Duquesne Dukes

The Duquesne Dukes are the athletic teams of Duquesne University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Duquesne has played men's basketball only in NCAA Division I and has played football as a club team from 1891–1894, 1896–1903, 1913–1914, and 1920–1928, in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) from 1929–1942 and 1947–1950, again as a club team from 1969–1978, in NCAA Division III from 1979–1992, and in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) from 1993–present.

Mascot
The "Dukes" nickname dates back to 1911, when what is now Duquesne University changed its name to honor the Marquis Du Quesne, the French governor of Canada, who first brought Catholic observances to the Pittsburgh area.

Since a Marquis and a Duke are not visually distinct (and the name "Duquesne" implies a "Duke"), the unofficial symbol of the school's athletic teams became a man dressed in a top hat, tails and a regal sash across his chest. "Dukes" being more readily recognized than "Marquis," the name Duke was popularly assigned to the symbol and stuck ever since the fall of 1911.



The Duquesne Department of Athletics unveiled its most notable "Duke" mascot prior to the January 18, 2003 game against the University of Richmond. The Duke is 7-feet tall with an oversized head and sports a dapper navy blue suit with red piping, a red shirt with a red bow tie, and red gloves, with a black top hat. The new Duke replaces "Duke the Bear" who was a fixture at DU athletic events since 1996.

At the December 13, 2008 game versus West Virginia, Duquesne introduced its new human-figure mascot to replace the 7 ft character mascot. The mascot traditionally sports its black jacket with coat-tails and overbearing top-hat.

Before the 2010 City Game vs the Pittsburgh Panthers, Duquesne introduced the new character mascot at an annual alumni event.

Duquesne's school colors of red and blue, the colors of the Holy Ghost Fathers, have been in place since the school's inception.

University fight song
The Victory Song (Red and Blue) was written in 1926. Words and music were composed by Father Thomas J. Quigley (class of 1927).

Basketball
The Dukes men's basketball team has had great success over the years, playing twice in national championship games in the 1950s and winning the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1955. (At the time, the NIT was far more prestigious than it is now.) The men's basketball Dukes annually play their cross-town rival, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, in Pittsburgh's much anticipated and highly attended City Game. The current head coach is Jim Ferry, who was hired in the spring of 2012.

The Dukes women's basketball team also plays the University of Pittsburgh every year in the women's version of the City Game. The current head coach is Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Suzie McConnell-Serio, who has a two-year record of 35-27.

Fictional portrayals
A Duquesne Dukes men's basketball player's heart ailment serves as the major plot device for the pilot episode of Pittsburgh-based CBS medical drama Three Rivers.

Other varsity sports
The Dukes wrestling squad has also been immensely successful, although it competes as an Independent in NCAA Division I. The Dukes wrestlers have won two NCAA Division I East Regional Championships (2000 and 2005) and have sent at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships every year during John Hartupee's 11 seasons as head coach, the position he currently holds. However, the wrestling program has since been disbanded because of budget cuts and the disproportionate male to female ratio at the university.

Duquesne fielded an NCAA varsity rifle team for many years (a coed sport). This team competed in the Middle Atlantic Rifle Conference, claiming a share of the conference title in the 2001-02 season. The team officially disbanded after the 2003-04 season.

Recently, Duquesne's Olympic/"non-revenue" sports were led by distance runner Tom Slosky, a member of the university's cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field teams. Slosky is a five-time Atlantic 10 champion—winning a team and individual cross country title in 2005 and 2007, respectively, and the conference's 3,000-meter steeplechase as a member of Duquesne's outdoor track & field program in 2005, 2006 and 2008—as well as a three-time IC4A champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (2006, 2007 and 2008). Slosky also was a 3,000-meter steeplechase competitor in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008—advancing to the final heat in 2007—and a competitor in the 2007 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.

In the fall 2012 semester, the women's rowing team, for the first time, took first in the varsity eight event at the Head of the Ohio, hosted in Pittsburgh.

Club sports


Duquesne fields many club, or non-varsity, teams that compete regularly against other schools. Club sports offered at Duquesne are tennis, men's indoor track & field, men's rowing, men's ice hockey, and men's roller hockey.

The Duquesne Club Tennis team started in the Fall of 2008. They are a part of the USTA's Tennis on Campus program.

The men's indoor track & field program practices and competes alongside Duquesne's varsity women's indoor track & field program during the winter months and is affiliated with the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America. The men's team is recognized as varsity during the spring months when it becomes an outdoor track & field program and competes in the Atlantic 10, although it maintains its affiliation with the IC4A.

The men's rowing program generally practices and competes alongside Duquesne's varsity women's rowing team.

The men's ice hockey team is affiliated with the Division I level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, competing in the College Hockey Mid-America conference. The team was CHMA champions during the 2006–07 season.

The men's roller hockey team competed as a Division II team in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA)'s Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (ECRHA), specifically in the Central Conference.

Atlantic 10 Championships
Duquesne's first full/"postseason" Atlantic 10 team championship came in 1977 with a men's championship in the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (the forerunner to the Eastern Athletic Association—now known as the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Dukes' only other full/"postseason" Atlantic 10 team championship came in 2005 by way of men's cross country, but the Dukes have also won numerous regular season Atlantic 10 team championships. Men's basketball was co-champion of the league's regular seasons in both 1980 and 1981 when it was known as the Eastern Athletic Association. Men's soccer was co-champion of the league's regular season in 2003, sole champion in 2004, and again co-champion in 2005. Women's lacrosse was co-champion of the league's regular seasons in both 2004 and 2005.

The Dukes have crowned numerous full Atlantic 10 individual champions in men's cross country (1), women's rowing (5), men's and women's swimming [23 (men), 11 (women)], women's indoor track and field (8), and men's and women's outdoor track & field [11 (men), 8 (women)].

Team (2)
Men's Basketball (1)
 * 1977 – Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (the forerunner to the Eastern Athletic Association—now known as the Atlantic 10 Conference)

Men's Cross Country (1)
 * 2005

Individual (77)
Men's Cross Country (1)
 * Tom Slosky – 2007

Women's Rowing (5)
 * Novice 4 – 1999
 * Novice 4 – 2007
 * Lightweight 4 – 2007
 * Lightweight 8 - 2008
 * Lightweight 8 - 2009

Men's Swimming & Diving (23)
 * 100-yard Freestyle – Edwin Wicker – 2003
 * 100-yard Backstroke – Scott Darwin – 2005
 * 200-yard Backstroke – Scott Darwin – 2005
 * 50-yard Freestyle – Scott Darwin – 2006
 * 100-yard Freestyle – Edwin Wicker – 2006
 * 200-yard Freestyle Relay – Edwin Wicker, Ian Walsh, Mike Ley and Scott Darwin – 2006
 * 50-yard Freestyle – Edwin Wicker – 2007
 * 200-yard Freestyle Relay – Eric Bugby, Scott Darwin, Mike Ley and Edwin Wicker – 2007
 * 100-yard Butterfly – Eric Bugby – 2007
 * 400-yard Freestyle Relay – Eric Bugby, Scott Darwin, Ian Walsh and Edwin Wicker – 2007
 * 800-yard Freestyle Relay – Jim O'Hara, Brendan Schilling, Ian Walsh and Edward LeBlanc – 2008
 * 500-yard Freestyle – Edward LeBlanc – 2008
 * 200-yard Freestyle Relay – Brendan Schilling, Jim O'Hara, Rich Ryan and Edward LeBlanc – 2008
 * 200-yard Freestyle – Edward LeBlanc – 2008
 * 400-yard Freestyle Relay – Jim O'Hara, Brendan Schilling, Ian Walsh and Edward LeBlanc – 2008
 * 200-yard Freestyle - Edward LeBlanc - 2009
 * 100-yard Breaststroke - Ian Walsh - 2009
 * 800-yard Freestyle Relay - Jim O'Hara, Chris Kobela, Roman Becicka, Edward LeBlanc - 2010
 * 500-yard Freestyle - Edward LeBlanc - 2010
 * 200-yard Freestyle Relay - Brendan Schilling, Edward LeBlanc, Roman Becicka, Jim O'Hara - 2010
 * 200-yard Freestyle - Edward LeBlanc - 2010
 * 100-yard Freestyle - Edward LeBlanc - 2010
 * 400-yard Freestyle Relay - Brendan Schilling, Jim O'Hara, Roman Becicka, Edward LeBlanc - 2010

Women's Swimming & Diving (12)
 * 50-yard Freestyle – Katrina Streiner – 2006
 * 200-yard Backstroke – Kyla Favret – 2006
 * 100-yard Freestyle – Melissa Johnson – 2007
 * 1,650-yard Freestyle – Liz Yager – 2007
 * 200-yard Freestyle Relay – Melissa Johnson, Lauren Stephens, Christina Sherrard and Katrina Streiner – 2008
 * 200-yard Freestyle – Melissa Johnson – 2008
 * 200-yard Backstroke – Kyla Favret – 2008
 * 100-yard Freestyle – Melissa Johnson – 2008
 * 50-yard Freestyle - Christina Sherrard - 2009
 * 100-yard Freestyle - Christina Sherrard - 2009
 * 400-yard IM - Miriam McGeath - 2011
 * 400-yard IM - Meghan Smith - 2013

Women's Indoor Track & Field (12)
 * Triple Jump – Shea McMillan – 2002
 * 4,000-meter Distance Medley Relay – Michelle Flynn, Julie Tyo, Alison Buchanan and Carrie Hucko – 2003
 * 1,000-meter Run – Tara Gerlach – 2004
 * 3,200-meter Relay – Tara Gerlach, Elizabeth Graham, Alison Buchanan and Michelle Flynn – 2004
 * 4,000-meter Distance Medley Relay – Tara Gerlach, Emily Beahan, Ashley Earnest and Amy Ruffolo – 2006
 * 1,000-meter Run – Emily Beahan – 2007
 * 4,000-meter Distance Medley Relay – Amy Ruffolo, Ashley Earnest, Emily Beahan and Samantha Howard – 2007
 * Pole Vault – Daniela Siciliano – 2007
 * 200-meter Dash - Melissa Miller - 2010
 * 400-meter Dash - Melissa Miller - 2010
 * 500-meter Run - Taylor Glenn - 2011
 * Shot Put - Ashley Adams - 2011

Men's Outdoor Track & Field (11)
 * Long Jump – Leigh Bodden – 2002
 * 10,000-meter Run – Ryan Bender – 2004
 * High Jump – Mike Murawski – 2005
 * Hammer Throw – Chuck Mohan – 2005
 * Discus Throw – Chuck Mohan – 2005
 * 3,000-meter Steeplechase – Tom Slosky – 2005
 * 3,000-meter Steeplechase – Tom Slosky – 2006
 * Discus Throw – Robert Healy, III – 2006
 * 3,000-meter Steeplechase – Derek Dutille – 2007
 * 10,000-meter Run – Josh Eddy – 2007
 * 3,000-meter Steeplechase – Tom Slosky – 2008

Women's Outdoor Track & Field (13)
 * 100-meter Hurdles – Nicole Wiley – 2001
 * 400-meter Hurdles – Kathleen McCabe – 2002
 * Triple Jump – Shea McMillan – 2002
 * Discus Throw – Melissa Stewart – 2003
 * Pole Vault – Sarah Fetterman – 2004
 * Pole Vault – Sarah Fetterman – 2005
 * 3,000-meter Steeplechase – Amy Ruffolo – 2005
 * 400-meter Hurdles – Kristen Micsky – 2005
 * Long Jump - Kristen Micsky - 2005
 * Triple Jump - Kristen Micsky - 2005
 * Discus - Ashley Adams - 2010
 * 200-meter Dash - Taylor Glenn - 2011
 * 400-meter Hurdles - Nicole Cherok - 2012

Team (7)
Men's Basketball (2)
 * 1980 – Co-Champions – Eastern Athletic Association
 * 1981 – Co-Champions – Eastern Athletic Association

Men's Soccer (3)
 * 2003 – Co-Champions
 * 2004
 * 2005 – Co-Champions

Women's Lacrosse (2)
 * 2004 – Co-Champions
 * 2005 – Co-Champions