USF football history for all the NEW (Bandwagon) BULLS fans.

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USF Bulls Prologue

The history books show the first college football game, between Rutgers and Princeton, took place on November 6, 1869. While that first game bore little resemblance to today's game, by the early twentieth century, collegiate football had grown in popularity. The University of South Florida would not join the football landscape until the century drew to a close. USF did not play a football game until 1997, but it could have had forty more seasons under its belt. The first President at the University of South Florida, John S. Allen, considered sports a "corruptive influence" and scraped the original plans to build an on-campus football stadium.

On December 18, 1956, the former site of World War II's Henderson Air Field was selected for Florida's first metropolitan university. Several names were proposed for the new university in north Tampa. The University of Southern Florida was considered, but it could be confused with nearby Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Other names were offered, Gulf Coast University, Citrus State University, Sunshine State University, University of Southwest Florida and University of Florida at Temple Terrace. In October 1957, the name University of South Florida was officially selected. In 1943, the name University of South Florida was approved for medical school in Miami, but it was never built.

While school president John Allen stuck to his guns, and intercollegiate sports was not in the plans, the first USF football game took place in November 1960. It was actually a touch football game between a group of USF freshman who played intramural sports and some fraternity boys from Florida Southern College. Nicknamed the Desert Rats, the USF team lost the scrimmage 33-20.

It was college class rings, not sports, that sparked South Florida to name a mascot. In 1962, a class ring company said they would have to leave one side of the class rings blank, since the school did not have a mascot. While the company representative proposed a sailfish, which was quickly rejected, a contest was held. A range of nicknames were proposed, including Chickens, Roosters and Camels. Some wanted to use Desert Rats, after the old intramural football team. Since Florida is a cattle producing state like Texas, some students wanted something like Texas Longhorns, so the nickname Golden Brahman had supporters. Five finalists, Buccaneer, Golden Brahman, Olympian, Cougar, and Golden Eagle were selected for a campus election.

Buccaneer won the election by three votes with Golden Brahman second. That nickname was not adopted because it was thought a Pensacola junior college was using it, so Golden Brahman was selected instead. When it was discovered that the panhandle school was using a Pirate, not a Buccaneer, a committee decided that Buccaneer would be used. Some students were not pleased with the way the committee handled the mascot selection and a petition forced a runoff between Buccaneer and Golden Brahman. At one point someone suggested a compromise, a peg-legged bull with a patch over one eye. Golden Brahman won the runoff and the mascot was officially revealed on November 17, 1962. In the 1980s, the athletic department changed the nickname to Bulls for promotional reasons.

Eventually, South Florida did get involved in intercollegiate sports. The first event was a soccer victory over Florida Southern in 1965. The Bulls have been playing basketball since 1970 and now play in the Big East Conference. The men's basketball team, which plays its home games at the on-campus Sun Dome, made two appearances in the NCAA tournament during the 1990s. USF's baseball and soccer teams have also enjoyed success in recent years. While the University of South Florida has grown to become one of the largest universities in the country, to be considered a big-time school, football is a must.

There was always talk of bringing football to South Florida. It was brought up when Tampa Stadium was built in 1967 and again when the University of Tampa dropped football in 1974. There were a couple unsuccessful student initiatives in the 1980s. It would not be until the 1990s that more substantive action would be taken.

The first steps towards football at South Florida began in October 1991, when USF President Francis T. Borkowski convened a group to discuss the feasibility of adding a football program. In March 1992, that committee endorsed football and in December 1992 the USF Athletics Council voted to recommend that the university President "Initiate efforts to determine if non-state appropriated resources are present to support intercollegiate football at the University of South Florida." On July 12, 1993, in an attempt to increase the profile of the football effort, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon was named Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs. By the end of 1993, Betty Castor had become President at the University of South Florida.

By mid-1995, the football effort took off. On June 28, 1995, USF Athletic Director Paul Griffin announced that USF had raised the $5 million self-imposed goal before seeking the Florida Board of Regents approval for the football program. On July 20, the Florida Board of Regents approved a student fee increase to fund the football operating budget and the next month the board conducted its final fact-finding review in consideration of USF Football. At a meeting in Orlando, on September 15, the Board of Regents granted the approval for USF football. The football crazy state of Florida had a new college team, which would begin play at the Division I-AA level in the Fall of 1997. The goal was to begin adding Division I-A opponents by the third or fourth year, and play at the Division I-A level after the turn of the century. The search for a head coach began immediately.

On December 12, 1995, South Florida named Kansas State University defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt as the team's first head coach. Leavitt had been with KSU since 1990 and guided the Wildcats defense to a number one national ranking in 1995. Kansas State had gone to bowl games the last three seasons and posted the first two bowl victories in school history. A native of St. Petersburg, Leavitt went to Dixie Hollins High School and his parents were still living in St. Petersburg. He attended the University of Missouri and did post-graduate work at the University of Iowa. At Missouri, he was a four-year letterman in football and a three-year letterman in baseball. Leavitt was once named defensive back of the year and took the Big Eight batting crown in 1976.

Lee Roy Selmon commented on the selection of Jim Leavitt as USF's first head coach. "Jim Leavitt, in our opinion, best fit the profile for the University's first head football coach. Jim is a competent and confident individual, and is genuinely excited about the opportunity to lead this program." At the press conference announcing his hiring, Leavitt was asked where he would reside upon relocating to the Tampa Bay area. "I'll live in my office" was his response. Leavitt began assembling his staff, which included former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Calvin Magee.

On February 7, 1996, USF announced the school's first recruiting class of eighteen players. Leavitt, who had not started to recruit until January because of commitments with Kansas State, was pleased with the first recruits. "To sign so many, I'm ecstatic" he proclaimed.

The football team would hold several practices during the fall of 1996 in preparation for the 1997 season. USF held its first practice on September 6, 1996. The 77 players on the roster would participate in several evening scrimmages, which were designed to give exposure to the new program and were held at different locations in the area. The first of these scripted scrimmages was held on September 25, 1996 at the USF Soccer Stadium before 4,975 fans. Afterwards, Jim Leavitt said "It was a fun night for everyone." The second scrimmage took place at Clearwater High School on October 9, while the third was at Sarasota High School on October 23.

February 1997 saw USF's recruiting class add seventeen high school seniors and eight Division I transfers. This brought the roster to 81 players. Jim Leavitt talked about the Class of '97. "The talent in this group speaks volumes for the excitement surrounding our program. It's really been amazing to see the enthusiasm so many high school players have regarding our program."

On July 24, 1997, USF introduced the team's new uniforms to a lunchtime crowd in downtown Tampa. The team colors would be a shade of forest green, registered by the manufacture as "South Florida Green," and white with gold trim. A solid gold helmet would have a green Bulls logo. South Florida opened practice on August 11 with a roster comprised of 83 players, all from Florida.

South Florida announced a 46,000 seat configuration at Houlihan's Stadium, but they would have additional end zone seating for students if necessary. Athletic Director Paul Griffin had said if the team sold over 10,000 season tickets he would dance down Dale Mabry Highway. When USF passed the 20,000 mark for season tickets, a new Division I-AA record, Griffin made good on his promise.

1997 USF Bulls

The battle for the team's starting quarterback position came down to Chad Barnhardt and Lance Hoeltke. Barnhardt was a junior transfer from South Carolina who played at Lake Wales High School and Hoeltke was a sophomore transfer from Austin Peay who had played at Palm Beach Lakes High School. The week of the game, Jim Leavitt announced that Chad Barnhardt would start the inaugural game.

On September 6, the USF Bulls took to the field for the first time. Their opponent were the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers, a Division II school. A Division I-AA record crowd of 49,212 was in the Houlihan's Stadium stands on a relatively cool evening. Freddie Solomon, dressed in a University of Tampa shirt and hat, performed the first coin toss. 3:15 into the game, freshman running back Rafael Williams finished off the opening drive with a 1 yard TD run. The former Taylor County High School star scored the first touchdown in USF history.

USF scored eleven TDs in the game. Kentucky Wesleyan saw their QBs sacked seven times, lost three fumbles, had two passes intercepted and could only generate six first downs on the evening. USF out gained KWU 548 to 74 in total yards. The Bulls lead 14-0 after one quarter, 35-3 at the half, 63-3 after three periods and the final score was 80-3. Chad Barnhardt finished the night completing 14 of 28 passes for 255 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Senior place kicker Steve Riggs, who played at East Lake High School and had transferred from Weber State, kicked eleven extra points and a field goal. Junior wide receiver Clif Dell, who played at King High School, was the leading receiver with 149 yards and a touchdown. The leading rusher was Clearwater High School's Jermaine Clemons. The sophomore ran for 132 yards and three TDs, and also caught a pass for another score. As time expired, Jim Leavitt got a Gatorade shower from his players. USF was 1-0.

Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina was the site for South Florida's first road trip. The Citadel Bulldogs, an established Division I-AA school, ground it out and threw only six passes that night. On USF's first second half possession, Chad Barnhardt hit Marcus Rivers on a 12 yard TD pass to even the score at 7-7. The freshman wide receiver from Panama City Rutherford High School would suffer a season ending injury the following month. The Bulls were their own worst enemy with a blocked field goal, eight penalties for 97 yards and two touchdowns called back. With two minutes left, The Citadel kicked a field goal to take the lead. Chad Barnhardt (21 of 41 for 189 yards) suffered his first interception of the season on the ensuing possession. After the 10-7 defeat, Jim Leavitt said "I don't like to lose, it bothers me and that's all there is to it."

Drake University, a Division I-AA non-scholarship school from Iowa, was next up in Tampa. Chad Barnhardt had a big night, completing 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. A TD catch by Marcus Rivers, along with a touchdown run by Jermaine Clemons, gave the Bulls a 22-10 lead in the third quarter. The Bulldogs had two running backs go over 100 yards rushing, Charlie Schimberg (117 yards and a touchdown) and Jason Grove (108 yards and a TD), as they mounted a comeback. South Florida had two failed extra point attempts, and a long field goal fell short in the final minutes, as Drake posted a 23-22 come from behind victory. 33,827 fans had watched USF lose at home for the first time.

The next week, South Florida traveled to L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green to play Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were ranked number three in Division I- AA and coached by Jack Harbaugh, father of NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh. A Steve Riggs field goal gave USF a 3-0 lead after one quarter, however, it was all down hill from there. WKU quarterback Willie Taggart, who went to Bradenton Manatee High School, scored on a 9 yard run early in the second quarter to put the Hilltoppers out front. Taggart only completed 2 of 7 passes, but he ran for a pair of touchdowns. 11,200 watched Western Kentucky roll 31-3.

Morehead State brought the number one ranked offense in Division I-AA to Tampa. The Kentucky based Eagles were lead by Doug Turner, the top rated quarterback in the division. The Bulls Rafael Williams had a big night on the ground, with 104 of his 179 rushing yards coming in the first half, including a first quarter touchdown to tie the score at 7-7. Chad Barnhardt was 13 out of 20 for 170 yards with a TD pass to Darren Bishop. It was the first touchdown of the season for the junior wide receiver from Lakewood High School, who had transferred from Boston University. Steve Riggs kicked field goals of 22, 45, 43 and 27 yards in USF's 33-17 win. A crowd of 30,050 had witnessed the Bulls first victory over a Division I-AA program. Jim Leavitt commented, "To hold that team to 17, I'm really proud of the defense."

Next up was a trip to Burlington Memorial Stadium in Burlington, North Carolina to play Elon College. The Fighting Christians were also in their first year of Division I-AA football. Elon quarterback Derrick Moore completed just one pass for 36 yards, however, he rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown. Their wishbone offense generated 381 yards rushing, including 132 yards by running back Daren Bethea. Chad Barnhardt had two passes picked off and one was returned 52 yards for a TD. The Bulls did out gain Elon in total yards (420-417), but USF had twelve penalties for 115 yards. A crowd of just 4,652 watched the Fighting Christians prevail 41-13. After the game, Jim Leavitt commented, "I don't know if we did anything right. We didn't make progress tonight. Obviously we have a long way to go."

South Florida's first homecoming game was against Southern Illinois before 34,432 fans. A fourth quarter touchdown run by Jermaine Clemons brought the Bulls to within 13-10, but Salukis defensive back Sam Wilkerson picked off two Chad Barnhardt passes to seal SIU's victory. Barnhardt was intercepted three times, and sacked five times, as four turnovers lead to the Bulls 23-10 defeat.

After an open date, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers came to Tampa. The visitors took an early 3-0 lead, but Charlie Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD. The freshman from Miami Edison High School returned the kick 94 yards and USF took the lead for good. Jermaine Clemons ran for a second quarter touchdown and finished the night with 133 yards rushing. Strong safety Roy Manns intercepted two passes and returned the second pick 39 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown. The senior out of East Lake High School had intercepted four passes in the Bulls first eight games. 25,361 watched the Bulls post a 24-6 victory.

The season's only afternoon game took place against Cumberland University, a NAIA program, at the 2,000 seat Lindsey Donnell Stadium in Lebanon, Tennessee. The site was more like a high school stadium, which did not have any facilities, so the Bulls had to suit up at the hotel. Running back Rafael Williams had a big day in front of a crowd estimated at 1,700. Williams rushed for 107 yards with two touchdowns on the ground and was USF's leading receiver with 87 yards with a TD reception. Cumberland had zero yards passing in four attempts and lost three of seven fumbles. Linebacker Demetrius Woods, a sophomore from North Miami Beach High School, returned one of those fumbles 24 yards for a touchdown. Chad Barnhardt tossed three touchdown passes, and South Florida did not turn the ball over, in a 44-0 pasting of the Bulldogs. The Bulls posted the school's first road victory, first shutout and first back- to-back victories. Jim Leavitt commented, "I probably never would have dreamed that we'd be 4-5 right now."

Georgia Southern, ranked number eight in Division I-AA, was the next opponent in Tampa. On the game's third play, Eagles quarterback Greg Hill ran 77 yards for a touchdown and he finished the night with 133 yards rushing. Three times the Bulls were within the 20 yard line and had to settle for field goals, as Georgia Southern took a 10-9 halftime lead. In the fourth quarter, with USF trailing 17-9, Chad Barnhardt hit Trevor Hypolite, a junior transfer from Boston University who attended Rockledge High School, on a touchdown pass. With the score now 17-15, the Bulls wanted to run the ball into the end zone on the conversion to tie the game. Jermaine Clemons could not find any running room, so he lobbed a pass back to Chad Barnhardt for the first two point conversion in school history. Running back Roderick Russell, who had a total 174 yards rushing, broke the tie with a 1 yard touchdown run. Then, Barnhardt (14 of 28 for 177 yards with a TD and an interception) ran for a touchdown with 1:45 left in the game. Instead of going for the tie, South Florida decided to try the two point conversion for the victory. Barnhardt was sacked and the score stood at GSU 24, USF 23. The Bulls tried the onside kick, but an illegal formation penalty wiped out a successful recovery. A crowd of 30,470 watched Georgia Southern run out the clock and escape with a one point victory. Jim Leavitt talked about his decision to go for the win. "We had the momentum. We got two the time before. I thought there was no question about the decision to go that route."

27,919 came out for the final game on the inaugural schedule against Davidson College. Located in North Carolina, the Wildcats scored first in Tampa. Rafael Williams (118 yards on the ground) scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns to put the Bulls out front 7-3. Chad Barnhardt (14 of 22 for 211 yards) threw a TD pass to Charlie Jackson and Jermaine Clemons ran for a score to give USF a 28-3 halftime advantage. Lance Hoeltke (7 of 9 for 77 yards and 2 TDs) came into the game in the second half and threw his first touchdowns of the season. In the final quarter, third string quarterback Glen Gauntt, a freshman from Sarasota Booker High School, threw his first passes of the season. South Florida coasted to 48-3 victory.

USF won three of its last four games to finish the first season 5-6. Chad Barnhardt (186 of 326 for 2,362 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions) was steady at quarterback and kicker Steve Riggs (31 of 34 extra points and 15 of 23 field goals) lead the team in scoring with 76 points. Rafael Williams (729 yards and 7 TDs) and Jermaine Clemons (686 yards and 7 TDs) battled all season for the team's rushing title. On the receiving end, Trevor Hypolite (34 receptions for 390 yards) caught the most passes, while Clif Dell (31 receptions for 466 yards) had the most yardage. Roy Manns lead team with five interceptions and sophomore Tony Umholtz, a Missouri Valley transfer from Largo Osceola High School, handled the punting duties (48 punts and a 36.6 average). USF averaged 33,039 in attendance, which placed them second in Division I-AA to Jackson State. Jim Leavitt said of the first season, "This should be the worst team you ever see here at South Florida. We only have two seniors, everyone's back."

This is just a small part of the History of USF football and if you want to read more go to http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/pressbox/8121/dabucsdb/usfhist.htm