Throughout the summer, GoMason.com will introduce the 12 other members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, in the order they joined the conference. We start with one of the three remaining founding members, Duquesne.

Duquesne University

Established: 1878
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Distance from Mason: 248 miles
Enrollment: 10,363
Colors: Red and Blue
Nickname: Dukes
Fight Song: Victory Song (Red and Blue)
Athletics Website: http://www.GoDuquesne.com
Athletic Twitter Handle: @GoDuquesne
Joined A-10: 1976 (as the Eastern Athletic Association)
Mason Connection: None. Know something we missed? Tweet @MasonAthletics using #AroundTheA10 and we'll add it in!

Notable Alumni:
- Art Rooney (Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, founder and former owner of NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Bobby Vinton (pop singer, hits include “Blue Velvet” and “Roses Are Red (My Love))
- Floyd “Chip” Ganassi (race car driver and team owner)

Fun Facts:
- Duquesne is named after Ange Duquesne de Menneville, Marquis du Quesne, the French governor of New France who first brought Catholic observances to the Pittsburgh area.

- Duquesne University sits on a 49-acre campus in Downtown Pittsburgh, but also maintains a campus just beyond Vatican City in Rome, Italy. Students there study curriculum appropriate to the historical and cultural setting of Rome and take mandatory trips to northern and southern Italy.

- Duquesne is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. It was founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit as “Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost” in 1878.

- The Dukes men's basketball team plays select home games at the nearby CONSOL Energy Center, home of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Duquesne is the only Atlantic 10 school to play regular scheduled home games at an NHL or NBA arena. 

"Duke", the Duquesne mascot