the Cal Bears in Memorial Stadium. In Santa Clara's football heyday, they drew crowds of up to 60,000 to Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, where they played home games. Combatting increased costs, rising enrollments at public universities and the advent of professional football, Santa Clara dropped football in 1952. The team was reinstated in 1959. It competed favorably at the college division (later Division II) level until football was once again discontinued in 1992, due to new NCAA regulations which mandated all sports be played at the same level at each university. There is no indication football will return to the school in the future, although rumors of the return of Bronco football have not been put to rest.

The Santa Clara Women's Lacrosse team has made it to nationals multiple years and placed 3rd in the 2011 season.

Read also: Explore Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara University Rugby Football Club has a rich history. Following their success on the DII national stage and the creation of the College Premier Division, Santa Clara made the move to DI in the Northern California League (Nor Cal League). In 2012 Santa Clara men's rugby won the 2012 Nor Cal Conference Championship and advanced to the round of 16 of the D1 National Playoffs. In 2013, Santa Clara was promoted to Division 1-A and played in the California conference.

Men’s track and field had its first student athlete in program history to reach the national championship, when Zach Litoff ran in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2021 NCAA meet.

Volleyball also competes among the nation’s best having been to the NCAA Tournament 16 times, including 13 in the last 24 seasons with the 2005 squad making it to the Final Four.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

The Broncos are fortunate to play in some of the best facilities on the West Coast:

Stephen C. and Patricia A. Schott Athletic Excellence Center: Opened in 2020, this $37 million, 50,000-square-foot building provides dedicated space for student athletes to work out, train, practice, eat, and study together. The all-encompassing training center includes Stevens Academic Center, Bronco Bench Foundation Sports Performance Center, John Filizetti & Coach McPherson Sports Medicine Center, John and Timi Sobrato Gymnasium (Dick Davey Court), Rambis Family Gymnasium (Carroll Williams Court), and William J. and Pamela G. Connolly Fuel Station.
Leavey Center: Home to men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball as well as Santa Clara Athletics staff and coaches.
Stevens Stadium-Buck Shaw Field: Home to men’s and women’s soccer, was refurbished in 2015. The adjoining Stevens Soccer Training Center is a stylish 7,000-square foot facility that features all the necessary amenities for both programs.
Stephen Schott Stadium: Home to baseball, contains an indoor hitting facility and 5,000-square-foot clubhouse, and recently underwent renovation to add in a state-of-the-art turf playing surface
Santa Clara Softball Stadium: Debuted in 2016 and contains an indoor hitting facility.

The Spirit of the Broncos

Santa Clara Athletics also supports the Ruff Riders, the official student fan club, and spirit groups, which include the dance team, pep band, and Bucky the Bronco.

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