The Flyers is the team name for the University of Dayton's intercollegiate athletic teams. The name is a reference and homage to Daytonians Orville and Wilbur Wright who pioneered heavier than air flight.

NCAA Affiliation

All Flyer's intercollegiate sports teams participate at the NCAA Division I level. The football team competes in the IAA non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, while all other sports compete in the IA Atlantic 10 conference. Dayton fields seven men's teams (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, and tennis), and nine women's teams (basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball).

Fan Support

University of Dayton athletic teams enjoy considerable support from their energized fan base. The men's basketball team is perennially among the top 25 programs nationally in attendance.^* The student fan base is known as the "Red Scare" and provides raucous support for the Flyers from behind the east goal during basketball games.

Rivalries

The Flyers' traditional rivals in most sports are regional schools such as Xavier, Cincinnati, and Miami (Ohio). Both members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, Dayton and Xavier vie for possession of the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy during regular season men's basketball games. Other historical rivals of note include Louisville, Notre Dame, DePaul, and Marquette. The latter three schools formed an informal basketball league with Dayton during the 1970s and 1980s, prior to formal league association for each school.

Mascot

Rudy is the mascot of the Dayton Flyers. He is dressed in early pilots attire including a scarf and goggles. Sports Illustrated recognized the Flyers' mascot as one of the nation's hottest mascots.^*

External links

• University of Dayton
• Dayton Athletics
• UDPride.com Flyer Fan Website