1940 Santa Clara Broncos football team

1940 Santa Clara Broncos football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 11
Record	6–1–1
Head coach	Buck Shaw (5th season)
Home stadium	Kezar Stadium
Seasons ←  1939 1941  →

1940 Western college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 Santa Clara			–					6	–	1	–	1
Cal Poly			–					6	–	3	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					5	–	3	–	0
Gonzaga			–					5	–	4	–	1
Nevada			–					4	–	4	–	1
Humboldt State			–					3	–	4	–	0
Idaho Southern Branch			–					3	–	5	–	0
San Francisco State			–					3	–	5	–	0
Loyola (CA)			–					3	–	7	–	0
Portland			–					2	–	3	–	1
Hawaii			–					2	–	5	–	0
San Francisco			–					1	–	6	–	1
La Verne			–					0	–	6	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1940 Santa Clara Broncos football team represented Santa Clara University as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Buck Shaw, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 155 to 46, and was ranked No. 11 in the final AP poll. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	Utah		Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 34–13	40,000	[2]
October 4	at UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 9–6	45,000	[3]
October 12	at Stanford		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 6–7	54,999	[4]
October 26	at Michigan State		Macklin Field East Lansing, MI	T 0–0	18,500	[5]
November 3	San Francisco	No. 19	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 27–0		[6]
November 17	Saint Mary's	No. 19	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 19–7	40,000	[7]
November 24	Loyola (CA)	No. 16	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 27–0	10,000	[8]
November 30	Oklahoma	No. 15	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 33–13	5,000	[9]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1940 college football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Final
AP	—	—	20т	19т	16	19	15	11

After the season

NFL draft

The following Bronco was selected in the 1941 NFL draft following the season. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL team
13	119	Jim Johnson	Back	Chicago Bears

Johnson played in the January 1941 edition of the East–West Shrine Game, as it was then known; in 2025, he was named to the All-Century Team of the East–West Shrine Bowl. ^[13] Johnson died in an airplane crash in Germany in May 1945 while serving in the U.S. Ninth Army. ^[14] He was inducted to the Broncos' athletic hall of fame in 1975. ^[15]

References

1. "1940 Santa Clara Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
2. "Santa Clara Wallops Utes, 34-13". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. September 29, 1940. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Johnson's Field Goal Gives Santa Clara 9-6 Victory". Los Angeles Times. October 5, 1940. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tribe Amazes Shaughnessy". Oakland Tribune. October 13, 1940. pp. 12–13 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Spartans, Santa Clara In Scoreless Tie". Lansing State Journal . October 27, 1940. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Alan Ward (November 4, 1940). "Casanega Pitches Broncos to 27-0 Win Over Dons". Oakland Tribune. p. 17.
7. "St. Mary's Crushed, 19-7". Oakland Tribune. November 18, 1940. pp. 10, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Santa Clara Coasts Through Loyola for 26-0 Victory". Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1940. p. II-9 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Alan Ward (December 1, 1940). "Oklahoma Scares Broncs But Loses Battle, 33 to 13". Oakland Tribune. pp. 10, 15.
10. "1941 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
11. "Santa Clara Players/Alumni" . Retrieved March 30, 2017.
12. "Draft History: Santa Clara" . Retrieved March 30, 2017.
13. "All-Century Team". East-West Shrine Bowl. Archived from the original on January 2, 2026. Retrieved November 24, 2025– via Wayback Machine.
14. "Former Football Star Dies In German Fighting". The Fresno Bee . June 7, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved January 18, 2026– via newspapers.com.
15. "Santa Clara Athletic Hall of Fame". santaclarabroncos.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.