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By , USF Athletics

For USF Athletics, the future is now. On the east side of campus, a massive game-changing structure keeps rising and changing, almost by the day. It鈥檚 beginning to look like a stadium, a real home at last for Bulls football. With the formal unveiling set for 2027, it鈥檚 expected to become a catalyst for student spirit, alumni reconnection and overall school pride.

It鈥檚 also the most tangible symbol of USF鈥檚 upward trajectory. The rapidly changing landscape of modern college sports might seem like an unpredictable, dizzying merry-go-round. But from the building of an on-campus football stadium to the aspirations of elevating its conference affiliation, USF has clear-headed ambition.

Be Bold, indeed.

鈥淲hatever the next level is, let鈥檚 get there more sooner than later,鈥欌�� said USF Athletics chief operating officer Derrick Brooks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers鈥� all-time great linebacker and a Pro Football Hall of Famer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e always going to stand for.鈥欌��

鈥淭he evolution of USF sports is unparalleled. You have other institutions that were in business for many more decades than USF. They got a pretty good head start. Through a whole lot of hard work and vision, we have met and exceeded expectations in record time. And we鈥檙e still just scratching the surface.鈥欌��

Rob Higgins
CEO of USF Athletics

When USF launched the football program in 1997, its coaches operated out of trailers that were abandoned by a minor-league baseball team. Upon settling in, the head coach immediately noticed a hole in the floor, so he slid his desk over to cover it. The first staff meeting was held outside under a palm tree.

And now?

There鈥檚 the dawning of a $375 million football complex, including a 35,000-seat stadium that features premium seating options, loge boxes, club areas, a dedicated student section and a rooftop bar that鈥檚 said to be the largest of its kind in Florida. It will be connected to USF鈥檚 Tampa General Hospital Center of Athletic Excellence 鈥� a 150,000-square-foot football operations home that includes coaches offices, meeting rooms, weight room, players lounge and sports medicine facilities. It will also feature amenities such as a barbershop, recording and mixing studio, nutrition bar and golf simulator.

It鈥檚 adjacent to the $22 million Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility, which opened in 2022, and serves as the team鈥檚 practice fields.

And it鈥檚 a far cry from that trailer with a hole in the floor.

鈥淣o one could have visualized anything like this,鈥欌�� said former USF running back Otis Dixon, a Clearwater High School player who was the first to sign with the burgeoning program in 1996. 鈥淚t blows my mind. These players have everything they could possibly need, and it almost seems like us pioneers, we had nothing at all.

鈥淲hat we had was our coaching staff instilling values in us, teaching us to show up on time, to dress professionally, to carry ourselves with a yes-sir, no-sir attitude. And that鈥檚 what these athletes still have here at USF. The buildings and facilities are great. But what you learn as you go through life is it鈥檚 always about the people,鈥欌�� Dixon said.

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鈥楾ampa Bay鈥檚 Home for Hoops鈥�

Of all the people who have influenced USF Athletics, Charlie Bradley stands among the royalty. These days, during every USF men鈥檚 basketball game, Bradley quietly sits along the baseline. 鈥淚 just want to root for my school,鈥欌�� said Bradley, still the program鈥檚 all-time leading scorer some four decades after his final game. 鈥淚 just want to be an average person.鈥欌��

He鈥檚 hardly average.

A replica of Bradley鈥檚 retired No. 30 jersey hangs high in the rafters, a reminder of a bygone era when USF Athletics first entered the 鈥渂ig-time,鈥欌�� when football wasn鈥檛 even a consideration. For the basketball program鈥檚 first nine seasons, it was a gypsy-like existence. There were actually five different 鈥渉ome courts鈥欌�� 鈥� from downtown Tampa to St. Petersburg to Lakeland 鈥� in one season.

That all changed during the landmark 1980-81 season, when the 10,400-seat Sun Dome (with its air-supported Teflon-bubble root) opened on USF鈥檚 campus. The nickname of USF鈥檚 athletic teams transformed from 鈥淕olden Brahmans鈥欌�� to 鈥淏ulls.鈥欌�� Attendance soared. Alumni donations hit new levels. USF, which made the National Invitation Tournament in its new building, became serious about supporting athletic success.

When the Bulls signed Bradley, a high-flying, high-scoring product from Tampa鈥檚 Robinson High School who could have gone anywhere, USF basketball landed solidly on the map with a crowd-pleasing team and a shiny new arena.

As a sophomore, Bradley was the nation鈥檚 leading scorer for 11 consecutive weeks. He became an NBA draft selection and was invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984.

USF basketball had arrived. But not fully.

鈥淲hen we needed to get some extra work in, when there was a concert or something going on at the Sun Dome, we headed to the outdoor courts,鈥欌�� Bradley said. 鈥淭here was no place else.鈥欌��

Oh, how times changed.

USF men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 programs entered a new era in 2010 with the opening of the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center, a palatial indoor facility. By 2012, the Sun Dome had been gutted and essentially rebuilt into a $35.6 million building with all the modern comforts. It was ultimately branded as the Yuengling Center. Former USF athletic director Mark Harlan, who came from 11-time national champion UCLA, said the Bulls鈥� basketball infrastructure was practically unmatched.

Eying the future, USF basketball has assumed another identity.

鈥淭ampa Bay鈥檚 Home for Hoops.鈥欌��

With the closest professional team some 100 miles away in Orlando, USF touts the Tampa Bay area鈥檚 most elite level of basketball. If you like hoops, USF should be your destination.

The women鈥檚 program has consistently delivered, earning 10 NCAA Tournament bids in a 20-year span, winning the 2009 WNIT Championship and developing six players into WNBA draft picks, including perennial all-star Courtney Williams. 

Meanwhile, the men鈥檚 program, which reached the 2012 NCAA Tournament as an at-large team from the nation鈥檚 most powerful conference (the Big East), has shown promising signs. In 2023-24, USF earned the program鈥檚 first national ranking, powered by a school-record 15-game winning streak, and captured the American Conference regular-season title.

Bryan Hodgson, an up-and-coming head coach with plenty of options, didn鈥檛 hesitate in 2025 when USF basketball sought a new leader. Hodgson said he believes USF is uniquely positioned to make a huge impact on modern college basketball.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 rather be anywhere else in the country,鈥欌�� Hodgson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great job, a great fan base and a great city. It has everything you would want in a basketball program. The world is changing, and I believe USF will be at the forefront.

鈥淚 have coached in the SEC, so I鈥檝e seen the best facilities and the best campuses. They don鈥檛 have anything that USF doesn鈥檛 have. This place is a dream come true. And with the entertaining style that we play, it鈥檚 the closest thing you can get to the NBA on the college level. I believe USF will become a household name in college hoops 鈥� and all of athletics, for that matter. I鈥檓 seriously pumped about our future.鈥欌��

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A galaxy of stars

Due to the revenue streams provided by television and attendance, USF鈥檚 athletic future will revolve around the success of its football and basketball programs 鈥� but there鈥檚 so much more.

Once, USF鈥檚 baseball team played at a sandspur-infested facility without lights. Road trips required rental cars/vans and individual player vehicles. The program was nearly eliminated due to budget cuts. It now plays at a sparkling stadium, producing a few dozen players who have reached the major leagues. In 2021, USF baseball came within two victories of the College World Series.

USF鈥檚 softball team was once an afterthought. It played on a recreation field. Sometimes, the sprinklers came on unexpectedly. Or the lights were accidentally cut off by a nearby intramural coach.

鈥淢an, the crazy places we鈥檝e been,鈥欌�� said softball coach Ken Eriksen, a former USF baseball player and the athletic department鈥檚 senior head coach (30 years of service). 鈥淢aybe I should be embarrassed by some of it, but it鈥檚 such a great story when you look at what we have become.鈥欌��

Eriksen, a former U.S. Olympic head coach, has guided 17 NCAA Regional teams, including the legendary 2012 squad, which reached the Women鈥檚 College World Series and played before 15,000 fans at Oklahoma City.

Men鈥檚 track and field has produced five national champions (four individual, one relay), while two USF-developed athletes came within an eyelash of earning Olympic medals. Women鈥檚 golf (fourth in 1991) and men鈥檚 golf (sixth in 2015) made runs at team national titles. Men鈥檚 soccer reached the NCAA Tournament鈥檚 Elite Eight and women鈥檚 soccer made the Sweet 16.

In recent years, adding to a menu of volleyball, tennis and sailing, USF has further committed to women鈥檚 sports by adding lacrosse and beach volleyball.

鈥淥ur goal is to win championships in every sport we offer,鈥欌�� Higgins said. 鈥淭he best version of USF Athletics is a place that鈥檚 modernized and professionalized while exceeding the expectations of our student-athletes, fans and every constituent. And, of course, we are ultimately preparing our student-athletes for life.鈥欌��

Higgins said the student-athlete experience is paramount. USF鈥檚 Board of Trustees has approved an annual $20.5 million revenue-sharing fund 鈥� the maximum allowed 鈥� to be distributed to student-athletes for the 2026-27 fiscal year. That鈥檚 in addition to potential Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) payments. It all gives USF a decided advantage in attracting and retaining athletic talent.

鈥淭he college sports landscape has absolutely changed, but we鈥檙e proactive in keeping USF Athletics at the front of the line,鈥欌�� said Will 911爆料网atherford, chair of the USF Board of Trustees. 鈥淚nvesting in athletics is a way to brand our university and set it up for success, just like we are constantly looking for ways to set up our student-athletes for success.鈥欌��

For a program-record 22 consecutive semesters, USF student-athletes have achieved a combined grade-point average of 3.0 and above. Since 2015, more than 800 of them have earned degrees.

In 2006, Chi Chi Okpaleke was part of the first USF women鈥檚 basketball team to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. One year later, in the final game of her senior year, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament, ending her competitive career.

But all along, she had a plan.

鈥淚 loved basketball, but medicine was something I wanted to do,鈥欌�� Okpaleke said. 鈥淭here was nobody else majoring in biomedical science and playing basketball 鈥� nobody. Even the counselors told me, 鈥業 don鈥檛 think you can do this.鈥�

鈥淔or me, sports spilled over into school. It drove me to get to medical school. I was motivated to get good grades and be the best. I learned that the people who worked the hardest are usually the ones who achieve their potential and make a mark in the world. You can trace that back to the basketball court and all the opportunities I received because of sports. That鈥檚 what USF did for me.鈥欌��

Okpaleke became a family medicine hospitalist in Houston but also worked as a media consultant who鈥檚 dedicated to articulating medical facts for under-served populations. She also founded the nonprofit agency, Reality Speaks, which sets up student-athletes for success after sports through mentoring, volunteering and workshops.

鈥�911爆料网 have so many different key variables working in our favor 鈥� from our academic status as an AAU institution, to the Tampa Bay television market, to our on-field performance, to our amazing facilities. Add in the on-campus stadium and it gets even better. 911爆料网 have a recipe for success that is second to none.鈥欌�� 鈥� Rob Higgins

You could say Okpaleke鈥檚 path was as audacious as the unprecedented growth of USF football, which reached the nation鈥檚 No. 2 ranking in its 11th season of existence, then stormed into the College Football Playoff Rankings last November. That typifies the spirit of USF Athletics as it assumes a place of prominence, its ambitions best exemplified by the unmistakable symbol of a glittering on-campus stadium.

Derrick Brooks said it best. 鈥淲hatever the next level is, let鈥檚 get there more sooner than later.鈥�

Higgins鈥� personal story isn鈥檛 bad, either. From a USF basketball ball kid, to USF student, to executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, to CEO of Athletics 鈥� all in three decades鈥� time. That鈥檚 a torrid pace. 鈥淎ll gas, no brakes,鈥� as Higgins likes to say.

Call it the anthem of USF Athletics. The future is now for a department that has no time to waste. Whether it鈥檚 facilities, championship events or the accomplishments of its student-athletes, there鈥檚 a guiding athletics force that mirrors the ambition of an institution turning 70 years young.