The state of California is full of quality mid-major college basketball programs, and the Santa Clara Broncos is one of them. In recent years, the Broncos have fallen on some hard times, making it a little easier to find cheap Santa Clara basketball tickets. However, the Broncos still have a long line of great coaches and players, as well as bitter rivalries with other West Coast programs. With such a proud lineage, it’s only a matter of time until the Broncos are back on the big stage, and last-minute Santa Clara basketball tickets are in high demand.

Santa Clara Sweet

The golden era of Santa Clara basketball took place during the 1950s and 60s. In 1952, head coach Bob Feerick led the Broncos to the first Final Four in program history. The following season, Santa Clara joined the West Coast Conference and won the conference title in its first two seasons. The Broncos also proceeded to reach the Elite Eight both seasons and made it back to the Sweet 16 under Feerick in 1960. In 1962, Dick Garibaldi, who played on the 1952 Final Four team, took over for Feerick, ultimately leading the Broncos to three straight conference titles and three straight Sweet 16 appearances from 1968 to 1970.

Steve’s Sweet Moves

Without question, the greatest player in Santa Clara history was point guard Steve Nash, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. Under head coach Dick Davey, Nash led the Broncos to two West Coast Conference regular-season titles and three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. His career was highlighted by a monumental upset of Arizona in the First Round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. At the time, Santa Clara was just the second no. 15 seed to win a game in the Big Dance. It remains a seminal moment in Santa Clara basketball history and proof that the Broncos are capable of special things.