With the possibility of the 49ers stadium being constructed in Santa Clara, Santa Clara U. students’ options for off-campus entertainment have the potential to be expanded to include professional football.

The 49ers have been working toward a new stadium since 1997, and have been eyeing a move to Santa Clara since 2006. The proposed stadium would be located next to Great America in what is now an empty parking lot, across the street from the team headquarters, which have been located in Santa Clara since 1988.

If Measure J, the proposal to approve the stadium’s construction, passes, the 49ers will be able to build the $937 million stadium. The proposed stadium would hold 68,500 fans and could fit 75,000 if the Super Bowl comes to the Bay Area.

“I feel pretty good,” said the organization’s president, Jed York, who is confident the measure will pass. “Especially when you see the support that we’ve had again from kids that are 18-22 years old and people that have been here for sixty years of their life, it has been great to see all those people come together, you don’t generally see those demographics come together on a lot of issues.”

On April 26, York and Vice President of Business Operations Paraag Marathe attended a Measure J rally at the legion on Lafayette Street to address questions students and the community had about the stadium.

“We want it to be the greenest stadium in the NFL and ideally in all of professional sports,” said Marathe. “We want it to be a lead-certified building and that is one of our goals going in…When you look at other teams and other states that’s not really (their goal). Their goal is the best stadium or the biggest stadium, (or) the one with the biggest scoreboard or screens.”

The limited parking spots should help fans be environmentally friendly. With only 19,000 parking spots for the 68,500 seat arena, people will be forced to carpool or find alternative transportation. An environmental impact report predicts that 26% of the guests are going to use public transit. Additionally, York referenced the entertainment value the stadium would bring: “You get an extension of an entertainment district where you can have parties, where you can have a bar scene, you can do some of things that may not necessarily exist in Santa Clara today.”

The other motivating factor was the job opportunities that the stadium would provide for students wanting to get their foot in the door with a sports organization. Some Santa Clara alums are already on the 49ers’ payroll.

Shaw brought in Albert J. “Al” Ruffo, a graduate of SCU, to be the 49ers’ line coach. Ruffo was an all-star guard for the Broncos and earned degrees in Political Science, Electrical Engineering and Literature. He taught in the university’s School of Engineering and continued to coach the freshmen football team to help pay for his law school tuition. In 1936, he graduated as the head of his class from the Santa Clara School of Law.

John R. Blackinger was the 49ers’ first general manager. A graduate of U. Santa Clara, as it was then called, he served as athletic manager during his senior year, when he first became acquainted with the functions of a football team manager.

The relationship grew deeper when the 49ers held their Summer Training Camp at U. Santa Clara during the 1979 and 1980 seasons.

Among the rookies who reported to the training camp that year were former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana and former Clemson wide receiver Dwight Clark. Two years later, this pair would join together for the legendary play known as “The Catch” to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Title Game on January 10, 1981.

The most recognized Santa Clara alum that played for the 49ers is Brent Jones. The tight end signed as a free agent with the 49ers for the 1987 season. He played in 143 games for the 49ers (1987-1997) with 417 receptions, 5,195 syards and 33 touchdowns.

“There’s going to be a lot of different internship opportunities, especially along the concession and food and beverage side,” said York. “We’ve talked to Mission College and Santa Clara U. about the internship program possibilities…it’s more likely when all of our operations are here…(that they) would much rather have local residents than (have to pull) from other parts of the country.”

York added another dimension to his argument, saying that it would provide a local football team for a university that does not have one to cheer for.

Today the 49ers and Santa Clara still have a relationship, as 49ers’ Head Coach Singletary is close friends with the conditioning coach for the men’s soccer team.

The stadium proposal has been met with controversy from local businesses. Great America in particular is concerned about the stadium’s impact on their sales. On April 13, 2010, Cedar Fair Entertainment, the owner of Great America, said the environmental impact report the 49ers submitted did not address the big issues, such as the traffic and the parking needs that they say would take away from their business.

A resolution has not been reached, but communication continues between the parties involved. At this point, the only thing standing in the way of the stadium being built is the upcoming election on June 8.

During the rally one student asked if this would bring back football to Santa Clara, and although the 49ers do not plan to support the comeback of Broncos football, York said he would not mind another school to have in the mix.

“I’m more than happy to have another school to be able to scout, especially if it’s right down the street,” said York.

The stadium is proposed to be ready in time for the 2014 season.