Duquesne Dukes The Duquesne Dukes are the athletic teams of Duquesne University of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . Duquesne has played men ' s basketball only in NCAA Division I and has played football as a club team from 1891 – 1894 , 1896 – 1903 , 1913 – 1914 , and 1920 – 1928 , in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) from 1929 – 1942 and 1947 – 1950 , again as a club team from 1969 – 1978 , in NCAA Division III from 1979 – 1992 , and in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) from 1993 – present . Mascot . The " Dukes " nickname dates back to 1911 , when what is now Duquesne University changed its name to honor the Marquis Du Quesne , the French governor of Canada , who first brought Catholic observances to the Pittsburgh area . Since a Marquis and a Duke are not visually distinct ( and the name " Duquesne " implies a " Duke " ) , the unofficial symbol of the school ' s athletic teams became a man dressed in a top hat , tails and a regal sash across his chest . " Dukes " being more readily recognized than " Marquis , " the name Duke was popularly assigned to the symbol and stuck ever since the fall of 1911 . The Duquesne Department of Athletics unveiled its most notable " Duke " mascot prior to the January 18 , 2003 game against the University of Richmond . The Duke is 7 - feet tall with an oversized head and sports a dapper navy blue suit with red piping , a red shirt with a red bow tie , and red gloves , with a black top hat . The new Duke replaces " Duke the Bear " who was a fixture at DU athletic events since 1996 . At the December 13 , 2008 game versus West Virginia , Duquesne introduced its new human - figure mascot to replace the character mascot . The mascot traditionally sports its black jacket with coat - tails and overbearing top - hat . Before the 2010 City Game vs the Pittsburgh Panthers , Duquesne introduced the new character mascot at an annual alumni event . Duquesne ' s school colors of red and blue , the colors of the Holy Ghost Fathers , have been in place since the school ' s inception . University fight song . " The Victory Song " ( " Red and Blue " ) was written in 1926 . Words and music were composed by Father Thomas J . Quigley ( class of 1927 ) . Basketball . The Dukes men ' s basketball team has had great success over the years , playing twice in national championship games in the 1950s and winning the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1955 . ( At the time , the NIT was far more prestigious than it is now . ) The men ' s basketball Dukes annually play their cross - town rival , the University of Pittsburgh Panthers , in Pittsburgh ' s much anticipated and highly attended City Game . The current head coach is Jim Ferry , who was hired in the spring of 2012 . The Dukes women ' s basketball team also plays the University of Pittsburgh every year in the women ' s version of the City Game . The current head coach is Women ' s Basketball Hall of Fame r Suzie McConnell - Serio , who has a two - year record of 35 - 27 . Fictional portrayals . A Duquesne Dukes men ' s basketball player ' s heart ailment serves as the major plot device for the pilot episode of Pittsburgh - based CBS medical drama " Three Rivers " . Other varsity sports . The Dukes wrestling squad has also been immensely successful , although it competes as an Independent in NCAA Division I . The Dukes wrestlers have won two NCAA Division I East Regional Championships ( 2000 and 2005 ) and have sent at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships every year during John Hartupee ' s 11 seasons as head coach , the position he currently holds . However , the wrestling program has since been disbanded because of budget cuts and the disproportionate male to female ratio at the university . Duquesne fielded an NCAA varsity rifle team for many years ( a coed sport ) . This team competed in the Middle Atlantic Rifle Conference , claiming a share of the conference title in the 2001 - 02 season . The team officially disbanded after the 2003 - 04 season . Recently , Duquesne ' s Olympic / " non - revenue " sports were led by distance runner Tom Slosky , a member of the university ' s cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field teams . Slosky is a five - time Atlantic 10 champion — winning a team and individual cross country title in 2005 and 2007 , respectively , and the conference ' s 3 , 000 - meter steeplechase as a member of Duquesne ' s outdoor track & field program in 2005 , 2006 and 2008 — as well as a three - time IC4A champion in the 3 , 000 - meter steeplechase ( 2006 , 2007 and 2008 ) . Slosky also was a 3 , 000 - meter steeplechase competitor in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2006 , 2007 and 2008 — advancing to the final heat in 2007 — and a competitor in the 2007 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships . In the fall 2012 semester , the women ' s rowing team , for the first time , took first in the varsity eight event at the Head of the Ohio , hosted in Pittsburgh . Club sports . Duquesne fields many club , or non - varsity , teams that compete regularly against other schools . Club sports offered at Duquesne are tennis , men ' s indoor track & field , men ' s rowing , men ' s ice hockey , and men ' s roller hockey . The Duquesne Club Tennis team started in the Fall of 2008 . They are a part of the USTA ' s Tennis on Campus program . The men ' s indoor track & field program practices and competes alongside Duquesne ' s varsity women ' s indoor track & field program during the winter months and is affiliated with the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America . The men ' s team is recognized as varsity during the spring months when it becomes an outdoor track & field program and competes in the Atlantic 10 , although it maintains its affiliation with the IC4A . The men ' s rowing program generally practices and competes alongside Duquesne ' s varsity women ' s rowing team . The men ' s ice hockey team is affiliated with the Division I level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association , competing in the College Hockey Mid - America conference . The team was CHMA champions during the 2006 – 07 season . The men ' s roller hockey team competed as a Division II team in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association ( NCRHA ) ' s Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association ( ECRHA ) , specifically in the Central Conference . Atlantic 10 Championships . Duquesne ' s first full / " postseason " Atlantic 10 team championship came in 1977 with a men ' s championship in the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League ( the forerunner to the Eastern Athletic Association — now known as the Atlantic 10 Conference . The Dukes ' only other full / " postseason " Atlantic 10 team championship came in 2005 by way of men ' s cross country , but the Dukes have also won numerous regular season Atlantic 10 team championships . Men ' s basketball was co - champion of the league ' s regular seasons in both 1980 and 1981 when it was known as the Eastern Athletic Association . Men ' s soccer was co - champion of the league ' s regular season in 2003 , sole champion in 2004 , and again co - champion in 2005 . Women ' s lacrosse was co - champion of the league ' s regular seasons in both 2004 and 2005 . The Dukes have crowned numerous full Atlantic 10 individual champions in men ' s cross country ( 1 ) , women ' s rowing ( 5 ) , men ' s and women ' s swimming [ 23 ( men ) , 11 ( women ) ] , women ' s indoor track and field ( 8 ) , and men ' s and women ' s outdoor track & field [ 11 ( men ) , 8 ( women ) ] . Postseason / " Full " ( 79 ) . Team ( 2 ) . Men ' s Basketball ( 1 ) Men ' s Cross Country ( 1 ) Individual ( 77 ) . Men ' s Cross Country ( 1 ) Women ' s Rowing ( 5 ) Men ' s Swimming & Diving ( 23 ) Women ' s Swimming & Diving ( 12 ) Women ' s Indoor Track & Field ( 12 ) Men ' s Outdoor Track & Field ( 11 ) Women ' s Outdoor Track & Field ( 13 ) Regular Season ( 7 ) . Team ( 7 ) . Men ' s Basketball ( 2 ) Men ' s Soccer ( 3 ) Women ' s Lacrosse ( 2 )