Catholic University of America's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Cardinals after the northern cardinal, and they compete in the NCAA's Division III. They are members of the Landmark Conference, the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (football) and the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (rowing). The team colors are red (PMS 1805) and black.^[2]

Catholic celebrates Homecoming in the fall to coincide with a home football game.

Originally known as the Red and Black after the colors they wore, Catholic University's athletes came to be known as the Cardinals (often the Flying Cardinals, occasionally the Fighting Cardinals) in the mid-1920s.^[3]

• From the founding of the NCAA in 1906 through 1955, institutions were not separated into competitive divisions, and CUA won a national championship in boxing (1938). The football team appeared in two major bowl games, the 1936 Orange Bowl, which they won, and the 1940 Sun Bowl, which they tied. David Bernstein won the national collegiate boxing championship at 115 pounds in 1938 and "Bingo" Stant, Jr. won the 1939 national championship at 165 pounds.
• From 1956 through 1972, teams were classified into University Division (major college) and College Division (small college). The Cardinals competed in the latter. During that period, the men's basketball team participated in the 1964 post season tournament, and Keats Baugher won two national championships in men's swimming in 1965 (the 200 and 400-yard individual medley).
• NCAA re-organized into three divisions in 1973, and CUA opted for the Division II level during the 1973–76 seasons. CUA stayed as member of the Mason-Dixon Conference. Mark Robinson won two individual national championships in track & field (the 800 meters in 1974 and 1975).
• In 1976, CUA moved to Division I, competing for five years (1976–81). As independent first, and as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association later (1979–1981). During that period, the baseball team played the 1977 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
• President Edmund Pellegrino decided to drop the athletic programs to Division III and Catholic finally moved in the academic year of 1981–82, joining the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. In 1989 Catholic became a charter member of the Capital Athletic Conference, leaving the conference in 2007 to join, again as a charter member, the Landmark Conference. During this period at Division III, the men's basketball team won the national championship in 2001, Carolyn Hughes captured the 800 meters national track & field championship in 1982, and Tom Caffrey the 1,500 meters in 1991.

Women's teams were established after women were admitted as undergraduate students in the 1950s, and a Women's Sports Department was established in 1959.^[4] The Department originally offered dance lessons and ping-pong and badminton tournaments.^[4] Jone Rastapkevicius was hired as the first coordinator of women’s sports in 1961.^[4] She went on to become a coach and married fellow CUA coach Martin Dowd.^[4] In the early part of her 50-year tenure, she worked to schedule games with other local colleges, thereby turning many of the intramural sports into “extramural” ones.^[4] The Metropolitan Sports Association for Women (MISAW) was founded in the mid-1960s by CUA along with Trinity College, Georgetown, American University, and George Washington University.^[4] It operated until the early 1970s.^[4]

As a team, CUA won the national title in 1938. Besides, two cardinals won individual championships:

• David Bernstein won the 1938 national championship in the 115-pound weight class.
• "Bingo" Stant Jr. won the 1939 national championship in the 165-pound weight class.

The NCAA discontinued boxing in 1961.

The football team appeared in two major bowl games, the 1936 Orange Bowl, which they won, and the 1940 Sun Bowl, which they tied. In the fall of 2008, already in Division III, the team went to the ECAC Southeast Bowl and defeated Johns Hopkins University 18–17 to give the Cards their first post season win since 1936.

The team made three consecutive trips to the Division III playoffs in the late 1990s.

The Catholic University Cardinals played the 1977 NCAA Division I baseball tournament after winning the ECAC District II championship. The Cardinals have won the Landmark Conference Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2018.

The track & field team has produced three individual national champions:

• Mark Robinson won the NCAA Division II 800 meter outdoor championship in 1974 and 1975.
• Carolyn Hughes won the national championship in the 800 meters at the 1982 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships.
• Tom Caffrey won the national championship in the 1500 meters at the 1991 Division III Track & Field Championships.

The men's swim team has won four Capitol Athletic Conference titles and three National Catholic Division III championships, while women's swimming has won a Catholic Division III title. The swimming program has two individual national titles as well:

• Keats Baugher won the national college division (Division II) championship in the 200 and 400 individual medley in 1965.

The field hockey team advanced to the 2001 ECAC Southern Region championship game and won the ECAC title in 2010. In 2011 CUA won its first conference championship, which propelled the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA tournament.^[5] They won the conference title again in 2012,^[6] and 2013.^[7] In 2014, the team earned an at-large bid and a first round bye to big dance. In 2015 and 2022, they were again Landmark Conference champions.^[8][9]

The softball team won its first and only Capital Athletic Conference title in 1994, and went on to become the ECAC Southern Region Champions in the same season. In 2012 the Cardinals won the ECAC Southern Region Championship for the second time. In 2014 CUA won its first Landmark Conference championship, which propelled the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA tournament.

Student-led club teams include rugby, ice hockey, lacrosse, and sailing.

• Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center (Offices)
• Cardinal Stadium (Washington, D.C.) (FB, FH)
• Franny Murray Court (MBB, WBB, VB)
• Carlini Field (MSOC, WSOC, MLAX, WLAX)
• DuFour Center Pool (MSWIM, WSWIM)
• Robert J. Talbot Field (Baseball)
• Softball Field
• Dowd Family Tennis Courts (MTEN, WTEN)
• Hanley Family Weight Room

An important rivalry in Cardinals' history has been the football game against the Georgetown Hoyas, where the Steven Dean Memorial Trophy is in dispute. The series started at Brookland Stadium in 1976.

Since 2022, the Pope's Cup is in dispute in all sports against Marymount University.^[11]

• Brian Cashman, B.A. 1989, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, New York Yankees
• Edward Lynch, LL.B. 1924, featured at Ripley's Believe It or Not! for making 98 tackles in a single football game.
• Jimmy Patsos, B.A. 1989, men's basketball head coach, Siena Saints men's basketball^[17]
• Wally Pipp, A.B. 1914, first base, New York Yankees
• Rocco Pirro, football fullback who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.