THE HISTORY OF THE GAUCHO LOCOS

The Gaucho Locos were formed in 1998 under the name Gauchoholics. The club was formed to give the Men's Basketball program a much-needed boost of support, after years of futility had eroded the fan base. The Gauchoholics quickly became famous for being one of the most intimidating and powerful cheering sections in all of college basketball. The gold Loco T-shirt also got its start in 1998, and the first "Top Ten List" became one of the best ever, and started a trend that has continued today.

After the first year, however, the Gauchoholics had made such a name for themselves, not to mention a reputation among the students, that the campus administration became concerned that the name "Gauchoholics" referred to something other than the group's fanatical support of UCSB Athletics. Since it became fairly obvious what the Administration was talking about, the club was forced to change its name to the Gaucho Locos, which it has been called ever since.

ESPN had been a staple on the Santa Barbara campus so often during the late 1980's and early 1990's that when they did not return for many years, fans on campus lost their sense of pride and enthusiasm for UCSB Basketball. But in January 2001, ESPN returned after a four-year absence for a game against rival Long Beach State. The Gaucho Loco presence inside the Thunderdome, and on the television screen in front of a national TV audience, was so massive and memorable that ESPN returned again that same season to broadcast the Men's game vs Pacific. Television networks nationwide now seem to realize what was so obvious ten years ago; the Thunderdome is a great place for a televised basketball game. In 2002-03, both ESPN Regional and Fox Sports made an appearances at the 'Dome.

The club took a huge step forward in January of 2001 when www.gaucholocos.com was founded. The website, which is dedicated to all things Loco, has enjoyed tremendous success and popularity since. The website has had over 110,000 visitors since it was up and running (as of October 2002) and continues to grow.