Depending on whom you ask, Philadelphia sports fans are either the greatest or the rowdiest in the country. When you're watching a home game at one of the stadiums in South Philly, the feeling of energy and excitement in the crowd is impossible to put into words.
Either way, their passion is undeniable. And that's just as true on Drexel's Main Campus as it is at Lincoln Financial Field.
Drexel's mascot, Mario the Magnificent, is named for Mario V. Mascioli, an alumnus from the class of 1945 who didn't miss a single Drexel game for more than 20 years. And Mascioli's spirit lives on in the DAC Pack, Drexel's official athletics fan organization.
Named for the Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel's home court, the DAC Pack's mission is pretty simple — they throw on their gold t-shirts, head to the game, and cheer like wild for the Dragons. Whether it's basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, or soccer, the point is to support the team.
But something happens when you spend that much time and effort on your school's teams: it tends to have an effect on the whole campus. People start taking even more pride in their school.
As Anthony D'Angelo, 2012's president of the DAC Pack, says, "I cared deeply about the DAC Pack, about Drexel Athletics, about the people who work there, about the University in general, and about the student body. I wanted badly for all of them to succeed."
The DAC Pack's efforts are paying off. Drexel's teams are doing well, and school spirit is at an all-time high. Dick Jerardi, a sportswriter for the Philadelphia Daily News, named them the best fan section in town, saying that no other team has fans "as enthusiastic as the DAC Pack. It is loud and creative, with fun being the operative word."
To learn more about Drexel's school spirited team and Drexel Athletics, visit the Drexel Dragons page.