DePaul University

From Sports Library

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Founded by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (Vincentians) in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest who valued philanthropy, Saint Vincent de Paul. The student body consists of about 24,000 students (approximately 15,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate). DePaul is the largest Catholic university and one of the ten largest private universities in the USA. It is the largest private university in Illinois.

Athletics

DePaul competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference. The school mascot is the Blue Demon. 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 current men's basketball coach is Jerry Wainwright. In Wainright's first season, the team fell to Old Dominion on December 17, 2005 by a score of 87-43 after beating No. 16 Wake Forest 84-81. It was the worst defeat in the school's history. On March 2, 2006, DePaul beat future Big East Champion, Syracuse, 108-69.

DePaul's NCAA women's basketball reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history in 2006. The women's softball team has participated in the NCAA World Series several times in recent years. Perennial rivals include Marquette University, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame.

Blue Demons fight song

We will gather
'Neath your banner,
'Neath the scarlet and the blue,
While in song we
Tell your praises
Praises for old DePaul U

Let the battle
wage and threaten
Yours the victory to claim;
As we fight beneath your standard: Proud!
Exulting in your name.
D - E - M - O - N S

(repeat first verse and conclude with "D-E-P-A-U-L")