The Bonnies compete in the National Collegiate Athletics Association's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference,[3] of which it has been a member since 1979.

A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), St. Bonaventure University sponsors teams in nine men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

The men's basketball program has enjoyed success on and off throughout its history, including an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1970,[8] and an NIT Championship in 1977.

They beat Florida Gulf Coast and Marist in the Tallahassee Regional to advance to the Sweet 16, where they lost to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

In 2017, St. Bonaventure announced plans to add men's lacrosse as a varsity team, beginning in the 2018–2019 academic year.

Goalie Brett Dobson, who won back-to-back PLL Championship Game MVP honors with the Utah Archers in 2023 and 2024, was an All-American with the Bonnies.

The program gained national recognition in the post-World War II era under Coach Hugh Devore, a former All-American player at Notre Dame.

The Brown Indians had a wrestling team in 1927, led by player-coach Ed George,[14] and again in 1954, coached by Mike Green.

The Brown Indians had success as an independent recording four consecutive winning seasons before joining the ECAC West in 1986.

The school's athletics logo during this period featured a stylized letter "B" with a war bonnet hanging over the left side.