145 Years of Bronco Bonds, with Paul Neilan ’70
What does 145 years really mean?
It means 145 years of friendships that have stood the test of time.
145 years of traditions that started small and grew into something more.
145 years of Broncos showing up for Santa Clara and for one another.
For 145 years, the Santa Clara Alumni Association has been doing what Broncos do best: bringing people together.
From the earliest gatherings to today’s sprawling Grand Reunion weekends, one thing remains true: the Bronco community shows up.
That throughline of friendship and belonging? It’s kind of our thing.
If you want to understand 145 years of alumni in action, who better to ask than the man who’s lived a third of it?
Paul Neilan ’70, the Alumni Association’s director of alumni engagement, is the our longest-serving staff member and a walking archive of Bronco connections.
Paul got into the alumni relations business fresh out of college, but his first brush with the Alumni Association wasn’t behind a desk. It was behind a grill.
Paul was “volunteered” by then-Alumni Director Jerry Kerr ’61 to help run a football kickoff BBQ. What started as a one-off volunteer role soon turned into something more.
By 1978, Paul officially joined the Alumni Office and the rest, as they say, is (Bronco) history.
Paul Neilan ’70
Alumni engagement looked a little different 48 years ago.
Reunions were smaller—just a handful of dinners, sometimes even off campus. Space was limited, traditions were still taking shape, and many of today’s signature events didn’t yet exist.
Case in point: Grad Picnic (or Grad Bash, if you graduated after 2020).
When Commencement still took place in the Mission Gardens, “Grad Picnic” started as a casual backyard gathering at the Alumni House for student volunteers and their families.
Now it’s a full-blown celebration for the entire graduating class that takes over Bellomy Field (and, at times, the outfield of Santa Clara Softball Stadium).
When Broncos gather, things tend to grow.
What makes Santa Clara alumni special? The friendships.
It’s the people who show up year after year—at reunions, at dinners, at traditions like the Marin gathering, now 90 years strong.
It’s the fact that decades later, alumni are still connected to the same friends they had as students.
That consistency shaped Paul’s own experience, too.
Before he worked in the office, he came back for games—staying close to the people and programs he loved. And, over the years, those connections deepened.
Through his work, he built relationships that stretch across a century—from alumni of the 1920s and ’30s to today’s students.
And after all these years, what stands out most isn’t a single milestone. It’s the people.
The colleagues who became lifelong friends. The student workers who brought energy (and plenty of fun) to every event. The alumni whose stories and traditions continue to shape this community.
It’s a special place, with special people.
In 2025, the Alumni Association celebrated 50 years in the Bannan Alumni House (formerly known as Donohoe Alumni House). Within these walls, reunions have been planned, friendships rekindled, and traditions brought to life. All the moments that remind us why this work matters.
As we celebrate 145 years of service to the SCU alumni family, Paul’s perspective is both a reflection and a reminder.
Campus has changed. Events have grown. Traditions have evolved.
But our charge remains the same: keep Broncos connected to each other and to the campus they call home.
Or, in Paul’s words: “Remember why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Special thanks to Paul Neilan ’70 and Carly Agelson ’21 for their contributions to this story.