Santa Clara Broncos
Encyclopedia
The Broncos are various sports teams of Santa Clara University
. The athletic program currently has 19 varsity sports, 9 men's sports and 10 women's. Additionally there are 18 club sports teams that compete intercollegiately. The school colors are red and white. The mascot is a bucking bronco and the fans are referred to as the "Ruff Riders".
. As comparably sized Jesuit schools within an hour's drive, these two schools have competed against each other for decades. The Rivalry was originally rooted in the two schools football programs, who both played home games at Kezar Stadium
. After USF dropped football in 1952, the rivalry was most heated in mens basketball, as both teams were nationally ranked in the 1950's, with Santa Clara appearing in the tournament in 1952, 1953, and 1954 and USF winning the tournament in 1954 and 1955.
The Saint Mary's
Gaels are considered, second only to USF, as Santa Clara's most hated rival. The school is located within an hour and a half drive and is also a member of the West Coast Conference
. While Santa Clara and USF are comparable in size and are both Jesuit, Santa Clara and St. Mary's are very different. The more rural St. Mary's is a Christian Brothers school and is much smaller than Santa Clara. With USF dropping football in 1952, St. Mary's became Santa Clara's most heated football rival until both programs meet their end in the 1990's. The football game between the schools was known as the "Little Big Game", a reference to Stanford and Cal's "Big Game". The game may have been called little, but in the 1920's and 30's, the game was attended by more than 60,000 fans. Although the schools no longer meet on the gridiron, Basketball games remain fierce and competitive.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs
were not well known athletically until they made inspired runs in the NCAA tournament in the 1990's and 2000's. As an West Coast Conference
opponent and a Jesuit institution, the Bulldogs are a natural rival for the Broncos on the hardwood. On February 12, 2007, the Bronco basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50 game home winning streak. At the time, it was the longest ongoing home winning streak in the NCAA.
Local non-conference rivals are the Stanford Cardinal
and occasionally the San José State Spartans
. An old rivalry with the California Golden Bears
has all but faded, but the teams face one another with frequency.
, and Kurt Rambis
, as well as college stars Ken Sears
, and Bob Ferrick. The Team has played in the NCAA tournament in 11 different seasons, reaching the 1952 Final Four. The 1992-1993 Santa Clara team, led by future NBA MVP Steve Nash, was one of 4 #15 seeds to defeat a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
.
On February 12, 2007, the men's basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50 game home winning streak. At the time, it was the longest ongoing home winning streak in the NCAA.
and played to a 1-1
tie that was called due to darkness after 2 overtimes, earning both
Santa Clara and Virginia a share of the National Championship. In 1991
they again faced Virginia and again tied after regulation, this time 0-0, but lost to the Cavaliers
on penalty kicks. In 1999, they lost to Indiana University, 0-1.
, beating University of North Carolina
1-0. The team was mentioned several times in the film Bend It Like Beckham
.
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's Cup team that won in 1999. Her husband Jerry Smith is the coach of the Santa Clara women's team.
which were held that year in Orem, Utah. They ousted a powerful Western
Washington club before falling to eventual division champion Utah
Valley State. The Santa Clara University Touring Side (SCUTS) have
built upon that success and followed with a strong 2009 campaign.
In 2008, the Santa Clara Paintball Team made it to the final rounds of the NCPA competition in Florida.
and St. Mary's College, as well as maintaining what were then much more fierce rivalries with Stanford University
and the University of California
. 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. The Broncos competed favorably on a national scale, winning the 1937 and 1938 Sugar Bowl
s (both against Louisiana State
) and the 1950 Orange Bowl
against Paul "Bear" Bryant's Kentucky Wildcats
, 21-13. Combatting increased costs, rising enrollments at public universities and the advent of professional football, Santa Clara dropped football in 1952, never to return to national prominence. The team was reinstated in 1959
and 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. 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. Despite changes in school leadership, 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.
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
. The athletic program currently has 19 varsity sports, 9 men's sports and 10 women's. Additionally there are 18 club sports teams that compete intercollegiately. The school colors are red and white. The mascot is a bucking bronco and the fans are referred to as the "Ruff Riders".
Athletics
| Varsity Men | Varsity Women | Club Men | Club Women | Club Co-ed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Field hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
Boxing Boxing Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds... |
| Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... |
Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... |
Cycling Cycling Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists... |
| Crew Rowing (sport) Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water... |
Crew Rowing (sport) Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water... |
Rugby Rugby football Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:... |
Rugby Rugby football Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:... |
Equestrian Equestrianism Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses... |
| Cross country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
Cross country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... |
Ultimate Ultimate (sport) Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby... |
Ultimate Ultimate (sport) Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby... |
Paintball Paintball Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble... |
| Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... |
Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
Sailing Yacht racing Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing... |
| Outdoor track | Outdoor track | Shotokan Karate Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including... |
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| Soccer | Soccer | Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... |
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| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... |
Triathlon Triathlon A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances... |
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| Water polo Water polo Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a... |
Water polo Water polo Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a... |
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| Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive... |
University athletic memberships
- NCAA Division I
- West Coast ConferenceWest Coast ConferenceThe West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
- Pacific Coast Softball Conference
- Western Water Polo AssociationWestern Water Polo AssociationThe Western Water Polo Association is a single sport intercollegiate college athletic conference sponsoring men's and women's water polo. The WWPA is affiliated with NCAA...
- Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing ConferencePacific Coast Collegiate Sailing ConferenceThe Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference is a District Association within the Intercollegiate Sailing Association, the governing body for collegiate competition in the sport of sailing. The PCCSC consists mostly of teams from California, but also includes teams from Hawaii and Arizona...
Rivalries
Within the West Coast Conference, Santa Clara's bitterest rival is the University of San Francisco DonsSan Francisco Dons
The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco .-History:Athletics at USF dates back to its founding in 1855, when founder Anthony Maraschi, S.J. organized ball games as recreation for the first students...
. As comparably sized Jesuit schools within an hour's drive, these two schools have competed against each other for decades. The Rivalry was originally rooted in the two schools football programs, who both played home games at Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the...
. After USF dropped football in 1952, the rivalry was most heated in mens basketball, as both teams were nationally ranked in the 1950's, with Santa Clara appearing in the tournament in 1952, 1953, and 1954 and USF winning the tournament in 1954 and 1955.
The Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
Gaels are considered, second only to USF, as Santa Clara's most hated rival. The school is located within an hour and a half drive and is also a member of the West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
. While Santa Clara and USF are comparable in size and are both Jesuit, Santa Clara and St. Mary's are very different. The more rural St. Mary's is a Christian Brothers school and is much smaller than Santa Clara. With USF dropping football in 1952, St. Mary's became Santa Clara's most heated football rival until both programs meet their end in the 1990's. The football game between the schools was known as the "Little Big Game", a reference to Stanford and Cal's "Big Game". The game may have been called little, but in the 1920's and 30's, the game was attended by more than 60,000 fans. Although the schools no longer meet on the gridiron, Basketball games remain fierce and competitive.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Gonzaga University is a member of the West Coast Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
were not well known athletically until they made inspired runs in the NCAA tournament in the 1990's and 2000's. As an West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....
opponent and a Jesuit institution, the Bulldogs are a natural rival for the Broncos on the hardwood. On February 12, 2007, the Bronco basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50 game home winning streak. At the time, it was the longest ongoing home winning streak in the NCAA.
Local non-conference rivals are the Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
and occasionally the San José State Spartans
San José State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level...
. An old rivalry with the California Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
has all but faded, but the teams face one another with frequency.
Men's Basketball
Mens' 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, Bob Feerick, coming in the 1942 season. The program has produced NBA stars Steve NashSteve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
, and Kurt Rambis
Kurt Rambis
Darrell Kurt Rambis is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.-Biography:...
, as well as college stars Ken Sears
Ken Sears
Kenneth Robert Sears is a retired American professional basketball player. He holds the distinction of being the first basketball player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, appearing on the December 20, 1954 issue.A 6'9" forward from Santa Clara University, Sears played eight...
, and Bob Ferrick. The Team has played in the NCAA tournament in 11 different seasons, reaching the 1952 Final Four. The 1992-1993 Santa Clara team, led by future NBA MVP Steve Nash, was one of 4 #15 seeds to defeat a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
.
On February 12, 2007, the men's basketball team snapped Gonzaga's 50 game home winning streak. At the time, it was the longest ongoing home winning streak in the NCAA.
Men's Soccer
The men's soccer team has reached the championship match of the College Cup three times. In 1989, they faced the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and played to a 1-1
tie that was called due to darkness after 2 overtimes, earning both
Santa Clara and Virginia a share of the National Championship. In 1991
they again faced Virginia and again tied after regulation, this time 0-0, but lost to the Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams officially representing the University of Virginia in college sports. The Cavaliers compete in 25 NCAA Division I varsity sports and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
on penalty kicks. In 1999, they lost to Indiana University, 0-1.
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team is consistently ranked among the top twenty teams nationally. The program won the national title in the 2001 NCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
, beating University of North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
The North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer...
1-0. The team was mentioned several times in the film Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 comedy-drama film starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis, and Archie Panjabi first released in the United Kingdom. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha...
.
The team's most famous player is Brandi Chastain
Brandi Chastain
Brandi Denise Chastain is a professional American soccer defender and midfielder who plays for the team California Storm of Women's Premier Soccer League and is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team....
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's Cup team that won in 1999. Her husband Jerry Smith is the coach of the Santa Clara women's team.
Club Sports
In 2008, the Santa Clara Men's rugby club made it to National playoffswhich were held that year in Orem, Utah. They ousted a powerful Western
Washington club before falling to eventual division champion Utah
Valley State. The Santa Clara University Touring Side (SCUTS) have
built upon that success and followed with a strong 2009 campaign.
In 2008, the Santa Clara Paintball Team made it to the final rounds of the NCPA competition in Florida.
Former Football Program
Santa Clara University fielded a intercollegiate football team from 1896 to 1992, competing against traditional arch-rivals the University of San FranciscoSan Francisco Dons
The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco .-History:Athletics at USF dates back to its founding in 1855, when founder Anthony Maraschi, S.J. organized ball games as recreation for the first students...
and St. Mary's College, as well as maintaining what were then much more fierce rivalries with Stanford University
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and the University of California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
. The Broncos were the first team to play the Cal Bears in Memorial Stadium
California Memorial Stadium
California Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley. Commonly known as Memorial Stadium, it is the home field for the University of California Golden Bears of the Pacific-12 Conference...
. In Santa Clara's football heyday, they drew crowds of up to 60,000 to Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium
Kezar Stadium is a stadium located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, and of the San Francisco Dragons of MLL. It also served as the home of the...
in San Francisco, where they played home games. The Broncos competed favorably on a national scale, winning the 1937 and 1938 Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
s (both against Louisiana State
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
) and the 1950 Orange Bowl
1950 Orange Bowl
1950 Orange Bowl was the sixteenth installment of the Orange Bowl. The game featured the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference and the Santa Clara Broncos, an independent program. Santa Clara was ranked #15 in the AP poll prior to the game...
against Paul "Bear" Bryant's Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
, 21-13. Combatting increased costs, rising enrollments at public universities and the advent of professional football, Santa Clara dropped football in 1952, never to return to national prominence. The team was reinstated in 1959
1959 college football season
The 1959 college football season saw Syracuse University crowned as the national champion by both the AP and the UPI wire services. Mississippi , which had outscored its opponents 350-21, finished #2 in both polls, and its only loss during the regular season had been to LSU, which ultimately...
and competed favorably at the college division (later Division II) level until football was once again discontinued in 1992, due to new NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
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. Despite changes in school leadership, 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.