DePaul University

Fun Facts

• In 1900, when the first athletic team to ever represent DePaul University was organized, the monogram "D" was selected for the uniforms. From this originated the nickname D-Men, which evolved into Demons.
• The Blue Demon athletic teams at DePaul University acquired their deathly pallor in 1901 by a vote of the student body. The color blue signifies loyalty.
• DePaul University's McGowan Environmental Science and Chemistry Building was the first university science building in Illinois to earn Gold LEED-certification from the US Green Building Council, which recognizes leadership in energy efficiency and environmental design.
• Ray Meyer, DePaul University's long-time head varsity basketball coach, earned his 600^th career victory in the third game of the 1979 season, one of a handful of coaches to reach this career milestone. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, only the fourth active coach to be so honored.
• In 1978, DePaul University bought the storied but soon-to-close Goodman School of Drama from the Art Institute of Chicago, turning luminaries like Linda Hunt and Joe Mantegna into alumni and the DePaul Theatre School into a nationally ranked program.
• Who says gardens need to be Earth-bound? DePaul University students can enjoy a rooftop garden atop the DePaul Center in Chicago's Loop. The school also has a rooftop greenhouse and garden on its Lincoln Park Campus.
• DePaul University's Seton Hall was ranked #3 among the nation's 15 best residence halls in the 2012 Dormy Awards.
• DePaul University's first two graduates were Mark Ignatius Sheridan, who became superintendent of the City of Chicago Water Department, and William David O'Brien, who became auxiliary bishop of Chicago and later titular archbishop and president of the Catholic Church Extension Society.
• DePaul University's green initiatives include over 70 water bottle refill stations.
• DePaul University's College of Law was one of the first law schools in Illinois to admit women and Jewish students.
• DePaul University's mascot is named Dibs, which stands for Demon in a Blue Suit.
• DePaul University was originally named St. Vincent's College.
• DePaul University Theatre School alumnus Michael Rooker costarred in The Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Four members of the rock band Chicago graduated from DePaul University. The band's original name was Chicago Transit Authority.
• DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business is one of the 10 oldest business schools in the nation.
• In 1911, DePaul University became one of the first Catholic universities in the nation to admit women to coeducational classes.