The Butler University Bulldogs compete as members of the Pioneer Football League in NCAA Division I FCS football, and in the Big East Conference in NCAA Division I basketball. Butler is a private non-sectarian (although founded as a Christian school) institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of around 4,000.
The campus sits south of downtown along Brown Street, about a half-mile south of US 35. The primary athletic facilities are physically, if not technically, off campus. Both Welcome Stadium (11,000) and University of Dayton Arena (13,435) are situated between I-75 and the Great Miami River about a half-mile west of campus, directly accessible from I-75 via exit 51 (Edwin C Moses Boulevard). UD Arena has been the host for numerous NCAA men's tournament games, including the annual play-in game since 2001; in 2010, the arena will tie Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium for the honor of having hosted the most games in the tournament, and in 2011 will take sole possession of that distinction.
Dayton's chief rival is without question Xavier. Lesser rivalries exist with Miami (OH), Cincinnati, and Butler, as well as other regional catholic schools. The cross-town rivalry with Wright State is rather tepid from the Dayton perspective.
Dayton has provided 39 players to NFL rosters in its history, every single one of them from the pre-1976 era when Dayton was a major program. The most recognizable pair would be OL Bob DeMarco and DL Jim Katcavage, both of whom started for over a decade in the league and were named to three Pro Bowls each. Strangely, although Dayton's basketball program has had much more national success, only 16 former Flyers have appeared in the NBA or ABA, led by Jim Paxson. Paxson's father, also named Jim, played for UD as well and had a much briefer NBA career. (John Paxson, the elder Paxson's younger and more famous son, attended Notre Dame instead.)
Conference Affiliations
Basketball
Post-Season Appearances
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Note: Years for bowl games indicate the fall season preceding the game itself. Further, unless impossible to avoid, corporate sponsorship is ignored. Please see Bowl Alert for details.
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Basketball
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| NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
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2010, 2011
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| NCAA Division I Men's Tournament
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1962, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
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| National Invitation Tournament
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1958, 1959, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006
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| College Basketball Invitational
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2012
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Championships
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| Pioneer Football League Champions
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1994, 2009, 2012
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| Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference Champions
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1991, 1992
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| Heartland Collegiate Conference Champions
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1977, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989
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| Indiana Collegiate Conference
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1952, 1953, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
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Basketball
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| NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Champions
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2011
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| NCAA Division I West Regional Champions
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2010
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| Horizon League Tournament Champions
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1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011
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| Horizon League Regular Season Champions
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1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
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| Indiana Collegiate Conference Champions
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1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962
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| Mid-American Conference Champions
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1947
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| Missouri Valley Conference Champions
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1933, 1934
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National Individual Awards
Basketball
External Links
Butler University Athletics
