Sports teams representing the University of Denver
Denver Pioneers
University
University of Denver
Conference
The Summit League (primary) Big 12 (gymnastics) Big East (lacrosse) NCHC (ice hockey) RMISA (skiing)
NCAA
Division I
Athletic director
Josh Berlo (June 2022)
Location
Denver, Colorado
Varsity teams
17
Basketball arena
Hamilton Gymnasium
Ice hockey arena
Magness Arena
Soccer stadium
CIBER Field at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium
Lacrosse stadium
Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium
Nickname
Pioneers
Fight song
"D-Rah/Fairest of Colleges" (Dororthy Hickey, 1916)
Colors
Crimson and gold[1]
Website
denverpioneers.com
Summit League logo in Denver's colors
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver (DU). They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, and have amassed 35 NCAA titles as of 2024, which is in the top 15 among all schools (24 in Skiing, 10 in men's ice hockey and 1 in men's lacrosse). Denver is a member of The Summit League for men's and women's basketball, swimming and diving, men's and women's soccer, tennis and golf for both men and women, plus women's volleyball. Other DU teams play in various conferences in the sports that are not sponsored by The Summit. The men's ice hockey team is a charter member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC),[2] which formed in 2011 with play beginning in 2013. The lacrosse teams for men and women are members of the Big East Conference; the men began Big East play in the 2013–14 school year (2014 season), while the women left the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after the 2016 lacrosse season.[3] Men's and women's skiing compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, while the women's gymnastics team became an affiliate of the Big 12 Conference starting with the 2015–16 season.
The university has been fielding athletic teams since 1867. DU's athletic teams are known as the Pioneers. In the early years of competition from the 1860s to the early 1920s, Denver had no official nickname, but sportswriters of the day referred to Denver teams as the "Ministers" or "Fighting Parsons" in homage to the Methodist heritage of the school. Denver officially became the "Pioneers" in 1925, after the result of a student nickname contest, and that nickname has been in place ever since.
Today, DU operates a full NCAA Division I athletic program with a mix of sports in and around the $85 million Daniel Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, which was completed in 2000. In 2017, Denver finished #4 in the men's Division I Capital One Cup rankings, the highest finish in school history, and has also won the Learfield Cup in nine of the past 10 seasons, emblematic of the top non-football Division I athletic department in the nation.
^Colors | University of Denver. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
^"New college hockey conference formed". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
^"Denver Added To BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Lineup" (Press release). Big East Conference. May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
The DenverPioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver (DU). They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I...
The DenverPioneers football team formerly represented the University of Denver in college football. Football was once the most popular sport at the university;...
American settler pioneers to sacrifice yet again for the sake of our 'brand,' the University of Denver should finally lay the Pioneer moniker to rest."...
College". DenverPioneers. Retrieved 11 March 2024. Knabenbauer, Ron (21 March 2023). "Three Pioneers Earn Honors at NCHC Awards". DenverPioneers. Retrieved...
2012–13 DenverPioneers Hockey Media Guide. University of Denver. p. 94. Bacher, Erich; Miller, Hannah R., eds. (2012). 2012–13 DenverPioneers Hockey...
soccer at the University of Denver between 2016 and 2019. In total, Isenhour played 80 career matches for DenverPioneers, posting 25 career shutouts...
Denver Coliseum is an indoor arena, owned by the City and County of Denver, operated by its Denver Arts & Venues and located in Denver, Colorado. The arena...
2019. Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database Biography at DenverPioneers...
The 1945 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as member of the Mountain States Conference...
is home to the DenverPioneers ice hockey team and secondary home to the basketball teams. It replaces the former University of Denver Arena which was...
assists in 23 USHL games. Buium began his collegiate career for the DenverPioneers during the 2023–24 season. He was the second-youngest player in NCAA...
Pac-12 Conference and are located in Boulder. DenverPioneers: The DU Pioneers, located in the city of Denver, play in NCAA Division I and are a member of...
Wenatchee Wild as a junior before playing three seasons at the University of Denver. Cooley appeared in 32 games, amassing 6 shutouts, a .927 save percentage...
The 1960 DenverPioneers football team represented the University of Denver in the Skyline Conference during the 1960 NCAA University Division football...
National Ski Hall of Fame, the Pioneers skied their way to 13 championships. Under Schaeffler's leadership, the University of Denver Ski Team "completely dominated...
The 1936 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference...
The 1958 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Skyline Conference during...
The 1922 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference...
The 1924 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference...
The 1952 DenverPioneers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Denver as a member of the Skyline Conference during...
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