On Top of the Game

Description

Long before the 49ers built Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara--before they built a dynasty at Candlestick Park--there was another team that dominated the gridiron in the Bay Area. The Santa Clara Broncos regularly filled San Francisco's Kezar Stadium with upwards of 60,000 screaming fans. This new exhibit traces a century of Santa Clara sporting history--from the founding of the college in 1851, through the establishment of the school's baseball, basketball and football teams, on to The Broncos' win in the Orange Bowl in 1951. Sports played a pivotal role in shaping the educational institution. (NV)


Before the NFL came to the Bay Area, before the 49ers were a household name, there were the Santa Clara Broncos. Able to fill San Francisco's Kezar Stadium with more than 60,000 fans on a Sunday afternoon, Bronco football was a powerhouse in Bay Area sports entertainment. And, it was just one of a few sports where Santa Clara Broncos excelled. On Top of the Game traces nearly 100 years of Santa Clara sports history, beginning with the establishment of the school in 1851 and ending with an impressive Orange Bowl victory in 1950.

From the start, sports and recreation was an integral part of Bronco life. In the earliest days of Santa Clara College (now University) physical activity took the shape of bike rides, pick-up games, or a dip in the school's swimming pool (possibly the first in California). But, by the 1870s a love of baseball took hold at the school, followed by the establishment of a football team in 1895. The introduction of rugby and basketball soon followed, with both teams popping up around 1905.
As the popularity of organized sports increased at Santa Clara, the nature of the campus began to shift. Once a closed campus where trips offsite were restricted, school administrators began allowing students to leave campus on Sundays to watch games in the late 1880s. By the 1890s athletics, and baseball in particular, had become so important to campus life that it justified overnight absences for players.
As the years progressed, the popularity of sports grew on campus and the teams improved. The rugby team sent some of its key players to the 1920 Olympics Games in Antwerp and the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Against odds, the football team took home three bowl wins between 1937 and 1950—two Sugar Bowl victories and an Orange Bowl win. The basketball team followed up with two consecutive turns in the NCAA playoffs and stint in the Final Four. And, the story goes on as Santa Clara University continues to send top athletes out into the world—Brandi Chastain, Brent Jones, and Steve Nash to name a few.
On Top of the Game explores the dynamic history of Bronco sports from 1851-1950, tracing the evolution of athletics from the earliest days of Santa Clara College to some of the glory days of Santa Clara University.

More Info

Link

http://www.scu.edu/desaisset