AP: South Florida Savors Football Success

[Jim Johnson]

South Florida Savors Football Success

By MITCH STACY – 8 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  The University of South Florida has been dubbed "Terrorism U." and "Jihad U." in recent years because of a furor over a Palestinian militant on the faculty. But lately, to the school's delight, people are talking about USF for an altogether different reason: the football team.

Unranked and unheralded a month ago, the undefeated Bulls vaulted to No. 6 in this week's college football rankings after upset victories over Auburn and West Virginia. They even leapfrogged defending national champion Florida, which slipped to No. 9.

USF officials and alumni couldn't be happier, considering that before this, the 45,000-student school  the nation's ninth-largest public university  was probably best known for employing Sami Al-Arian, a former computer-science professor, who, after an investigation that lasted more than a decade, pleaded guilty last year to aiding Palestinian terrorists.

"I think everybody feels the real picture of USF will come through because of this," university spokesman Ken Gullette said of the football team's success. "This publicity hopefully is going to drown that out and carry us forward."

News reports in the 1990s started linking Al-Arian and associates to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A think tank founded by Al-Arian and partially sponsored by the university was shut down because the FBI suspected it was a front for the terrorist group. An Al-Arian associate who left USF resurfaced later as the head of the PIJ in the Middle East.

Unable to fire the tenured Al-Arian, USF finally suspended him in 2001 after an on-air grilling on Fox by Bill O'Reilly about his suspected links to terrorists. He was indicted in 2003 and eventually dismissed by USF.

After a six-month trial, a federal jury failed to reach a verdict on most of the counts and acquitted Al-Arian on others. He later pleaded guilty to one count and agreed to be deported after serving more jail time.

The Jihad U. label came up again over the summer when two USF students from Egypt were indicted on federal explosives charges. One is accused of posting an online video that showed how to use a remote-controlled toy to set off a bomb.

The 51-year-old school has long been overshadowed by the University of Florida, Florida State and the University of Miami.

The football team's success "brings a whole new atmosphere to the school," said Matt Staton, a 20-year-old junior. "I've been to Tallahassee, I've been to Gainesville  they are football towns with established rivalries and everything. And now we're actually part of this. We're no longer considered just that commuter school in Tampa."

USF President Judy Genshaft said: "I see athletics as being the front porches to the rest of the university. It gives people a chance to know the university."

Link

[D1DDY]

don't forget USF Taliban.. lol

[Jamie]

What a thoroughly reckless and unnecessary article. Did Fox News ghostwrite that?

[Guest USF08]

What a thoroughly reckless and unnecessary article. Did Fox News ghostwrite that?

They AP is probably minutes away from being bought by murdoch I'm sure.

It really isn't that far off anymore.

[Sunil]

South Florida Savors Football Success

By MITCH STACY – 8 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  The University of South Florida has been dubbed "Terrorism U." and "Jihad U."

Hmm...so are they saying that it sounds suspicious if we scream "War Flamingo"?? 

[mw98gt]

what a stinking heap!

[HOTMello2005]

Consider the source.... Here are some more articles that he's written:

http://www.pelicanfile.com/reporter.cfm/ReporterID/840.cfm

[Jamie]

That's such a stupid angle to take for a story, though. I hope there aren't many newspapers that pick this article up and publish it.

[BULLSHTR]

Jihad U HA! what a load of crap. I've never heard anyone call USF that in my 3 years here

[USFishin]

This is in the past.  Why are they bringing it up again?  Move on.