Among a sold-out crowd in Bender Arena on March 12, few had a better view of the wire-to-wire Patriot League championship win than the Suit Mafia.

From their perch in the first rows of section 114 in the student section—just behind the home bench—the suited-up AU students in blazers never sat down or stopped cheering during 40 minutes of action.

And after the home team punched its ticket to March Madness for the fourth time in program history, the Suit Mafia boasted smiles even wider than the 22-point margin of victory over Navy.

“I’ve waited four years for this,” said Shane Gardner, CAS/BA ’25, who started the Suit Mafia and has attended every home game this season. “I graduate in May. I have two months left at this university. To see my team go to March Madness for the first time since 2014—words can’t even describe it.”

The Suit Mafia, now 30 members strong, began as a joke among Gardner’s friends. In 2023, the audio technology major began donning a suit to games as a fun nod to the professional student culture on campus. As he and his friends began to make their presence known at games—and on TV—they found a deeper purpose: building school spirit.

“We bring that energy,” said Kenneth Mulvihill, CAS/BS ’26, “and just encourage people to get excited about being a part of American University.”

This season, the AU Suit Mafia includes a community of friends and friends of friends who met through classes, pickup basketball, a shared fraternity, and other campus activities. While not everyone can make every game, the Suit Mafia has had a sizable presence at every game.

“This supersedes a lot of other stuff [I’m involved in at AU],” Mulvihill said. “It’s just a good vibe.”

The basketball program has taken notice of their dedicated fans. Players started following the group’s Instagram account last season and both head coach Duane Simpkins and other AU Athletics administrators have chatted with them after games. The Suit Mafia takes pride in contributing to a 14–2 home record this season—the most wins for the program in Bender ever.

“[Coming] to these games makes a difference for the players,” Mulvihill said. “They know that there are people here who care about the program. That’s really what drives me.”

After punching a ticket to March Madness, Simpkins praised the fans for creating an electric environment in Bender. Undoubtedly, he was in part thinking of the Suit Mafia, whose raucous cheers he heard throughout the game as he patrolled the sideline.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone. Your support, energy, your voices, everything, was felt [by] our entire program,” Simpkins said in a video. “Our basketball team fed off [your] energy. It has uplifted our entire AU community and what a tremendous sight to see so many people packing the house in Bender Arena. Faculty, staff, students—we thank you all. We could not have gotten this done without you.”

The Suit Mafia isn’t done yet. As long as the Eagles keep dancing, they’ll be there.

“I’m glad everybody was able to pop out with me in the Suit Mafia,” Gardner said. “I’m really glad I was able to show this support. We’ll see you in Dayton.”

The AU men’s basketball team will take on Mount St. Mary’s in the NCAA First Four Matchup at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.