The school's sports teams are called the Bulldogs. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-AA, and the Southern Conference.
On January 20, 1994 Shannon Faulkner, by court order, became the first female student to attend The Citadel but soon dropped out.
On May 8, 1999 Nancy Mace became the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel.
Pat Conroy's 1980 novel The Lords of Discipline was based on Conroy's experiences as a cadet at The Citadel during the 1960s. This book highlights the brutal hazing experienced by plebes, but also shows the closeness and brotherhood that develops between the plebes as they endure taunting by upper classmen.
The Lords of Discipline was made into a movie starring David Keith and Robert Prosky in 1983.
The Citadel is a fortress in Quebec City that serves both as a military installation and as a vice-regal residence. See La Citadelle.
The Citadel is also the name of a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937 and turned into a 1938 film. It told the story of a a young idealistic doctor who becomes seduced by the thought of easy money from wealthy clients, rather than the good works that he originally set out to do. Cronin draws on his own experiences as a doctor in the industrial valleys of South Wales.
The film starred Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson, Rex Harrison and Emlyn Williams. It was directed by Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead, Elizabeth Hill and Emlyn Williams. It was directed by King Vidor, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The book has also been adapted for television.