Davidson College
- Athletics

Most Popular Sports

Basketball, basketball, basketball. Though there is pretty good attendance at men’s soccer and football games, almost the entire student body frequently attends basketball games. With Davidson’s newfound basketball success, students can’t help but get involved and show some true school spirit; last year the basketball team made it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament.

Most Overlooked Teams

Unfortunately, most of them. Attendance at soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey games is disappointing in comparison to the huge turnout at basketball games.

School Spirit

In terms of day-to-day spirit, there’s plenty of that as well. Everyone at Davidson owns at least one article of clothing with the school name, and people wear Davidson clothes around campus all the time. Students here are heavily involved in school activities; they consistently invest their time in their organizations and in volunteering. In general, Davidson kids take pride in their campus and their education. That doesn’t mean, of course, that you won’t hear a whole lot of complaining about the workload, the food, or the dating scene. In fact, by junior year, a good number of students feel the school is simply too small and too removed from the “real world.” But that’s what going abroad is for, and if Davidson continually boasts a 95% retention rate, it’s because most return with an enhanced appreciation for their school.

Wildcat spirit is rampant at Davidson, and with a whole quarter of the student body playing Division I varsity sports, it’s not hard to see why. Football and soccer draw large crowds every fall, but the biggest stand-filler is consistently varsity basketball. Despite its comparatively tiny student body, Davidson still takes on Division I juggernauts Duke and UNC. The Wildcats can claim more upsets than most of our powerful opponents would care to admit; just last year we ruined thousands of NCAA March Madness basketball brackets when we made it all the way to the Elite 8, a feat nobody expected. There is no question that Davidson’s Cinderella-style run in the tournament had a lot to do with the presence of Stephen Curry, the nation’s top scorer, and game attendance has skyrocketed, again somewhat as a result of his talent. There are definite fanatics in the crowd; not only is there the traditional Wildcat mascot (“Mr. Cat”), but also a lobster (in honor of Bryant Barr, the “White Lobster,”) some kids in Cat in the Hat costumes and ninja outfits (nobody is really sure why), and some kids who paint Davidson basketball jerseys on their bodies.

Getting Tickets

Tickets are free. For most sports, you need only present your CatCard to get into a game. For our claim to fame, basketball, you need to go pick up tickets a couple days in advance from the Ticket booth at Baker Sports Complex. It is generally very easy to get tickets, unless it is a particularly important game, or featured on ESPN (such as Blackout Belk or Whiteout Belk).

Best Place to Take a Walk

Cross-country trails, Concord Road, around town