Need a dose of school spirit? Want to know the best ways to heckle another team, or what colors you should paint your face for Homecoming? Drexel University’s DAC Pack has you covered on traditions and more — just in time for basketball season.
The DAC Pack, named for the University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, is arguably the authority on Drexel Athletics traditions; it’s the student group that leads the DAC in school spirit during basketball games and brings good vibes to other sporting events, too. It was first known as the DU Basketball Club and has grown from 15 students to more than 40 at games, according to Drexel Athletics. They sit in the south bleachers, wear the same T-shirts and try to make life fun for Dragons and difficult for the opposing team.
“We try to bring school spirit back,” current President Zoë Simmons, sport business ’25, said. “You never know where you're going to meet your next friend and taking that little leap of faith is a good thing for people, and basketball is a good place to do that.”
Simmons got involved in the DAC Pack during her second year, back when the DAC still had limited capacity due to the pandemic. She’s met many of her best friends there and encourages other students to stop by for a game, just to try to build community. Vice President Paulie Loscalzo, sport business ’26, said everyone is welcome in the DAC Pack — and if you show up, you just might get a free T-shirt, which they hand out “like candy,” he said. There’s no formal process to join and you don’t have to register anywhere or pay fees, but you can find them on DragonLink or Instagram and keep up with events that way.
“We always say everyone’s already in the DAC Pack, they just don’t know it yet,” Loscalzo said. “If you’re there to have a good time and yell and cheer, congrats, you’re in the DAC Pack.”
Last year, the women’s basketball team won the 2024 CAA tournament and booked their ticket to the first round of the NCAA’s March Madness, so follow along to see if they can recapture the magic this year. Their season kicks off on Nov. 7 at the DAC, and there will be a ring ceremony.
The men’s team already started their season on Nov. 4, but you have another chance to see them at the DAC on Nov. 9 against Colgate University. Both teams will play in the Big 5 (a tournament that pits six Philadelphia-area colleges against each other, culminating in a daylong tournament at the Wells Fargo Center in December) this year, so tune in for some intercity basketball bragging rights.
Happy basketball-ing, Dragons.
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