 Florida Atlantic 's 18 varsity sports teams , the Owls , compete in NCAA 's Division I. The Owls recently got in C @-@ USA for the 2013 – 14 season . The university 's athletics program began in 1979 , when Florida Atlantic first started sponsoring intercollegiate teams . Since then , the university has worked to expand the quality of its intercollegiate program by attracting coaches such as Howard Schnellenberger , Matt Doherty , Rex Walters and Mike Jarvis . In 2006 , the athletic department was ranked 79th in the nation by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics ( <unk> ) . Along with USA Today and the United States Sports Academy , <unk> recognized the university for its Division I athletic programs and accomplishments . " This ranking placed Florida Atlantic in the top 24 % of 326 NCAA Division I universities . The university 's colors are FAU Blue , FAU Red , and FAU Silver . 
