Athletics
Competing with integrity and winning championships: world-class athletics the Denver way.
For nearly 160 years, DU has built a tradition of excellence that transcends both elite athletic performance and academic prowess at a level few can match.
Across eighteen sports, Denver Athletics is an elite Division I program that consistently contends with some of the largest, most well-funded programs nationwide; we paved the way for women’s collegiate sports across the country. We do it all while our student-athletes average high GPAs and a 95% graduation rate.
Our focus is developing the entire student-athlete – from emotional and psychological well-being to character and top tier physical performance – making DU a prime destination for student-athletes who embody even more than a devotion to winning. Our audacity, work ethic and dedication are uniquely DU: world-class athletics, the Denver way. It’s a standard we’re raising even higher in the next quarter century.
Enhancing Facilities
A renovated Ritchie Center will ensure student-athletes have the resources and opportunities to excel in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Built in 1999, the Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness was ahead of its time, but as Division I Athletics has evolved, new and innovative approaches to training, performance and recovery are needed for recruitment, connection and overall student-athlete wellbeing. Funding to upgrade the Ritchie Center will impact all eighteen sports and more than 380 student-athletes, spurring DU Athletics into its next era of outstanding excellence as Denver’s Home for College Sports.
Supporting Scholarships and Operations
Investment in DU Athletics scholarships and operations will elevate the 4D Experience and provide an elite-level student-athlete experience. Your gift will provide a competitive edge through academic support, nutrition, sports medicine, strength & conditioning, sports psychology, team travel and professional development – top-tier resources that fuel student-athletes’ ability to perform at the highest levels and that prepare them for leadership on their teams and in life.
Endowing Positions and Programs
DU has been Denver’s Home for College Sports for nearly 160 years, but only four of DU’s 18 athletics programs currently benefit from endowed coaching positions, representing a significant philanthropic opportunity today. Funding for athletics endowments will establish the conditions for athletics success in perpetuity and help preserve and expand our ambitious trajectory of world-class athletic excellence.
