• Six different sports have represented the Blue Demons in NCAA postseason play.

• The women's basketball program has played in nine consecutive NCAA tournaments, including the Sweet 16 in 2006 and 2010. Women's softball has made six NCAA appearances in the last eight years with two trips to the Women's College World Series in 2005 and 2007.

• Fifteen individual athletes have earned All-American honors a total of 25 times. Eight student-athletes were named All-Americans at least two times.

• Eight Blue Demons have won individual conference championships, including four who have won multiple titles. Brad Millar claimed DePaul's first BIG EAST individual championship with a first-place finish in the hammer throw at the 2007 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships before defending his title with a 2008 championship, and concluded his career with a 2010 title. Melissa Fraser claimed the first women's individual championship in the javelin at the 2008 BIG EAST Championships.

• More than 200 DePaul student-athletes have earned all-conference honors from Conference USA and the BIG EAST Conference.
  
• 11 former and current student-athletes were named to Conference USA All-Decade teams in their respective sports.
  
• Men's soccer reached the BIG EAST Championship Tournament the last three seasons. In 2007 and 2008, the Blue Demons reached the semifinals of the conference tournament and  in 2007 earned their first NCAA tournament berth and BIG EAST Red Division title. In 2009, DePaul reached the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST championship.

• In 2011, women's basketball reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth straight season and the 16th time since 1990. The Blue Demons’ cumulative GPA of 3.582 was ranked No. 3 in the WBCA Academic Top 25.

• In 2011, softball made its ninth appearance in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments.

• The men’s basketball, women's basketball, golf and women's tennis programs were recognized by the NCAA for having a 100 percent APR. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) measures retention and graduation. In 2011, a total of six Blue Demons' programs were honored by the NCAA for multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport.

• The golf team was honored by the Golf Coaches Association of America with the Academic National Championship for the 2010-2011 season. This award for the nation’s top team GPA has been won by the Blue Demons in back-to-back seasons—a first in the award’s history.

• In 2011, five DePaul athletics programs—women's basketball, golf, men's soccer, softball and women's tennis—posted the highest GPA among the BIG EAST’s member institutions to earn the league’s Team Academic Excellence Award. The five team honors were the most of any BIG EAST school.

• More than 1,000 DePaul student-athletes have been named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll from 2002 to 2005 and the BIG EAST All-Academic Team list from 2005 to 2011.

• DePaul student athletes contribute many hours of community service to organizations that include Misericordia, the Lincoln Park lagoon renovations, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchens, Aspire Children's Services Halloween Card Drive and Vincentian Service Day; they also participate in the Chicago Public Schools' pen pal program.

Tradition

• In 1900, when the first athletic team to ever represent DePaul University was organized, the monogram “D” was selected for the uniforms. From this originated the nickname “D-Men,” which evolved into “Demons.” The blue, which combines with Demons, signifies loyalty and was chosen in 1901 by a vote of the student body.

• DePaul's colors are royal blue and scarlet.

• In the fall of 1999, DePaul unveiled the new Blue Demon logo. The logo heads a family of 17 symbols that visually captures the essence of DePaul's athletic program and represents the attitude of DePaul's student athletes.

• The DePaul athletic program has produced prominent athletes who have taken their playing careers to the professional level. In 1946, the late George Mikan signed with the pre-NBA Chicago Gears. He would later carry the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers (currently the Los Angeles Lakers) to five championships in six seasons. In 1981, Mark Aguirre was the first overall draft pick in the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks. In 1982, Terry Cummings was the second overall draft pick by the San Diego Clippers (currently the Los Angeles Clippers). Today, the league serves as home to several former DePaul standouts, including Quentin Richardson (New York Knicks), Steven Hunter (Denver Nuggets), Bobby Simmons (Milwaukee Bucks), Andre Brown (Memphis Grizzlies), Wilson Chandler (New York Knicks) and Sammy Mejia (Detroit Pistons).

• In his 42 years as head coach of DePaul, from 1942 to 1984, the late Ray Meyer compiled a record of 724-354 (.671). Thirteen of his teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and seven of his squads played in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). His 1943 and 1979 teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four, while his 1945 team, featuring future Hall-of-Famer Mikan, won the NIT when it was considered the national championship.

Facilities

• The $10-million Sullivan Athletic Center, 2323 N. Sheffield Ave., opened in May 2000, replacing the 43-year-old Alumni Hall. The facility serves as a practice, training and fitness center for student-athletes on DePaul's teams, including the Blue Demons' men's and women's basketball teams.

• The women's basketball and volleyball teams compete in Sullivan Athletic Center's 3,000-seat McGrath-Phillips Arena. DePaul named the basketball court in the arena the "Doug Bruno Court" in honor of the Blue Demons' women's basketball head coach during the 2010-2011 season.

• Phase II of the multi-million-dollar renovation to Cacciatore Stadium softball field and Wish Field soccer field was completed during the 2009-2010 academic year.

• Other than exhibition games, the DePaul men's basketball team plays all home games at the 18,500-seat Allstate Arena (formerly the Rosemont Horizon), 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont, Ill.

• DePaul's home floor at the Allstate Arena was named the Ray & Marge Meyer Court in December 2003 in honor of the legendary coach and his wife.

• DePaul's Athletic Academic Advising program provides academic and professional support services for all athletic team members, including supervised study time, weekly advising meetings, tutoring and career development services.

About the Athletic Director

Jean Lenti Ponsetto was one of only a handful of women to head NCAA Division I athletic programs when she was appointed director in 2002. A four-sport athlete, Lenti Ponsetto earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from DePaul in 1978. After graduation, Lenti Ponsetto took a position as assistant women's basketball coach at the university. Since then, she has moved up the ranks with promotions to assistant athletic director, associate athletic director and senior athletic director. 

In 1998, Lenti Ponsetto was named Administrator of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and National Association of Collegiate Women's Athletics. Lenti Ponsetto is the first woman to chair the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, which oversees all the division's championship events, playing and practice rules, athlete safety and drug education, as well as the financial impact and image of all NCAA events.

DePaul's Athletics website: depaulbluedemons.com