City: Des Moines, IA

Category: Spectator Sports

Description: The “true blue” bulldogs compete at the Division I level in several sports, including traditional college favorites football and men’s and women’s basketball, but also other sports including soccer, tennis, softball, swimming, golf, volleyball, and even women’s crew. They attract plenty of fans to games played at facilities in the heart of Des Moines, especially football at Drake Stadium and basketball in the Knapp Center, both located along Forest Avenue just past the main part of the Drake campus. Several Drake athletes have gone on to pro careers, including in the less spotlighted college sports, with former Drake golfer and Iowa native Zach Johnson winning the Masters in 2007 and playing on two US Ryder Cup teams. Teams at Drake play in different leagues, with the football Bulldogs a member of the Pioneer Football League, which includes teams stretching from San Diego to Jacksonville, Florida, to Dayton, Ohio, while Drake basketball is part of the Missouri Valley Conference, which is more regionally focused, including teams from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The football Bulldogs won a conference championship in 2004.