The Santa Clara Broncos are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit institution founded in 1851 in Santa Clara, California. The university’s official athletics colors are red (PMS 202 C) and white, and all teams go by the Broncos nickname. [1]
Design and History
The Broncos nickname dates to November 5, 1923, when the name was adopted as the title for the Santa Clara varsity. It was first suggested by Father Hubert Flynn, S.J., a professor of philosophy at the university, who described the bronco as “a native western piece of dynamite, not too large, it is true, but hard as nails, and always game to the core.” [2] [3]
In the summer of 2004, the Department of Athletics and Recreation unveiled a new family of logos and word marks for its intercollegiate athletics, club sports and recreation programs. The primary mark introduced a new Bronco logo that had been absent from the athletic department for several years, while the block SC received an update that provided more dimension and definition. The department continued to use cardinal red and white as its official colors, while utilizing gray and black as accent colors in many of the new logos and marks. [4] [5]
On January 28, 2016, the athletics department officially unveiled a style change and logo enhancement. The interlocking letters “S” and “C” were presented as a refreshed look to the classic style of the logo, with the S and C linked to Santa Clara in the main athletics mark and serving as the primary athletics logo. This replaced the script Santa Clara mark and Bronco head. [6] The change was part of a new partnership with Nike, which signed on as the apparel provider for SCU teams and spearheaded a refresh of the university’s athletics uniforms. The intertwined SC logo regained prominence, and the block lettering for “Broncos” and “Santa Clara” on uniforms took on a more traditional look. [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The bronco mascot was chosen to reflect the spirit of early California. Father Flynn viewed the bronco as a symbol embodying the determination and industriousness of individuals striving for achievement and recognition. [8] His original description emphasized the bronco’s Western character and its connection to the arena around the old Mission, noting it was “but fitting that his name and fame be perpetuated on those same fields of conquest.” [2]
The university’s official colors are red (PMS 202 C) and white, as listed on the athletics department’s general information page. [1]
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