The Hawks, members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) since 1994, compete in that league in all but three sports.

QU is one of six charter members of the Midwest Sprint Football League.

The men's soccer team won the NAIA national men's soccer championship a record eleven times, 1966–67, 1971, 1973–75, and 1977–81 (the five consecutive titles is also a record) and finished second in 1968 and 1970.

In 1996, both Quincy and SIU Edwardsville joined the GLVC, stepping down to division II.

[6] Prior to joining the NCAA, Quincy's women won the NAIA national softball championship in 1985 (after being runners-up the previous year).