A Legacy of Blue Demons: The History of DePaul University Athletics

DePaul University's athletic program boasts a rich and evolving history, deeply intertwined with the institution's mission and the vibrant city of Chicago. From its humble beginnings in the early 20th century to its current aspirations within the Big East Conference, DePaul Athletics has consistently strived for excellence, both on and off the field.

Early Years and Growth

DePaul University began sponsoring athletic teams in the early 1900s, with intercollegiate athletics coming to fruition in the 1920s. The program has a storied tradition and is uniquely positioned to support the university's mission and commitment to academic excellence, real-world experience, community engagement, and systemic change.

A New Era: Vision and Goals

Through a bold new vision for the future-led by Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy-DePaul Athletics looks to become the premier program in the BIG EAST Conference through a focus on winning championships with integrity, building champion students through education and intentional development, and serving as a visible ambassador for DePaul University and the Chicago community.

Fan Engagement and Access

DePaul Athletics prioritizes fan engagement, offering students free admission to all athletic events. For varsity sports events on the Lincoln Park Campus, including men's and women's soccer, volleyball, and softball, students can simply tap or swipe their DePaul Student ID at the designated student entrance for free admission on game day. For men's and women's basketball games at Wintrust Arena, a fully electronic student ticket claim process is available. Discounts are available on tickets when purchased in advance of game day at DePaulBlueDemons.com/promo.

Men's Basketball: A Deep Dive

The DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. The team competes in the Big East Conference. DePaul's last NCAA tournament victory was in 2004. DePaul was an independent from 1923 to 1991, despite having a team since 1908. It joined the Great Midwest Conference in 1991 which later merged with the Metro Conference in 1995 to become Conference USA, in which DePaul was a member through 2005.

Coaching Legends and Eras

The program has been shaped by a series of dedicated coaches, each leaving their mark on the Blue Demons' legacy.

Robert L. Stevenson (1923-24): The first head coach in DePaul basketball history, Stevenson led the Blue Demons to an 8-6 record in his single season.
Harry Adams (1924-25): Adams coached for one season, finishing with a 6-13 record.
Jim Kelly (1929-1936): Kelly achieved a remarkable 99-22 record over seven seasons.
Tom Haggerty (1936-1940): Haggerty's tenure resulted in a 63-32 overall record.
Ray Meyer (1942-1984): A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Meyer coached at DePaul for 42 years, amassing a 724-354 record. He led the team to 21 post-season appearances (13 NCAA, eight NIT) and two Final Four appearances (1943, 1979). Meyer's 1943 Final Four appearance was his first season coaching DePaul. His teams were a No. 1 seed in its NCAA regional three years in a row in 1980, 1981 and 1982; however, those teams all lost their first game to #8 seeds in upsets. Meyer led DePaul past Bowling Green to capture the 1945 National Invitation Tournament, the school's only post-season title. Meyer coached George Mikan who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980, and was elected one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players ever in 1996. On October 21, 2021, it was also announced that Mikan had made the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. During Ray Meyer's tenure, the Blue Demons originally played in University Auditorium before moving to Alumni Hall in 1956.
Joey Meyer (1984-1997): Following his father's footsteps, Joey Meyer compiled a 231-158 record. Joey Meyer led DePaul to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his first eight seasons, including back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in his second and third seasons. In the 1986 tournament, #12-seeded DePaul-led by freshman guard Rod Strickland (14.1 ppg season average) and junior Dallas Comegys (13.8 ppg) -- upset #5-seeded Virginia and #4-seeded Oklahoma in the East regional before losing to top-seeded Duke 74-67. In 1987, the Blue Demons-again led by Comegys (17.5 ppg) and Strickland (16.3 ppg) -- finished the regular season 26-2 and received a #3 seed in the Midwest regional of the 1987 tournament. They defeated #14-seeded Louisiana Tech and #6-seeded St. John's before losing to #10-seeded LSU. In both 1988 and 1989, DePaul reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, but they were on a downward trajectory. In 1992, the Blue Demons were co-champions of the newly formed Great Midwest Conference but made their last NCAA tournament appearance under Meyer. In 1996, they finished 11-18, their first losing season since 1971, and the next year, a young DePaul team finished 3-23. Pat Kennedy was named head coach after Joey Meyer. It was the first time a member of the Meyer family hadn't coached DePaul basketball in 55 years.
Pat Kennedy (1997-2002): Kennedy took over after Joey Meyer's departure.
Dave Leitao (2002-2005): Leitao's first stint saw his teams make post-season play in all three of his seasons as head coach. In his second season, his team advanced to the second round of the 2004 NCAA tournament before being eliminated by eventual national champion Connecticut. His teams also played in the 2003 and 2005 NIT Tournaments. In his first stint as head coach at Depaul, he finished with a 58-34 overall record.
Jerry Wainwright (2005-2010): Wainwright's tenure included notable upsets, including a victory over #5 Kansas. Jerry Wainwright was named DePaul head coach in 2005. In his first season he finished with a 12-15 record. In his second season in 2006-07, the Blue Demons beat #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 with Wainwright leading the Blue Demons to the 2007 National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals before losing to Air Force. Four games into the 2007-08 season, Wainwright logged his 200th career win as a head coach, but the team finished with a 10-19 record. The 2008-2009 season saw DePaul finish 9-24 overall and 0-18 in regular season Big East play. Wainwright began the 2009-10 season as head coach, but was fired on January 11, 2010, after a 7-8 start to the season. He still had two years remaining on his contract at the time of his firing. Wainwright finished with a 59-80 overall record in his five years at DePaul.
Oliver Purnell (2010-2015): Purnell's time at DePaul was marked by struggles to achieve consistent success. On April 6, 2010, Oliver Purnell, formerly of Clemson University signed a seven-year deal with DePaul. In his first season in 2010-11, Purnell finished with a record of 7-24. The rest of his tenure saw his teams with finish with similar records of 12-19 during the 2011-2012 season, 11-21 during the 2012-2013 season, 12-21 during the 2013-2014 season and 12-20 in 2014-15.
Dave Leitao (2015-2021): Leitao returned for a second stint, aiming to revitalize the program. Dave Leitao returned for his second stint as DePaul head basketball coach for the 2015-2016 season. The team finished with a record of 9-22 in his first season back with the Blue Demons. The 2016-2017 season saw the Blue Demons finish with a 9-23 record in Leitao's second season. This season would be DePaul's last season playing at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois after 37 years at the venue. Following the 2017-2018 season, DePaul's eleventh straight losing season under coaches hired by current Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto, a group of "concerned students and alumni" purchased a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Sun-Times calling for change within the school's Athletic Department. Additional reasons the students and alumni wanted change was that since the 1989-90 season, DePaul had won only one NCAA tournament game in the 29 seasons that transpired. DePaul had also only been to two NCAA Tournaments since the 1991-92 season, hadn't qualified for the NCAA Tournament since the 2003-04 season and the Blue Demons had not made postseason play since 2006-07. The 2018-2019 season saw a turnaround for DePaul as the Blue Demons finished with a 19-17 overall record. In Leitao's fourth season, he led the Blue Demons to the 2019 College Basketball Invitational post-season tournament. The team finished as runner-up to the University of South Florida Bulls.
Tony Stubblefield (2021-2024): Stubblefield's tenure was cut short after a difficult start to the season. On April 1, 2021, Tony Stubblefield was hired as head coach. He previously served as an assistant coach at Oregon. Stubblefield was fired on January 22, 2024 after a troubling partial season of (3-15). Only managing to beat South Dakota, Louisville, and Chicago State. All home games.
Chris Holtmann (2024-Present): Holtmann's arrival brought renewed hope and early success to the program. On March 14, 2024, Chris Holtmann was named head coach. On February 24, Terry Cummings had his No. 32 (1979-1982) jersey retired by the program. Holtmann and the 2024-25 team went 7-1 to start the season, losing their first game on the road to Texas Tech in the program's final Big East-Big 12 Battle on December 4, 2024. On January 17, 2025, the team won their first Big East Conference game since January 18, 2023. They would defeat Georgetown at Capital One Arena 73-68, their first conference win in 1 year and 364 days after 39 straight losses. The team would follow that up on February 2, 2025 with their first conference win at home since January 10, 2023, defeating Seton Hall 74-57. On February 22, Dave Corzine had his No. 40 (1974-1978) jersey retired by the program. The improvement could be seen compared to the last season as the team finished (14-20) overall and (4-16) in the conference, finishing with the #10 seed. The team even managed to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 Big East tournament, where they would lose a hard fought battle against #2 seed Creighton. It was announced on June 11 that the 2025-26 Blue Demons would be participating in the men's 2025 Emerald Coast Classic along with Drake, Georgia Tech, and former 2021 Classic champion LSU. The event took place during Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. On November 26, the program announced that Rod Strickland would have his No. 10 (1985-1988) jersey retired by the program during a game on February 3, 2026 against St. John's.

Memorable Moments and Achievements

DePaul's basketball history is punctuated by remarkable upsets and tournament appearances. In 1950, the Blue Demons upset #2-ranked St. In 1952-53, the #19 Blue Demons upset #1-ranked and #3-ranked La Salle 63-61 and 68-62 respectively. In 1983, the #13 Blue Demons upset #3-ranked Georgetown 63-61. In 1986, the Blue Demons upset #6-ranked St.

NCAA Tournament Appearances: The Blue Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22 times. #14 Louisiana Tech#6 St.
National Invitation Tournament (NIT): The Blue Demons have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 16 times. Their combined record is 17-17. MuhlenbergOklahoma A&MSt.
College Basketball Invitational (CBI): The Blue Demons have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Depaul has appeared in the College Basketball Crown once.

Facilities

The Blue Demons play their home games at Wintrust Arena, a 10,387-seat multi-purpose sports venue in Chicago.

Recent Developments and Fundraising

DePaul Athletics raised more than $7 million during the 2024-25 academic year through over 2,900 individual gifts, representing a 140% increase in giving from the previous year. This year’s success was fueled by continued momentum behind the Dream Big Campaign, a bold, multi-phase initiative aimed at revitalizing DePaul’s athletic facilities and ensuring the Blue Demons remain competitive in today’s college athletics landscape.

The first phase of the campaign was completed this past fall, culminating in the unveiling of a renovated McGrath-Phillips Arena and Sullivan Athletic Center. For the first time in program history, each varsity team has a dedicated locker room, alongside state-of-the-art upgrades to sports medicine and training facilities.

The focus is now on the forthcoming Basketball Practice Facility project-an exciting and essential next step in the department’s ongoing investment in student-athlete success. The facility, which will serve both the men’s and women’s basketball programs, features dedicated practice courts and a full suite of wellness, nutrition, and recovery spaces designed to benefit all 215+ DePaul student-athletes and create new opportunities for cross-campus partnerships in health, wellness, and student development. Construction is tentatively slated to begin next summer, with the entire project made possible through capital gifts to the Dream Big Campaign. Fueling this year’s fundraising efforts was a strong performance during the Blue Demon Challenge, the university’s annual 24-hour day of giving. The department raised over $1.3 million from 1,946 donors, reflecting the deep passion and unwavering commitment of the DePaul community. The DePaul Athletics Fund also launched two new initiatives this year-the Fund for Basketball Excellence and the Doug Bruno Women’s Basketball Fund. Both funds were established to enhance support for DePaul’s basketball programs, providing vital resources necessary in today’s rapidly evolving collegiate landscape. The DePaul Athletics Fund serves as the fundraising arm of the DePaul Athletics Department, working in coordination with the University Division of Advancement & External Relations.

The Bigger Picture: Athletics and the University

The success of DePaul Athletics fosters institutional success through increased local and national visibility, exposure, and coverage, benefiting the entire DePaul community. This progress is not siloed, it is shared. The visibility, energy, and momentum generated by Athletics extends far beyond competition. Athletics enhances DePaul’s brand nationally, drives alumni engagement, increases philanthropic interest across colleges and programs, and contributes to enrollment and school spirit. These outcomes elevate the entire university. DePaul is proud of the role they play in advancing DePaul’s mission-championing access, opportunity, and holistic student development.

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