Mike Carter played for the Drury Panthers, who in 1978–79 were 33–2 and won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national championship as he won the 1979 NAIA basketball tournament's Charles Stevenson Hustle Award, and who over his two seasons with the team were 62–6.[7][8] He holds the school's two-year record in rebounds (480).[9] He was inducted into the Drury Panthers Hall of Fame in 2008.[8]
On April 7, 2013, Drury won the Division II Men's National Championship in Basketball, defeating Metro State of Denver 74–73 after rallying from a 17-point deficit. The Panthers won their final 23 games of the season – a school record – to finish 31–4 on the season. They also captured their second Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and first NCAA Division II Midwest Regional along the way.[10] In keeping with recent custom, the Division II champions were invited to play an exhibition game against Duke University.[11]
On June 24, 2021, Drury announced former NBA player Chris Carr will join the Panthers coaching staff as an assistant.[12]
In 2016, Drury began fielding a wrestling program, the first in the Ozarks region in over 20 years. The addition gave the GLVC the required minimum of six teams to hold a conference championship tournament, and it added the sport in the 2016–17 season.
