Duquesne Dukes History

Duquesne University first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October, 1878 with an enrollment of 40 students and a faculty of seven. From a humble original location on Wylie Avenue in the City's Uptown section to its present beautifully self-contained campus, Duquesne provides a hilltop vista overlooking one of the nation's most attractive cities.

Today Duquesne University is a progressive, educational community which has more than tripled from its early 12.5 acres to its present, self-enclosed 40-acre campus on the "Bluff." Duquesne was cited by USA Today as having the safest campus in Pennsylvania and one of the safest campuses in the nation.

Several renovations have recently taken place and have added to Duquesne's already-rich physical plant, including a state-of-the-art health sciences facility, two parking garages, a multi-purposed recreation center, a Victorian campus throughway, and a theatre classroom complex.

Recently named one of the top ten Catholic universities in the United States, Duquesne's academics are recognized both nationally and internationally. As a result of its academic excellence, the University has signed agreements with institutions around the globe including Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, England, China, Japan and Italy as well as the new Commonwealth of Independent States.
 

The Fight Song

We’ll sing hooray for the Red and Blue,
A big hooray for the Red and Blue;
For the flag we love on to victory,
And when the foe is down,
we will raise a mighty shout
And sing hooray for the Red and Blue;
We’re all your sons and daughters true.
Now with all your might, give them
fight,fight, fight
for the grand old Red and Blue.
 

03'-04' Basketball Season

With six lettermen - including four starters - returning, Duquesne head coach Danny Nee hopes to turn last year's close losses into wins in 2003-04. The hard-luck Dukes, who lost a total of eight games by five or fewer points last season, saw 20 of their 30 games decided by single digits.

Unlike last season, which saw four newcomers emerge as starters, Nee has the benefit of experience on his side this year. Seniors Jimmy Tricco (Sr., G, 6-8, Phoenix, Ariz./Gonzaga), Elijah Palmer (Sr., F, 6-7, Marshall, Mo./Kennedy-King (Ill.) College) and Ron Dokes (Sr., F/C, 6-8, South Bend, Ind./Lincoln Trail (Ill.) College) - all first-year transfers last season, have the benefit of one trip through the Atlantic 10 under their belt. The trio, which started 23 times as a unit, combined to average 30 points (nearly half the team's 66.7 ppg. average) and 14 rebounds per game.

Duquesne welcomes back four starters from last year's 10-20 team ... So. G Bryant McAllister, Sr. G Jimmy Tricco, Sr. F Elijah Palmer and Sr. C Ron Dokes ... all four were first year players last season (McAllister was a true freshman and Tricco, Palmer and Dokes were first-year transfers) ... in all, first year players accounted for 105 of a possible 150 total starts last season ... the 6-8 Tricco, who hit five or more 3-pointers in a game six times last year, finished 17th nationally in 3-point shooting percentage at 42.9% ... he topped the 20-point mark four times ... Palmer, a 6-7 forward, came on strong over the second half of last season ... after just one double digit game in his first nine outings, he rallied to score 10 or more in 13 of DU's last 20 contests ... Duquesne was 7-7 when Palmer reached double digits ... Dokes finished the season strong, shooting 57.6 percent from the field (11.0 ppg.) over DU's last seven games ... the 6-8 Dokes averaged 15.5 ppg. and 6.5 rpg. and shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the field in two games against former Xavier All-American David West ... McAllister also improved as the season progressed ... the Pittsburgh native, who started 22 times as a true freshman, began the season with 21 assists and 37 turnovers in 13 non-conference games ... he rallied to post 56 assists and 49 turnovers in A-10 play on his way to a team-high 79 assists ... 6-9 junior Jon Pawlak is back after taking a developmental redshirt last season ... after seeing minimal playing time as a freshman, Pawlak rallied to shoot 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from the 3-point arc over his last 13 games as a sophomore ... his outside scoring punch will be much welcomed in the frontcourt ... JC transfer point guard Martin Osimani played in 28 games for NCAA Tournament participant Utah in 2001-02 ... he averaged 6.9 assists per game last season at Miami-Dade CC ... Osimani spent this summer playing for the Uruguayan National Team ... he has played internationally for his native country since 1998 ... freshman Kieron Achara also has international experience as a member of the Scottish National Team ... in 1999, at the age of 16, he was the youngest member of the Senior National Team ... he was also the Scottish Junior Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001 ... Cleveland State transfer Jack Higgins was named both Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review City League Player of the Year following his senior season at Pittsburgh Schenley High School ... Higgins, a mid-term transfer, will be eligible December 17.