University of Delaware Blue Hens Football, Newark

Since its origins in the late 19th Century, the University of Delaware athletic department has transcended simply what happens on the field or on the court. Indeed, the Blue Hens have hatched professional football and basketball stars. The school’s football team has won six national titles, including three during the 1970s, and its field hockey team won the 2016 NCAA Championship. But when fans look around during Blue Hens events, they notice more than points being scored or referees feeding the little birds inside their whistles. They might spot YoUDee, a mascot whose roots trace back to the Revolutionary War, or the school’s nationally ranked dance team pumping up the crowd. Of course, there’s also the school’s marching band, which at 300 members strong, cranks out stirring renditions of the UD fight song.