The History and Accomplishments of the South Florida Bulls Football Program

The South Florida Bulls football program began in 1996 with head coach Jim Leavitt at the helm. During this time the football facilities consisted only of a no frills single wide trailer located next to the practice field on campus. The first year of the program was spent recruiting players, obtaining football staff, and practicing with the first official game not occuring until the 1997 football season. The Bulls under the direction of head coach Jim Leavitt spent the next four years as an independent in division I-AA. During these four years, Coach Leavitt guided the program to a record of 27-17 before advancing up as an independent in Division I-A.

Beginning in 2001, the Bulls started competing in Division I-A, and managed a respectable 8-3 record their first year. Even with the jump to I-A the program continued to impress with a combine record of 17-5 the first two years in the division. 2001 provided the program with a marquee win against a bowl bound Pittsburg team with a final score of 35-26. The following year the Bulls continued to dominate with wins over Southern Miss and the Urban Meyer coached Bowling Green team. Six short years into the program, and Conference USA extended an invite to the South Florida program. This marked another increase in competition and higher expectations for the young program.

The Bulls continued progressing as a team while participating in Conference USA with a combine record of 11-11 the two years spent as a member of the conference. The Bulls first game in the conference produced a quality win over conference foe Louisville 31-28. The Bulls only losing season happened in 2004 when the bulls went 4-7. This was the last year the Bulls would spend in Conference USA as the Big East decided to invite the Bulls after losing Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Big East Conference invite meant becoming part of a conference affiliated with the BCS. The Bulls could now play for a national championship and participate in BCS bowl games. Recruiting talented players soon became easier for the Bulls as the BCS tag created credibility and stability for the program. The athletic budget multiplied during this time and continues to rise with a budget of more than $30 million in 2007. In the three years the Bulls have spent in the Big East, they have produced a record of 24-14 while appearing in three consecutive bowl games.

2005 marked the first bowl game for the Bulls when they headed to North Carolina for the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The bulls were defeated by N.C. State and went home without their first bowl win. The Bulls wouldn't have to wait long for that bowl win with 2006 marking the first bowl victory for the Bulls. The Bulls were selected for the PapaJohns.com Bowl located in Birmingham, Alabama. The bulls took the early lead and never looked back notching the quality win against a strong East Carolina team. In 10 years, the South Florida Bulls won their first bowl game and received votes in their first AP poll. 2007 would mark the third straight bowl for the Bulls, although they were destroyed by a well prepared Oregon team in the Sun Bowl.

Coach Jim Leavitt has guided this program since the beginning. Offers were extended from power house programs such as Alabama, but Coach Leavitt stuck to his guns and continued to stay with the program. Leavitt is the 5^th fastest I-A coach in history to reach 50 wins, and has had over 10 players drafted to the NFL since 2001.

The 2007 football year took the Bulls as high as number two in the country. After starting the season 6-0 and peaking at the number 2 spot, the Bulls disappointed with loses to Rutgers, Uconn, and Cincinatti. The Bulls start the 2008 season in excellent standing, with preseason polls placing the bulls in the top 25.