Throughout the summer, GoMason.com will introduce the 12 other members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, in the order they joined the conference. We continue with the University of Dayton.
University of Dayton
Established: 1850
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Enrollment: 8,069
Fight Song: “Victory”
Colors: Red and Blue
Nickname: Flyers
Athletics Website: http://www.daytonflyers.com/home/
Athletic Twitter Handle: @DaytonFlyers
Distance from Mason: 471 miles
Joined A-10: 1995
Mason Connection: George Mason Women's Soccer Head Coach Diane Drake graduated from Dayton; Senior Associate AD, Senior Woman Administrator Sue Collins graduated from Dayton
Notable Alumni
- Jon Gruden (Super Bowl winning coach (2003) of Tampa Bay Buccaneers; current Monday Night Football commentator)
- Chuck Noll (Four-time Super Bowl winning head coach (Pittsburgh Steelers: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980))
-Anthony Grant (University of Alabama head basketball coach)
- Dan Patrick (Sportscaster)
Fun Facts:
-The campus spans just 388 acres, making it compact and easy to navigate; one can cross the campus in 10 minutes. Comparably, George Mason University spans 670 acres
-More than 140 patents have been assigned to the University of Dayton, including one for hotbags used by Domino's Pizza to keep delivery pizzas hot
-The nickname “Flyers” is a tribute to the Wright Brothers who began their careers and invented the airplane in Dayton
-Every year the university holds “Christmas on Campus” symbolizing the Catholic and Marianist tradition of the University. The tradition dates back to 1964 when students wanted to celebrate Christmas before leaving for the holidays. Since then, the night has evolved into including the greater Dayton community. UD students “adopt” over 1000 children from Dayton City Schools who may not have the opportunity to fully celebrate the holiday.
