DePaul's Athletic Director is DeWayne Peevy. DePaul was not affiliated with any conference until it helped establish the Great Midwest Conference in 1991.[4] It subsequently became a charter member of Conference USA from 1995 until its move to the original Big East in 2005 through 2012.[2] DePaul and the other six Catholic, non-FBS schools announced on December 15, 2012, their separation to eventually form a new conference that would carry the Big East name in 2013.[5]
Nickname
The origin of the Blue Demons nickname dates back to 1907 when the university changed its name from St. Vincent's College to its current form. At the time, the athletic teams had red uniforms with a large "D" on the front. After an announcer referred to the players as the "D-men," the moniker stuck and eventually evolved into "Demons." The "blue" was part of an attempt to distinguish the university's players from those of its now-defunct high school, DePaul Academy. The former wore red with a blue "D," while the latter adopted the reverse.[6] The official athletic colors are scarlet and royal blue.[4]
Sports sponsored
A member of the Big East Conference, DePaul University sponsors teams in six men's and seven women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[7]
DePaul's NCAA men's basketball team is well known for its basketball program, which gained prominence under Ray Meyer who led DePaul to two NCAA Division I basketball Final Four's in the 1942–43 season and 1978–79 season. Meyer also led the Blue Demons to the 1945 NIT championship during the 1944–45 season. The current head basketball coach is Chris Holtmann, having taken the position in 2024.
DePaul's NCAA women's basketball team has reached the Sweet 16 multiple times in the program's history. Doug Bruno was the head women's basketball coach from 1988 to 2024.[9]Jill Pizzotti has become the team's new head coach starting the 2025–2026 season.
Liz Bouck-Jagielski has been the team's head coach since the start of the 2025 season, replacing former DePaul All-American pitcher Tracie Adix-Zins after six seasons.
Women's volleyball
The DePaul Blue Demons women's volleyball team competes in NCAA Division I volleyball and is part of the Big East Conference.
Former Sports
The university hosted an intercollegiate football team from 1901-1938.
Club sports
DePaul offers a number of other intercollegiate club athletic teams under its Department of Campus Recreation.
Baseball
DePaul University plays as a Division III team within the NCBA as part of District IV.[11]
Men's Ice Hockey
DePaul University has an ice hockey club team called the DePaul University Hockey Club that competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey League in the Central Region of the ACHA. The team plays a 25–30 game schedule against regional opponents. Home games are played at Johnny's Ice House West in the Near West Side. .[12] In 2009 the team made the ACHA Division II National Championship Tournament for the first time in the team's history. The team has one conference championship from 2023 where they defeated Concordia University Wisconsin.[13]
DePaul reached the national stage in 2013 when they reached their first ever MCLA Tournament appearance only to be ousted in the 1st round by the 2012 and 2013 MCLA Division II Champion, St. Thomas Tommies 11–3.
Conference Championships
2013: 9–3 (3–1)
National Tournament Appearances
2013: 1st Round
Year
Wins
Losses
Conf. GRLC
Play. MCLA
Nat. rank.
2013
9
3
1st
First Round
22
2012
5
5
2nd
--
--
2011
2
6
3rd
--
--
2010
4
6
5th
--
--
2009
6
4
3rd
--
--
2008
4
5
3rd
--
--
Men's Roller Hockey
DePaul's roller hockey club competes in the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League, a league within the NCRHA. The team was first started in 2005 and played steadily in the NCRHA for seven consecutive seasons before dropping out of the league for a few years. The team has recently been reactivated and rejoined the NCRHA in 2014. The current team plays in Division III of the MCRHL.
Rowing
Gaining formal recognition in 2013, the DePaul Crew Club hosts both men’s and women’s varsity and novice teams.[15]
Men's Rugby
DePaul University currently competes as a non-varsity club in USA Rugby's DII collegiate rugby division. As one of the top collegiate teams in the city of Chicago, DePaul competes in the Great Midwest Rugby Conference formerly known as the WIIL Conference in the Southern division. As famed collegiate rugby writer Alex Goff states, WIIL conference is one of the toughest divisions in DII rugby." DePaul Rugby was the inaugural champion of the THG Chicago Cup. Men's Rugby play their home matches at Diversey Harbor (Chicago Park District).
Women's Rugby
DePaul University's club team is recognized as a DII team by National Collegiate Rugby in the Great Waters Women's Collegiate Rugby Conference. As of 2023, the team is officially recognized as DePaul Women's Rugby.
Tennis
DePaul University Club Tennis competes regionally in the Midwest League of the USTA's national Tennis on Campus program. They practice and host their home matches at Midtown Athletic Club Chicago, the largest indoor tennis facility in the country. In recent years, the club has taken a lead role in helping to develop the Chicago Tennis on Campus community of schools. In February 2013, they were named USTA Midwest Club of the Year.[16]
Men's Volleyball
DePaul University's Men's Volleyball Club competes at the division 1AA level, hosts and travels to several tournaments per year, competing against clubs from across the nation. The Blue Demons practice and play their home matches at the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center. In 2011, the Blue Demons finished 3rd at the NCVF National Championships in Houston, TX, their best finish in club history.
Water Polo
DePaul Water Polo is a coed water polo club that was founded in 2013. Practices are currently held at the Gill Park Recreation Center in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
Diana Vines - Former DePaul Women's Basketball player who played from 1985–1989. By the end of her tenure she scored 2,504 career points, which set the school scoring record for both men and women. She also holds the school record for career steals (since records began for the NCAA in 1985–1986) at 359. She was inducted into the DePaul University Hall of Fame in 2005 as well as the Basketball Museum Of Illinois in 2019.[19]
Max Strus - NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers[20] Second Blue Demon Basketball player to score over 700 points in a season, along with Mark Aguirre.[21][22]
Allie Quigley - Former WNBA player who last played for the Chicago Sky. With her, the Blue Demons went to four-straight NCAA Tournaments. She ranks third in the program's all-time scoring list with 2,078 career points. In 2021 she and the Chicago Sky won the team's first WNBA Championship.[25]
Lexi Held - WNBA player for the Phoenix Mercury. While at DePaul she made the Big East All-Freshman Team in 2019 and helped the Blue Demons to two Big East Championships in 2019 and 2020.[27]
Athletic facilities
Current facilities
Wintrust Arena: the 10,000-seat arena is the home of the Blue Demons men's and women's basketball teams.[28]
Lane Stadium: Home stadium for the men's and women's track and field teams.
McGrath-Phillips Arena: a 3,000-seat indoor arena located in the Sullivan Athletic Center is the home of women's volleyball team since the facility opened in 2000.[29]
Wish Field/Cacciatore Stadium: Wish Field, which features a FieldTurf playing surface, is home of the Blue Demons men's and women's soccer teams in autumn. Cacciatore Stadium occupies the south end of Wish Field for Blue Demons softball in spring, with its 1,200-seat grandstand situated in the southwest corner.[30]
Traditions
Mascot
DePaul's Mascot DIBS
DePaul's mascot is DIBS which stands for Demon In a Blue Suit. DIBS is present at every Blue Demons basketball game and makes frequent appearances at DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus and charity appearances around the Chicago metropolitan area. While the Blue Demon nickname has been around for many years, the Blue Demon mascot took the game floor for the first time in 1968 with a papier-mache head and old warm-up suit. Through the years, the Blue Demon has taken on many forms in its evolution and was dubbed DIBS in 1999. Former mascot performers; John Maniatis and Paul Fisher.[31]
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