The USF Alumni Association will be hosting a golf tournament and pre-game tailgate Saturday, Nov. 3. and hopes to bring together students and past students to get excited for Homecoming 2001.

The purpose of these events is to get alumni together and show school spirit, Emmanuel Auguste, director of chapters for Alumni Association, said.

“We’re getting alumni and friends of the university together,” Auguste, said. “We just want them to get excited about the University.”

The golf tournament will start at 8 a.m. at the USF Golf Course. The tournament will feature a scramble along with raffles and giveaways, including 2001 alumni golf shirts to all the players.The event has been going on for the past four years with last year’s event a sell out with 128 players. They expect the turnout to be the same this year despite a lot of out of state alums possibly weary of travel due to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.Also an alumni staple of the past four years is the pre-game tailgate.

The tailgate will start at 3:30 p.m. and go to 6:30 p.m. at Hillsborough Community College.

Tickets are $15 for students and children under 12, $20 for alumni and $30 for the general public.

The tailgate will be under what Auguste calls a “tent village” consisting of smaller tents from student and alumni groups under one large tent.

Along with food, the tailgate will feature a band for entertainment and at one point the USF cheerleaders will stop, by to raise the spirits of the expected 800-plus people.

This event and others sponsored by the Alumni Association have been growing since their inception and are expected to continue to grow.

“The numbers have been growing big time,” Auguste said. “If you have been to tailgating you would see the numbers have been growing.”

• Contact Bryan Fazioat oraclesports@yahoo.com