South Florida Bulls football

NCAAFootballSchool
TeamName = South Florida Bulls


HeadCoachDisplay = Jim Leavitt
HeadCoachLink = Jim Leavitt
HeadCoachYear = 11th
HCWins = 79
HCLosses = 47
HCTies =
Stadium = Raymond James Stadium
StadCapacity = 66,321 (41,441 lower bowl)
StadSurface = Grass
Location = Tampa, Florida
ConferenceDisplay= Big East
ConferenceLink = Big East Conference
ConfDivision =
director = Doug Woolard
WebsiteName = GoUSFBulls.com
WebsiteURL = http://www.gousfbulls.com/
ATWins = 79
ATLosses = 47
ATTies = 0
ATPercentage = .627
BowlWins = 1
BowlLosses = 2
BowlTies =
NatlTitles =
ConfTitles =
Heismans =
AllAmericans =
Color1 = Green
Color1Hex = 005841
Color2 = Gold
Color2Hex = cdb97d

FightSong = Golden Brahman March
Mascot = Rocky the Bull
MarchingBand = Herd of ThunderThe South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus.cite web|url=http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=722502 |title=Meet the driving force behind South Florida |first=Matt |last=Hayes |publisher="Rivals.com" |date=2007-10-05 |accessdate=2005-10-05] Jim Leavitt is the only head coach in the program's history. After competing their first four years as a Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) independent, the Bulls moved to Division I-A, now Division I FBS, in 2001 but remained independent. They joined Conference USA in 2003 until becoming a member of the Big East in 2005.

The Bulls' starting quarterback for the 2007 South Florida Bulls football team was sophomore Matt Grothe, who was awarded the Big East Rookie of the Year award in 2006 after being the most productive freshman in total offense with 258.5 yards per game. [ [http://www.bigeast.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120606aac.html Official Big East website] ] South Florida is also home to sophomore defensive end George Selvie, who was named the school's first Consensus All-American in 2007. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1350327 GoUSFBulls.com] ]

South Florida received increased press coverage for their upsets of Top 25 ranked teams such as West Virginia (in 2006 and 2007), Louisville (in 2005) and Auburn (in 2007). The 2007 football season marked their first ascent into the AP Poll, first placing at #23, rising to #18 in Week 4, jumping to #6 after the win against West Virginia, rising one more spot to #5 in week 6 after a victory over Florida Atlantic University, and jumping 3 more spots to #2 with 11 first place votes after beating the University of Central Florida. The Bulls' high ranking was short lived, as South Florida lost its next 3 games and tumbled out of the rankings. However, the Bulls rebounded towards the end of the season, finishing the regular season ranked #21 in the BCS standings and #23 in the AP poll. Following their final regular season game, they faced the unranked Oregon Ducks in the Brut Sun Bowl. Oregon defeated the Bulls by the score of 56-21, in which USF set a Sun Bowl record for most points allowed to an opponent. USF was dropped from the national rankings in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today polls following the loss in this bowl game.

USF won its first bowl game in its second bowl appearance with a victory over former Conference USA rivals, the East Carolina Pirates on December 23, 2006 in the Papajohns.com Bowl. The previous year, USF lost to the NC State Wolfpack in the Bulls' first-ever bowl appearance, the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

History

eason-by-season results

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Jim Leavitt
conf=I-AA Independent
startyear=1997
endyear=2000CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1997
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 5–6
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1998
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 8–3
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1999
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 7–4
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2000
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 7–4
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Jim Leavitt
conf=I-A Independent
startyear=2001
endyear=2002CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2001
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 8–3
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2002
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 9–2
conference = N/A
confstanding = N/ACFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Jim Leavitt
conf=Conference USA
startyear=2003
endyear=2004CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2003
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 7–4
conference = 5–3
confstanding = T–3rdCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2004
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 4–7
conference = 3–5
confstanding = T–6thCFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Jim Leavitt
conf=Big East
startyear=2005
endyear="present"CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2005
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 6–6
conference = 4–3
confstanding = T–3rd
bowlname = Meineke Car Care
bowloutcome = LCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2006
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 9–4
conference = 4–3
confstanding = T–4th
bowlname = Papajohns.com
bowloutcome = WCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2007
name = Jim Leavitt
overall = 9–4
conference = 4–3
confstanding = T–3rd
bowlname = Sun
bowloutcome = LCFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name=Jim Leavitt
overall=79–47
confrecord=20–17CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 79–47
bcs = no


poll = no

Bowl games

CFB Schedule Entry
w/l = l
time = no
date = 12-31-05
rank = NR
neutral = yes
opponent = North Carolina State
site_stadium = Bank of America Stadium
site_cityst = Charlotte, North Carolina
gamename = Meineke Car Care Bowl
tv = no
score = 14–0CFB Schedule Entry
w/l = w
time = no
date = 12-23-06
rank = NR
neutral = yes
opponent = East Carolina
site_stadium = Legion Field
site_cityst = Birmingham, Alabama
gamename = Papajohns.com Bowl
tv = no
score = 24–7CFB Schedule Entry
w/l = l
time = no
date = 12-31-07
rank = 25
neutral = yes
opponent = Oregon
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, Texas
gamename = Sun Bowl
tv = no
score = 56–21

tadium

Raymond James Stadium is a $168.5 million facility which opened September 20, 1998 with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Chicago Bears. Two weeks later, the Bulls debuted in their new home with a 45-6 win over Citadel in front of 32,598 fans. [ [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide (pdf file) page 12] ] From 1998 to 2007, only the lower half of the stadium has been typically opened for USF games, allowing for a capacity of 41,441, [ [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide (pdf file) page 10, sixth paragraph.] ] (although the upper deck has been opened numerous times to accommodate crowds in excess of what the lower bowl can handle). However, as of 2008, USF has opened the upper deck for every home game and is selling season tickets in the upper deck as well. The largest crowd to see the Bulls play a home game came on September 28, 2007 against then #5 ranked West Virginia, when 67,012 saw the #18 Bulls win. [67,018] The Bulls played at Houlihan's Stadium in 1997.

The Bulls have continued to enjoy a winning edge in Raymond James, building a 43-11 record since 1998. [ [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide. Includes the 2006 results] ] , including one streak of 21 straight victories at home. [ [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide (pdf file) page 142, 1st game of 2000 season to 4th game of 2003 season] ]

Current Pro Players

*DeJuan Green - Running Back, Oakland Raiders
*Anthony Henry - Cornerback, Dallas Cowboys
*Kawika Mitchell - Linebacker, Buffalo Bills
*Frank Davis - Offensive Guard, Detroit Lions
*J.R. Reed - Safety, Philadelphia Eagles [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/college?letter=s Current NFL Players] ]
*Andre Hall - Running Back, Denver Broncos
*Stephen Nicholas - Linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
*Jeremy Burnett - Strong Safety, Minnesota Vikings
*S.J. Green - Wide Receiver, Montreal Alouettes (CFL)
*DeAndrew Rubin - Wide Receiver/Cornerback, Orlando Predators (AFL)
*Mike Jenkins - Cornerback, Dallas Cowboys
*Trae Williams - Cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles
*Ben Moffitt - Linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Media

Bulls football games currently air on the radio in Tampa on 970 WFLA-AM. Play-by-play man Jim Louk is teamed with color analyst and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mark Robinson in the booth for the broadcasts. Many of the televised games air locally on ESPN Plus outlet WFTS-TV, as does Coach Leavitt's weekly show. Some replays of the games can be seen on Catch 47. Due to USF's affiliation in the Big East Conference, most games can be seen on one of the many channels ESPN owns.

Rivals

Due to the youth of the program and the aggressive growth that it has experienced, establishing a permanent rival has posed somewhat of a challenge. Rapidly changing conference affiliations and a quick ascension through the NCAA football ranks have made an annual rivalry difficult. On the heels of upsets that have garnered national attention, the seeds of rivalry have been planted with powers such as Louisville and West Virginia, and to a lesser extent with Pittsburgh. Additionally, due to the close geographic proximity of the two schools, the University of Central Florida has expressed interest in extending their four game series with the Bulls' by establishing an annual home-and-home series. However, according to the Tampa Tribune report released on 7 July 07, USF does not plan on renewing the game with UCF after 2008. [ [http://www.tbo.com/sports/bulls/MGBNB9NBT3F.html Bulls Series With UCF Likely Over ] ]

Likely candidates for a future rivalry game include Louisville, another former member of Conference USA before its move to the Big East; West Virginia; and Miami, with whom USF has announced a 6-year series to be played on Thanksgiving weekend. The last 4 games of the USF/UM series (2010-2013) will be televised by one of the ESPN networks on Thanksgiving weekend. [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/01/Sports/USF_adds_statement_se.shtml Sports: USF adds statement series with Hurricanes ] ] With UM locked up for 6 years, USF appears very unlikely to continue the series with UCF, but instead seems focused on potentially establishing a rivalry with Miami. [ [http://www.tbo.com/sports/bulls/MGBQX2WKD2F.html USF-UM Series Extended, Moved To Thanksgiving Weekend ] ]

For more information about the USF-UCF discontinued rivalry, see The War on I-4.

Facts

*The Bulls received their first ever pre-season Top 25 ranking on August 1, 2007 when they were ranked #21 in the Coaches Poll [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5471317/]
*The Bulls have never been shut out in a regular season football game. The only shutout they suffered was a 14-0 loss to North Carolina State in the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl, officially the Bulls' 100th game. [ [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf 2006 USF COVER ] ] [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=37331&SPID=2981&DB_OEM_ID=7700&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2007 Football - Schedule & Results - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*The Bulls were the opponent of The University of Alabama on August 30, 2003 in the Crimson Tide's final game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
*USF has won every home opener in school history (11-0).
*Bill Gramatica holds the record for the longest field goal in school history at 63 yards. [ [http://www.arenafootball.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3500&ATCLID=245818&Q_SEASON=2006 Bill Gramatica - ArenaFootball.com — The Official Web site of the Arena Football League AFL ] ]
*USF plays in the largest stadium (65,657), the stadium with the largest student section (12,501) and has the largest enrollment (44,038) of any school in the Big East. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1265537 Game Preview: UCF at No. 5 USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*USF was ranked for the first time exactly 10 years and 10 days after its inaugural game against Kentucky Wesleyan in 1997. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1265537 Game Preview: UCF at No. 5 USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*USF rose at an unprecedented pace, earning an AP ranking 104 polls after becoming a full-time, bowl eligible FBS member in 2001. Boise State had the previous record, getting ranked after 115 AP polls during their seventh season. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1265537 Game Preview: UCF at No. 5 USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*USF became the fastest team in the modern era of college football to go from upstart NCAA FBS school to a top-10 ranking on Sunday, Sept. 30. There were 106 AP polls and 112 Coaches Polls since USF became a full-time FBS member in 2001. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1265537 Game Preview: UCF at No. 5 USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*The same can be said about the top-5 ranking, which took USF 107 weeks to achieve. [ [http://www.gousfbulls.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=1265537 Game Preview: UCF at No. 5 USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida ] ]
*USF's first ever first-round pick in the NFL Draft was cornerback Mike Jenkins, who was selected #25 in the 2008 NFL Draft.

chool Songs

Golden Brahman March (Fight Song)

:Chorus::"USF Bulls are we,":"We hold our standard upright and free.":"For Green and Gold we stand united.":"Our beacon lighted and noble to see.":"USF Bulls are we,":"For USF will always be.":"With all our might we fight the battle":"here and now, and we will win the victory!": Shout: "S-O-U-T-H F-L-O-R-I-D-A":"South Florida, South Florida":"Go Bulls!":(return to chorus)

Alma Mater

:"Hail to Thee, our Alma Mater":"May thy name be told,":"Where above thy gleaming splendor,":"Waves the green and gold.":"Thou our guide in quest for knowledge.":"Where we all are free":"University of South Florida,":"Alma Mater, Hail to thee!"

:"Be our guide in truth and wisdom":"As we onward go,":"May thy glory, fame and honor":"Never cease to grow;":"May our thoughts and prayers":"be with thee through eternity,":"University of South Florida,":"Alma Mater, Hail to thee!"

References

External links

* [http://gousfbulls.com/] Official site of USF athletics
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=58 ESPN.com's South Florida Bulls Football Clubhouse]
* [http://thebullspen.com/index.php TheBullsPen.com]
*University of South Florida Bulls 2006 Football Media Guide (pdf): [http://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf4/40222.pdf USF 2006 Football Media Guide]