The Bulldogs' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) [3] and competes at the NCAA Division I level.

The teams were known as "The Drakes" until 1908, when John L. Griffith, the newly appointed football coach, brought English Bulldogs to the sidelines of games, prompting Des Moines Register sports editor Art Gordon to dub the teams "the Bulldogs".

Drake won the national championships for cross country in 1944, 1945, and 1946, with Fred Feiler winning the individual titles in 1944 and 1945.

Feiler became the second Bulldog to win an individual national championship, joining 1935 high jump champion Linn Philson; Drake would later see Jim Ford (1952, 200 meters) and Rick Wanamaker (decathlon, 1970) win individual track titles.

Participants come from all over the world to compete in this three-day event, which also helps to draw large crowds of spectators to Des Moines.

Many Olympic athletes can be found participating in these events, which commonly break national and world records.