In the early 70's, the men's basketball team settled into schedules against junior colleges, some four year schools, and business colleges. The 1971-72 men's schedule was composed of mostly four year degree granting institutions. This team is considered to be the first intercollegiate team in at IU Southeast. From that point on, the schedules became fully intercollegiate. Also, in the early 70's, men's golf and tennis teams were formed and women's basketball started in much the same fashion as the men's program began. Each of these sports played at least some four year schools from 1972-73 on. During the 70's and early 80's, IU Southeast had, at one period or another, teams in men's and women's basketball, baseball, women's volleyball, men's soccer, men's golf, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's cross country.

IN the 1971-72 year, Grenadiers was adopted as the official school nickname. Prior to that, IU Southeast teams were known as the Cougars. The term Grenadier refers to an elite British Regiment. Some veterans of this regiment may have settled on the present site of the IU Southeast campus. In 1971-72, the school also adopted the colors red, white and blue. A task force recommended these colors because they were similar to IUB's cream and crimson and yet distinctive by the inclusion of navy blue. The task force also noted that the colors are the colors of the national flag. In 1971-72, the Grenadier Club was organized as a booster organization. In December of 2006, the Board of Trustees voted to adopt the IU Integrated Image Study which changed the official IU Southeast school colors to Crimson and Cream.

The women's programs became the institution's first "accredited" athletic program when they became affiliated with the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) in 1975-76. In that same year, there was an attempt to affiliate IU Southeast with the NCAA's Division III. IU Bloomington did not approve this, however, on the grounds that only one IU campus could be affiliated with the NCAA. Thus, steps were initiated to affiliate with the NAIA. These efforts culminated with active membership being attained in 1978. In 1982, the AIAW folded and the NAIA added women's programs to the organization.