In spite of its smaller size and lack of student athletic scholarships, Stevens has produced a long tradition of athletic excellence. Since its founding in 1870, the administration of Stevens believed that physical competition and sportsmanship was crucial in facilitating an espirit de corps in college life.

Football - In 1873, Stevens, along with members from Princeton, Yale, Columbia and Rutgers, met in New York City to establish the first American intercollegiate rules for football based on the London Football Association model. That same year, Stevens fielded its first sports team, ‘The College Twenty,’ which had their first football match in September of that year against New York University, resulting in a 6 to 0 victory. At this point, the Stevens student body consisted of 75 men, which meant that over 25% of the college was required to field a team, not accounting for reserves. In his 1925 commencement address, President Humphreys, to the shock of students and alumni, announced a ban on intercollegiate football at Stevens, citing its distraction from academic achievement, the lack of competitive success, and the fact that the previous season saw an increase in serious injuries plus the death of one student on the field. However, football continued to enjoy popularity as an interclass activity in a more casual form.

Lacrosse: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton began playing intercollegiate lacrosse games as early as 1881. Several years later, in 1885, Stevens entered the Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and have since captured national championship titles in 1892, 1894, 1917, and 1918. Today, Stevens holds the honor of having the oldest continuously running lacrosse program in the country.

Stevens currently offers over 25 intercollegiate sports and continues to demonstrate a commitment to the ideals of sportsmanship and the philosophy as envisioned by the college's founders. Stevens participates in NCA Division III and is currently a member of the Empire 8 Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference.