Gannon is a member of the
Pennsylvana State Athletic Conference in
NCAA Division II. Gannon offers 19 Division II scholarship-granting varsity sports, that includes nine men's and women's teams. The men participate in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, water polo, wrestling, competitive cheer. The women participate in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, water polo, wrestling, acrobatics and tumbling, and competitive cheer and dance. In June 2007, Gannon University, along with cross-town rival
Mercyhurst College, was accepted into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, where area schools
Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro and
Slippery Rock University are members. Along with Gannon and Mercyhurst as full members,
LIU Post also was accepted into the conference as an affiliate member. The school's football program began with the
1949 team that compiled a perfect 8–0 and shut out six of eight opponents. The
1950 team also compiled a winning record of 6–2. However, the teams did not draw well at the box office, and the Gannon board of control voted in April 1951 to discontinue the football program. After the 1950 season, Gannon did not field a
college football team for the next 38 years. The school resumed
college football competition in 1989. Since 1989, Gannon has competed at the NCAA Division II level. They won the Division II men’s basketball national championship in 2026, with a 34-3 record. ==Notable alumni==