The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

, located in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The Blue Demons participate in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

and are a member of the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

. DePaul's Athletic Director is DeWayne Peevy. DePaul was not affiliated with any conference until it helped establish the

Great Midwest Conference The Great Midwest Conference was an NCAA Division I athletics conference that existed from 1991 to 1995. History It was formed in 1990 with six members: Cincinnati and Memphis State (now Memphis) from the Metro Conference, UAB from the Sun Be ...

in 1991. It subsequently became a charter member of

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

from 1995 until its move to the original Big East in 2005 through 2012. 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.

Nickname

The origin of the Blue Demons

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

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 Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

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 Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

" was part of an attempt to distinguish the university's players from those of its now-defunct

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, DePaul Academy. The former wore red with a blue "D," while the latter adopted the reverse. The official athletic colors are scarlet and

royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by a consortium of mills in Rode, Wiltshire (in Somerset as of 1937), which won a competition to make a robe for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. I ...

Sports sponsored

A member of the

, DePaul University sponsors teams in six men's and seven women's

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

sanctioned sports.

Men's basketball

DePaul's NCAA men's basketball team is well known for its basketball program, which gained prominence under

Ray Meyer Raymond Joseph Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois. He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record. Care ...

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 Christopher Adam Holtmann (born November 11, 1971) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at DePaul University. Holtmann grew up in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and started his college playing career in-state at Br ...

, having taken the position in 2024. The team currently plays their home games at

Wintrust Arena Wintrust Arena at McCormick Square, previously referred to as DePaul Arena or McCormick Place Events Center, is a 10,387-seat sports venue in the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago t ...

adjacent to the

McCormick Place McCormick Place is a convention center in Chicago. It is the largest convention center in North America. It consists of four interconnected buildings and one indoor arena sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about south of the Chicago ...

convention center.

Women's basketball

DePaul's NCAA women's basketball team has reached the Sweet 16 multiple times in the program's history.

Doug Bruno Richard Douglas Bruno (born November 7, 1950) is the Special Assistant to the Vice President/Director of Athletics for Women’s Basketball and the former head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball team. In 2016, he completed his 30t ...

was the head women's basketball coach from 1988 to 2024.

Jill Pizzotti Jill M. Pizzotti (born June 18, 1966) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head women's basketball coach at DePaul University. She was previously the head coach at Saint Louis University from 1995 to 2005 and served as ass ...

has become the team's new head coach starting the 2025–2026 season. The team currently plays their home games at

adjacent to the

convention center and select games at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Men's soccer

The DePaul Blue Demons men's soccer team represents

in the

in Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA).

Softball

Since 2011, the head coach of Wisconsin's softball program is former Blue Demon second-baseman

Yvette Healy Yvette Healy is an American former collegiate All-American softball second baseman and current head coach at Wisconsin Badgers softball, Wisconsin, originally from Orland Park, Illinois. She played college softball at DePaul Blue Demons, DePaul ...

. Former DePaul All-American pitcher Tracie Adix-Zins returned to Lincoln Park to lead the softball program as head coach just before the start of the 2019 season. Following her standout career in the circle for the Blue Demons she has served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and North Carolina State.

Women's volleyball

The DePaul Blue Demons women's volleyball team competes in NCAA Division I volleyball and is part of the

Former varsity sports

Football

DePaul University fielded a varsity football team until 1939. It played its home games at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

and

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National ...

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.

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 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 Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is organized into ...

Men's Lacrosse

DePaul University fields Men's Lacrosse at the non-varsity club level in th
Great Lakes Lacrosse League
in the Chicago Division. DePaul Men's Lacrosse divisional rivals include:

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducatio ...

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

and Wheaton College, as well as other GLLL opponents. The Men's Lacrosse Club play their home games at

Diversey Harbor The term Diversey may refer to: * Diversey (CTA) Diversey is an Chicago 'L', 'L' metro station, station on the Chicago Transit Authority, CTA Brown Line (CTA), Brown Line; Purple Line (CTA), Purple Line express trains also stop at the station dur ...

(Chicago Park District) and

Montrose Beach The beaches in Chicago are an extensive network of waterfront recreational areas operated by the Chicago Park District. The Chicago metropolitan waterfront includes parts of the Lake Michigan shores as well as parts of the banks of the Chicago ...

(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. Conference Championships * 2013: 9–3 (3–1) National Tournament Appearances * 2013: 1st Round

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

DePaul has had a crew team for the last four years and gained formal recognition in 2013.

Men's Rugby

DePaul University currently competes as a non-varsity club in

USA Rugby USA Rugby (formally the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of 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

(Chicago Park District).

Women's Rugby

DePaul University's club team is recognized as a DII team by

National Collegiate Rugby National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) formerly the "National Small College Rugby Organization" ("NSCRO") is a rugby union governing body in the United States. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, NCR was created in 2007 by Chip Auscavitch and Steve Coh ...

in the Great Waters Women's Collegiate Rugby Conference. As of 2023, the team is officially recognized as DePaul Womxn's Rugby.

Tennis

DePaul University Club

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

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

Tennis on Campus community of schools. In February 2013, they were named USTA Midwest Club of the Year.

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 Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

is a coed water polo club that was founded in 2013. Practices are currently held at Gill Park in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.

Men's Ultimate Frisbee

The DePaul Ultimate Club (DUC) is a DI member of College Ultimate.

Notable players

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...

- Former NBL, BAA, and

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player. Winner of seven NBL, BAA, and

NBA championships The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is award ...

. Transformed basketball due to his height, strength, and skill. Led the Blue Demons Basketball team to the 1945 NIT title. Named the

Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year The Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year was an annual men's college basketball award given to the most outstanding men's player in the United States. It was awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation, an organization founded in 19 ...

in 1944 and 1945. *

Mark Aguirre Mark Anthony Aguirre ( ; born December 10, 1959) is a Mexican-American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first overall pick of th ...

- Former NBA player. First overall pick of the

1981 NBA draft The 1981 NBA draft was the 35th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 NBA season, 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the NBA ...

by the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

and three-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

. Lead the Blue Demons Basketball team to a final four appearance in the 1978–1979 NCAA season, and was named

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is "the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball players of the year," as chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors. It is named in honor o ...

in 1980 *

Diana Vines Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

- 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 th
Basketball Museum Of Illinois
in 2019. *

Rod Strickland Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's prof ...

- Basketball coach and former NBA player. Received

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors and lead the Blue Demons Basketball team to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances in 1985–86, 1986-87, and 1987–88 *

Max Strus Max Strus ( ; born March 28, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) He played college basketball for the Lewis Flyers and the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketbal ...

- NBA player for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

Second Blue Demon Basketball player to score over 700 points in a season, along with Mark Aguirre. *

Brianna Ryce The DePaul Blue Demons are the sport, athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul's Athletic Director is DeWa ...

- played soccer internationally for Trinidad and Tobago *

Allie Quigley Alexandria "Allie" Quigley (born June 20, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Quigley played for DePaul University in Chicago. After grad ...

- WNBA player who last played for the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

. 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. *

Noelle Malkamaki Noelle Malkamaki (née DeJaynes; born January 9, 2001) is an American track and field athlete competing in shot put. She represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, winning a gold medal in shot put and setting a new world record ...

- Para athlete who set the F46 shot put record at the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

Athletic facilities

Current facilities

: the 10,000-seat arena is the home of the Blue Demons men's and women's basketball teams. * Lakeshore Sport and Fitness: Home of the men's and women's tennis teams. *

Lane Stadium Lane Stadium is a college football stadium in the eastern United States, located on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. The playing surface of the stadium is named Worsham F ...

: 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. * Ruffled Feathers Golf Club: Home golf course for the men's and women's golf teams. * Wish Field/Cacciatore Stadium: Wish Field, which features a

FieldTurf FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett. FieldTurf is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its primary manufacturing facility i ...

playing surface, is home of the Blue Demons men's and women's soccer teams in

autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemisphe ...

. Cacciatore Stadium occupies the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

end of Wish Field for Blue Demons softball in

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

, with its 1,200-seat

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

situated in the southwest corner.

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. Former mascot performers; John Maniatis and Paul Fisher.

Former facilities

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, northwest of Chicago, located at the corner of Mannheim Road and Lunt Avenue, just north of Mannheim Road's interchange with the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway ( I-90) ...

— Men's basketball * Alumni Hall — Men's and women's basketball, Women's volleyball *

— Football *

University Auditorium University Auditorium is a name used by multiple universities for auditorium spaces. It may refer to: * Chulalongkorn University Auditorium * Eisenhower Auditorium, originally named University Auditorium * Indiana University Auditorium *University A ...

— Men's basketball *

— Football

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, DePaul Blue Demons, color=white , list = {{Big East Conference navbox {{Chicago sports {{Illinois Sports Big East Conference teams