DePaul Blue Demons
| DePaul Blue Demons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | DePaul University |
| Conference | Big East Conference, |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Jean Lenti Ponsetto |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Varsity teams | 6 men & 7 women |
| Football stadium | Wish Field (soccer) |
| Basketball arena | Allstate Arena (men's basketball) |
| Other arenas | Sullivan Athletic Center (women's basketball) |
| Mascot | DIBS |
| Nickname | Blue Demons |
| Fight song | "Blue Demons Fight Song" |
| Colors |
Royal Blue Scarlet |
| Website |
www |
 | |
The DePaul Blue Demons are the intercollegiate athletic teams of DePaul University, located in Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference.[1][2] They were not affiliated with any circuit until it helped establish the Great Midwest Conference in 1991.[3] It subsequently became a charter member of Conference USA from 1995 until its move to the original Big East in 2005.[1] 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.[4]
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.[5] The official athletic colors are scarlet and royal blue.[3]
Sports
DePaul University fields 13 sports, 6 men's and 7 women's:
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Men's Intercollegiate Sports |
Women's intercollegiate athletic teams |
Men's basketball
The school is well known for its basketball program which gained prominence under Ray Meyer who led the team to the NCAA Division I basketball Final Four in the 1978–1979 season. The school's only national championship came in 1945 after winning the NIT tournament. The team has played at the Allstate Arena since 1980.
The men's basketball coach, Jerry Wainwright, was fired on January 11, 2010. Assistant coach Tracy Webster will be the interim coach for the remainder of the current season. Wainwright still had two years remaining on his contract at the time of his firing. Wainwright's first season with his young team was erratic, beating No. 16 Wake Forest 84-81 before falling to Old Dominion by a score of 87–43 (the worst defeat in the team's history), and then losing to future Big East Champion, Syracuse, 108–69 on March 2, 2006. In the 2006–2007 season, the Blue Demons beat powerhouse #5 Kansas, pulling off one of the greatest upsets in school history. They also beat 2006 NCAA tournament teams California, Northwestern State, Marquette, Connecticut, and Villanova. The team made it to the NIT and lost in the bracket final to Air Force.
The Demons opened up the 2008 season with two of their star players gone to the NBA. But freshman Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal look to fill in those spots and senior Draelon Burns is already a star. Four games into the 2007-2008 season, Wainwright logged his 200th career win as a head coach. He has made six post-season appearances in his previous 12 years as head coach. The 2007–08 season saw the Demons with a 10–19 record, but there were high points in the year. DePaul had upsets over Villanova University, then ranked #15 nationally and ultimately a member of the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, and Northwestern. However, things took a turn for the worse during the 2008-2009 season. DePaul went 0-18 in regular season Big East play, setting a school-record for longest losing streak, before winning their first Big East Conference tournament game against Cincinnati. During the 2009-10 season, head coach Jerry Wainwright was fired and replaced by Oliver Purnell of Clemson University after the season ended.
Women's basketball
DePaul's NCAA women's basketball reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history in 2006. Head Coach Doug Bruno is entering his 22nd year as head coach of the team. He recently completed a two-year term as president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.[6]
Softball
The DePaul women's softball team has participated four times in the Women's College World Series since 1999. It finished the 2006-07 season ranked sixth in the final USA Today/NFCA Poll.[7] The women's softball team has participated in the NCAA World Series several times in recent years. Head coach Eugene Lenti and his staff were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association Mideast Region Staff of the Year.[8]
Club sports
DePaul offers a number of other intercollegiate club athletic teams under its Department of Campus Recreation.
Football
DePaul Blue Demons football operates under the auspices of the National Club Football Association. The Blue Demons fielded a varsity team until 1948.
Men's lacrosse
DePaul University fields Men's Lacrosse at the non-varsity club level in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association - Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference in the Northeast Division.[9] DePaul Lacrosse rivals include: Lindenwood-Belleville, Missouri Baptist, Judson University (Illinois) and Wheaton College as well as other MCLA opponents. The lacrosse team plays their home games at Diversey Harbor (Chicago Park District) and Montrose Beach (Chicago Park District).
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.
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Conference Championships
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National Tournament Appearances
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| Year | Wins | Losses | Conference (GRLC) | Playoffs (MCLA) | National 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 Ice Hockey
DePaul University has an ice hockey club team called the DePaul University Hockey Club that competes as an Independent team in the Central Region of American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II.[10] The team plays a 25-30 game schedule against regional opponents from the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States, including: Indiana University, Robert Morris University Illinois, University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and Northern Illinois University. Home games are played at the West Meadows Ice Arena. In 2009 the team made the ACHA Division II National Championship Tournament for the first time in the team's history.
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 II of the MCRHL.
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.[11]
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.
Facilities
- Allstate Arena: Located in Rosemont, Illinois, it has been the home of Blue Demons men's basketball since the program's 74–56 win over Gonzaga on December 1, 1980.[12]
- McGrath-Phillips Arena: A 3,000-seat indoor arena located in the Sullivan Athletic Center that has been the home of women's basketball and volleyball since the facility opened in 2000.[13]
- Wish Field/Cacciatore Stadium: Wish Field, which features a FieldTurf playing surface, is the home of Blue Demons men’s and women’s soccer during the autumn. Cacciatore Stadium occupies the south end of Wish Field for Blue Demons softball during the spring, with its 1,200-seat grandstand situated in the southwest corner.[14]
Future
- McCormick Place Events Center: a 10,000-seat arena to be the new home of the Blue Demons men's basketball team.
Traditions
Mascot
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.[15]
DePaul University Fight Song
We will gather, 'neath the banner,
'Neath the scarlet and the blue.
While in song we sing your praises,
Praises for old DePaul U.
Let the battle wage and threaten,
Yours the victory to claim.
While we fight beneath your standard
Proud: exulting in your name.
D–E–M–O–N–S[16]
References
- 1 2 About Conference USA.
- ↑ "It's Official: DePaul To Join BIG EAST Conference," DePaul University Athletics press release, Tuesday, November 4, 2003.
- 1 2 DePaul Basketball A-to-Z – DePaul University Athletics.
- ↑ "Seven schools leaving Big East". ESPN.com. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "How did DePaul get a demon as a mascot?" DePaul University Libraries, Friday, July 25, 2008.
- ↑ "Past Presidents". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 3 Jul 2014.
- ↑ NFCA website
- ↑ NFCA website
- ↑ DePaul Men's Club Lacrosse
- ↑ DePaul Club Hockey
- ↑ DePaul Club Tennis
- ↑ "DePaul Welcomes Milwaukee to Rosemont for Monday Night Meeting," DePaul University Athletics, Sunday, December 4, 2011.
- ↑ Facts & Stats – DePaul University.
- ↑ Wish Field/Cacciatore Stadium – DePaul University.
- ↑ View the DePaul Blue Demons site
- ↑ Faculty Resource Guide – DePaul University.
External links
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