| Rocky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of South Florida |
| Conference | The American |
| Description | Bull |
| First seen | 1965 [1] |
Rocky the Bull (officially Rocky D. Bull) is the mascot of the University of South Florida. He is an anthropomorphized bull who can typically be seen at athletic dressed in USF athletic gear--usually a football or basketball jersey, but occasionally other attire like a USF T-shirt.
Shortly after the university's inception in 1956, a contest was held that would determine the university's mascot. Among the finalists were the Brahman, the Olympian, the cougar, the buccaneer, and the golden eagle, and the Brahman bull was ultimately selected and unveiled as the mascot on November 17, 1962. [2] [3] Rocky's name was chosen as a play on the popular American delicacy Rocky Mountain oysters. His middle initial "D" stands for "dogie", a term referring to a motherless calf, reflecting Rocky's past [4] .
Rocky started out in 1965 as a toy sold by the USF bookstore. His image was officially trademarked by the university in 1976, and debuted the next year. His birthday is celebrated every year during USF Week in April. [5]
The USF athletics teams were known as the Golden Brahmans until the earlier 1980s, when the name was simplified to the Bulls. Rocky was redesigned in 1986 and 2003. [6]
Rocky won the Capital One Mascot Challenge in 2013, besting Mike the Tiger (LSU), Sparty (Michigan State), and, in the finals, Raider Red (Texas Tech). Rocky is the first mascot to go undefeated in the Capital One Mascot Challenge. [7]
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The University of South Florida St. Petersburg is a campus of the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida. Opened in 1965 as a satellite campus of the University of South Florida, it was consolidated with the other two USF campuses as of July 1, 2020. USF's St. Petersburg campus is the only public university in Pinellas County. The campus enrolled 4,455 students during the fall 2019 semester. Students across USF enroll at the St. Petersburg campus, creating a typical semester student population of more than 6,000.
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is home to 14 colleges, offering more than 240 undergraduate, graduate, specialist, and doctoral-level degree programs. USF is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. USF is designated by the Florida Board of Governors as one of three Preeminent State Research Universities.
The South Florida Bulls football team represents the University of South Florida. The Bulls began playing in 1997 and compete in the American Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, a non-NCAA sanctioned sport which competes in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association within the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association. The current athletic director is Michael Kelly, who has held the job since 2018. The school colors are green and gold and the mascot is Rocky D. Bull.
The Herd of Thunder is the name for the athletic bands of the University of South Florida, which includes the show band, "Rumble" pep band, and marching band ensembles, although it is often used to refer simply to the Marching Band. The Herd of Thunder was founded in 1999, two years after USF fielded its first football team.
The War on I-4 is a college rivalry between the University of Central Florida Knights and University of South Florida Bulls. The rivalry is best known for its college football matchup which originated in a series of football games played from 2005 to 2008 and now takes place on Thanksgiving weekend, the de facto "rivalry weekend" for FBS football. In 2013, when UCF joined the American Athletic Conference, the schools began competing annually in all sports. In 2016, the schools officially adopted the "War on I-4" as an official competition series. Each year, the team with the most wins across all sports receives a gold trophy styled after an Interstate 4 (I-4) road sign with the logos of each school. The winner of the annual football game also receives a similar trophy.
The Tampa Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tampa, located in Tampa, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Spartans compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference for all sports besides beach volleyball and track and field, which compete as independents. Tampa has been a member of the conference since 1981.
The South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represents the University of South Florida in NCAA Division I basketball competition, where they are currently a member of the American Athletic Conference. They have been coached by Brian Gregory since the 2017–18 season. The Bulls play their home games at the Yuengling Center on USF's campus in Tampa, Florida. USF has reached the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 3 times in their history, with their best finish coming in 2012 when they made the round of 32.
The South Florida Bulls men's soccer team represents the University of South Florida in the sport of soccer. The Bulls currently compete in the American Athletic Conference within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). USF plays in Corbett Stadium, which opened in 2011 and is also used by the USF women's soccer team. Prior to that, they played at USF Soccer Field from their first season in 1965 until 1978 and USF Soccer Stadium from 1979 until 2010. They are coached by Bob Butehorn, who is in his sixth year with the Bulls as of the 2022 season.
The South Florida Bulls softball team represents University of South Florida in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls are currently led by head coach Ken Eriksen. The team plays its home games at USF Softball Stadium located on the university's main campus in Tampa, Florida.
The South Florida Bulls rifle team represented the University of South Florida in the sport of riflery. The program consisted of a men's and women's co-ed team which competed in NCAA Division I.
The South Florida Bulls baseball team is the intercollegiate men's baseball program representing the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, United States. The team competes in the American Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. Founded in 1966, the baseball team one of the oldest teams at the university. The Bulls have captured eleven conference titles and 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. The team plays their home games on campus at USF Baseball Stadium at Red McEwen Field and are coached by Billy Mohl.
The South Florida Bulls women's soccer team represents the University of South Florida in the sport of soccer. The Bulls currently compete in the American Athletic Conference within Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Bulls play in Corbett Stadium along with USF's men's soccer team, which opened in 2011. Prior to that, they played at what is now the USF Track and Field Stadium.
The South Florida Bulls women's basketball team represents the University of South Florida in women's basketball. The Bulls compete in the American Athletic Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bulls play home basketball games at the Yuengling Center. South Florida is coached by Jose Fernandez, who has been with the Bulls since the 2000–01 season. USF has made the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament seven times in their history and won the Women's National Invitation Tournament in 2009. They have won two conference championships, taking both the regular season and tournament American Athletic Conference crowns in 2021.
The South Florida Bulls track and field program represents the University of South Florida in the sport of track and field. The program consists of separate men's and women's teams and competes in the American Athletic Conference within NCAA Division I. Both of the Bulls track and field teams are coached by Erik Jenkins, who is also the coach of the Bulls cross country teams. The teams practice and host outdoor meets at the USF Track and Field Stadium. While the university sponsors indoor teams as well, the university does not have an indoor track facility suitable to host meets. There is an indoor track in the Campus Recreation Center which the teams use for practice, but it has no space for indoor field events or spectators.
The University of South Florida athletic facilities are the stadiums and arenas the South Florida Bulls use for their home games and training. The University of South Florida currently sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and has 11 facilities in the designated Athletics District on or adjacent to its Tampa campus, one on its St. Petersburg campus, and one elsewhere in Tampa. 18 of the 19 teams have some sort of facility in the USF Athletics District.
The South Florida Bulls swimming and diving program represented the University of South Florida in the sport of swimming. The program consisted of separate men's and women's teams which competed in NCAA Division I at the time of the program being discontinued in 1987.
The South Florida Bulls cross country program represents the University of South Florida in the sport of cross country. The program consists of separate men's and women's teams and competes in the American Athletic Conference within NCAA Division I. Both of the Bulls cross country teams are coached by Erik Jenkins, who is also the coach of the Bulls track and field teams. The teams practice and host meets at both the USF Track and Field Stadium and The Claw golf course.
The South Florida Bulls volleyball team represents the University of South Florida in the sport of women's volleyball. The Bulls compete in the American Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The team plays their home games at The Corral inside the Yuengling Center on USF's campus in Tampa, Florida. They are coached by Jolene Shepardson who was hired after the 2019 season. The Bulls have reached seven NCAA women's volleyball tournaments and won a combined 18 regular season and tournament conference championships in their history, the most of any women's team at USF.
The South Florida Bulls tennis program represents the University of South Florida in the sport of tennis. The program consists of separate men's and women's teams and competes in the American Athletic Conference within NCAA Division I. The Bulls men's tennis team is coached by Ashley Fisher and the women's team is coached by Cristina Moros. Both teams play their home matches at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts on USF's campus in Tampa, Florida.