USF has an estimated 301,000 alumni living in the state of Florida.
There’ll be plenty of Bull activity on the University of South Florida (USF[1]) as the Gulf Coast school is gearing up for a slew of activities this week in recognition of Homecoming.
The week’s welcoming back of alumni will feature multiple key activities until Saturday when the USF Bulls football team takes on the Florida Atlantic University Owls at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. This year’s theme is “Forever Green and Gold,” the school’s colors for the Bulls.
While USF is a relative newcomer to big-time college football compared to some more traditional schools such as University of Florida or Florida State University, the campus has introduced some traditions that date back to 1964 when the first Homecoming took place.
This year’s USF Homecoming events begin Monday with a Homecoming Kick Off at the Marshall Student Center Amphitheater on the Tampa campus. USF President Rhea Law will make an appearance when the event begins at 1 p.m. The Herd Thunder band and USF Spirit Squad along with USF mascot Rocky D. Bull will all be on hand as well.
Then on Friday, the Running of the Bulls Parade gets underway at 6:30 p.m. on Holly Drivce, Genshaft Drive and Alumni Drive. The USF tradition features parties and festivities along the parade route where local businesses and USF departments take part. The Grand Marshal for this year’s parade is Rob Higgins, the first Athletics CEO of USF and who began his tenure this month.
And then Saturday features the Homecoming game between USF and Florida Atlantic. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
USF officials say they aim Homecoming events at the entire community. But alumni are essential. USF has graduated 397,000 people who are living alumni. The focus on Florida is intense because a majority of those live in the Sunshine State. There an estimated 301,000 USF alumni in Florida and some 3,100 of those work at the Tampus campus.