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Why UCSB Should Bring Back Football

UC Santa Barbara has not had a football program since 1992, but it’s time to bring it back. 

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UCSB Gauchos vs. Cal Poly SLO at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara. Photo by UCSB Atheltics.

by Elijah Evans

A tortilla soars through the air, landing sharply within the face mask of a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo linebacker as the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Gauchos lead their rival 17-13 in the fourth quarter with over 17,000 students and fans packed into Harder Stadium for the game of the year. 

 

Yeah, that could have been reality for passionate UCSB sports fans that will never experience the aura of college football at their school. For myself, it is one aspect of my college journey that I yearned for and will never encounter. 

 

In 1992, the football program at the university was discontinued when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) mandated that schools must compete at the same level in every sport. Historically a Division I school for every sport except football, this situation necessitated a high-pressure decision from the school. 

 

UCSB ultimately chose to disband the team rather than put the ample resources needed towards a football program at the highest level of competition. 

 

A school with passionate students and energetic party culture seems like the perfect match for a football team. Yet over 30 years later, UCSB neither has a football team, nor a high likelihood of recreating one in the future.

 

As I reflect on my college experience at UCSB, I can’t help but think about missing the atmosphere of college football. Hailing from the Midwest, most of my friends went to schools with distinctive football culture, and while visiting them at their respective schools, I have made it a point to experience the tailgates and game days I’m missing at mine. 

 

Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like college football. From the bands to the mascots to the drinking games and everything in between, it’s a special time. Energy flows in a way that you just don’t find many places in life. Nearly every type of student rallies around a sport that most couldn’t care less about, but that’s not the point. The community and the collective goal—beating long-standing rivalries nobody really knows the origin of—is like no other. 

 

While my experience in Santa Barbara has been largely positive, football games would have made it better. In fact, that was a major drawback for me coming to school here in the first place. 

 

Few schools beat the overall package of UCSB when it comes to attracting students—I say as someone with complete bias—but it is hard to deny. However, it receives significantly less applicants than others in the California system. In fact, Santa Barbara had over 35,000 less estimated applicants for Fall 2025 compared to University of California, Los Angeles

 

That difference is not largely because of football, but I’d venture to say that UCSB would get a couple thousand more at least with a football program in place. Why not expand the crop of potential students and give students a little more fun?

 

This past winter, a resolution was passed by the Associated Students 75th Senate to “begin the process” of recreating a football program for the sake of elevating the status of the university and creating a new avenue for monetary gain. 

 

I can get behind that and maybe you should too. The resolution is just step one as it employs the next president and executives to at least review and evaluate the failure of former proposals relating to football to then consider the feasibility of establishing a new program. 

 

While this is just one small step, I see complete logic within this new resolution. A massive source of revenue comes from football at numerous universities, why not UCSB?

 

I’ll be long gone from Santa Barbara by the time this hypothetically happens, but there would certainly be more incentive to make visits and potentially donate as an alumni if I could come to town for a football game. 

 

Make it happen, UCSB leaders. You won’t regret it when the Gauchos pack Harder Stadium to the brim preceded by tailgates on the beach! 

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