Strong, Gregory meet fans, boosters at Summer Stampede
Football coach Charlie Strong and men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory will highlight Summer Stampede. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
First year USF coaches Charlie Strong (football) and Brian Gregory (men’s basketball) are convening at a Tampa restaurant today to rally booster support before their inaugural seasons as Bulls in 2017.
This event, known as the Summer Stampede, will be held at Ulele in downtown Tampa. The event includes food, a cash bar, speeches from both coaches and a photo session for an expected 200 fans.
Before selling out, tickets to the event were $10 for current season ticket holders and Bulls Club members, $25 for the general public and were free for “Iron Bulls” – donors who give more than $10,000 to the Bulls Club annually.
The Summer Stampede is the only booster-style event currently scheduled for USF this summer and is contrast to booster events from previous summers.
Last June’s Kickoff and former USF coach Willie Taggart’s booster tour held four free events around the Tampa Bay area. It also included stops in Bradenton, Brandon, St. Petersburg and a dinner at Ulele in Tampa.
Two seasons ago, Taggart made stops as far away as Miami and Atlanta to raise support.
Along with the booster events, the programs are changing.
Coming off a record 11-win season in 2016, USF football is the preseason favorite to win the AAC, according to USA Today and Athlon Sports. While USF has gained further attention from national media outlets, its season ticket sales are higher than they were at this time a year ago.
There were 15,973 season tickets sold in total last season. As of June 20, 13,193 season tickets have been sold for next season, despite a home schedule that does not include Florida State or UCF, which were USF’s highest attended home games in 2016.
While Strong is taking over a Bulls team coming off its winningest season in program history, Gregory is taking over a depleted squad that won only one conference game out of 18 last season.
With the only way to go being up, Gregory will look to grow last season’s 1,593 total season tickets sold starting with today’s booster event.
More Stories
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
Here’s why these USF softball players chose their jersey numbers
For athletes, the number they wear is more than the added fabric on the back of their jersey. It often tells a deeper story about the players — who they are and where they come from. Here’s why these three USF softball players chose their respective jersey numbers. Related: USF softball is gaining momentum during […]
USF football head coach Alex Golesh: The man behind the process
Football coach Alex Golesh said USF has been on his mind since his own days as a college student when the program was top five in the country. “I distinctly remember sitting there watching it and thinking ‘What is S Florida and what are they doing in the top five in the country?’” Golesh said. […]
USF baseball matches last season’s wins at midseason
USF baseball has reached its midseason, powering through a turnaround year. Despite losing to Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday 7-5, It has already won 21 games, matching the same total from last season with a road victory against Tulane on Sunday. The Bulls (21-16, 7-5 AAC) stand third out of 10 teams in the conference. […]
USF men’s basketball was gutted by the transfer portal. Here’s who remains on the roster.
Things move pretty quickly in this new world of college basketball thanks in large part to the explosion of the transfer portal. Less than a month removed from a second round exit in the National Invitation Tournament, USF men’s basketball looks a lot different than it did in mid-March. In the span of a […]
USF softball is gaining momentum during season’s final stretch
As the USF softball season draws to a close, it seems the team has found some momentum. The Bulls (30-16, 9-9 AAC) have won six of its last seven games. In the last nine days, they have won their last two conference series and stunned the then-ranked No.9 Florida Gators on Wednesday. USF had yet […]