USF Athletic Hall of Fame Welcomes Cardieri, Cunningham, Grothe and Koepka in Class of 2024
Standout representatives from baseball, football, men’s golf and men’s soccer are to be inducted this fall
TAMPA, Aug. 1, 2024 – Three standout student-athletes from USF men’s soccer, football and men’s golf have been selected for induction into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024, the 10th to be inducted since the first Hall of Fame class was enshrined in 2009.
The 2024 Hall of Fame class of Eddie Cardieri (baseball head coach, 1986-2006), Jeff Cunningham (men’s soccer, 1994-97), Matt Grothe (football, 2004-09) and Chase Koepka (men’s golf, 2012-16), includes the winningest coach in USF baseball history, a Major League Soccer All-Star, a beloved Bay Area quarterback and the first men’s golf student-athlete to join the Hall of Fame. They will be inducted in Tampa during a football game weekend this fall. Details and ticket information for the event will be provided at a later date.
Cardieri becomes the fifth head coach inducted into the Hall of Fame and first since Bobby Paschal (men’s basketball, 1986-96) in 2013. He is the third person associated with USF baseball to be inducted, joining Chris Heintz and Ross Gload.
Cunningham will be the second-straight and third overall men’s soccer player to be inducted, with goalie Jeff Attinella’s (2007-10) induction last year. Grothe, who led the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, is the fifth football player and third quarterback inducted as he joins Marquel Blackwell (1999-2002) and Quinton Flowers (2014-17) in the Hall of Fame. Koepka, who led the Bulls to two NCAA Championship appearances and is still playing professionally, becomes the first men’s golfer to be inducted a year after Kelly Lagedrost (1997-2001) became the first women’s golfer to be enshrined.
“There are so many outstanding performers in the history of USF Athletics and it is always exciting to recognize a new class of inductees that rise to the top for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame,” Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly said. “Coach Cardieri and these three former student-athletes certainly left their marks on the history of Bulls athletics and in the hearts and memories of Bulls fans. We are excited to welcome them back to campus this fall and celebrate their many accomplishments and contributions to the tradition of USF Athletics.”
The USF Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 2009, will swell to 38 individuals and one team representing 17 sports and three athletic directors among its honored members of outstanding contributors to Bulls athletics. The 2024 class will be the fifth to be inducted since 2013.
USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductees and their biographies may be found HERE.
Eddie Cardieri • Baseball Coach (1986-2006)
A USF assistant coach under Robin Roberts in the early 1980’s as the Bulls baseball program gained a national footing, Cardieri took over as head coach in 1986 and led the Bulls to tremendous success over the next 21 seasons. Cardieri compiled a 731-546 (.572) record to become the winningest coach in USF baseball history, surpassing the next closest coach by more than 460 wins and logging five seasons with 40-plus wins and 16 seasons with 30 or more.
Cardieri led USF baseball to eight conference titles across three conferences. The Bulls won five regular season and two conference tournament championships and made nine NCAA Regional appearances, the most for any coach in program history. The Bulls won regular season titles in 1986 (Sun Belt), 1989 (Sun Belt), 1993 (Metro), 1995 (Metro) and 1996 (C-USA) and tournament titles in 1986 (Sun Belt), 1990 (Sun Belt) and 1995 (Metro) under Cardieri.
Along the way, he earned five Conference Coach of the Year honors in three conferences. Cardieri twice earned Sun Belt Coach of the Year (1986, 1989), twice Metro Coach of the Year (1993, 1995) and was named the 1996 Conference USA Coach of the Year.
He led the Bulls to NCAA Regional appearances in 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002, the only USF baseball coach to record more than two NCAA appearances in their career. His Bulls won nine NCAA tournament games, the most of any USF coach, and he owns nine of the Bulls’ 13 all-time NCAA Tournament victories.
Cardieri’s 1986 team, his first as a head coach, posted a 52-16 record, the winningest season in program history while winning both the Sun Belt regular season and conference tournament and posting a pair of wins in four games in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
Jeff Cunningham • Men’s Soccer (1994-97)
Named the Conference USA Player of the Decade for the 1990’s, Jeff Cunningham was a standout forward for USF men’s soccer before going on to success in Major League Soccer and national team appearances with the United States and Jamaica.
A two-time All-American (third team in 1996 and 1997) and three-time First Team All-Conference USA selection, Cunningham was also named to the 1994 All-Metro Conference team and Metro Rookie of the Year. He led the Bulls to conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996 and 1997, reaching the NCAA third round in 1997.
Named the 1997-98 USF Athlete of the Year, Cunningham led the Bulls in goals in 1994 and assists in 1996 and finished his career standing third all-time in points (118) and assists (36), and seventh in goals (41) at USF. His 18 assists in 1996 stand second all-time.
He was selected ninth overall in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft by the Columbus Crew and went on to play professionally for 15 years, scoring 139 goals in 385 appearances. Along with the Crew, he played professionally for Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC, FC Dallas, Comunicaciones and San Antonio Scorpions FC.
His 134-career regular-season MLS goals were a record when he finished his career, now third all-time, and he set a then MLS record with eight goals in his rookie season. He went on to lead the league in scoring twice (16 goals in 2006 and 17 goals in 2009) to earn the MLS Golden Boot Award. He was voted to the MLS Best XI three times (2002, 2006 and 2009) and played in the 2005 MLS All-Star Game, scoring two goals.
Cunningham played for the Jamaica National Team in 1999, and, after becoming a US citizen, made 14 appearances with the US National Team from 2001 through 2009, scoring his first career international goal in 2009.
Matt Grothe • Football (2004-09)
Sporting the “GroHawk” for much of his highly successful career, Polk County native Matt Grothe made his mark as one of the most recognizable and beloved Bulls in USF football history.
Despite missing most of his senior campaign following a career-ending injury in Game 3 of the 2009 season, the quarterback finished his career as the all-time Big East Conference leader in total offense with 10,875 yards. That mark stood as a USF record until it was broken by Quinton Flowers in 2017.
The 2006 Big East Rookie of the Year and Sporting News Freshman All-America Honorable Mention, posted a 28-13 (.682) record as a starting quarterback, ranking third in wins and winning percentage on the USF charts. Grothe was at the helm for major USF victories at No. 13 Auburn and vs. No. 5 West Virginia as the Bulls earned the program’s first national Top 25 ranking and climbed to a program-record No. 2 AP Poll ranking in Week 7 of the 2007 season. He returned the following season to post a victory over No. 11-ranked Kansas.
Grothe led USF to three bowl game appearances and two bowl victories, including the program’s first-ever bowl win in the 2006 PapaJohns.com Bowl. He was also named the 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl MVP as he passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 83 yards in a 41-14 win over Memphis.
Grothe led USF in passing, rushing and total offense in three seasons and owns three of the top six total offense seasons in program history. His 3,542 total yards in 2007 were a program record until broken by Flowers and now stand third. His 2,911 passing yards in 2008 were a USF season record until broken in 2023, as was his 63.7% pass completion percentage in 2006. He owns two of the top three season pass completion percentages in program history and three top 10 passing yardage marks.
At the time of his election to the Hall of Fame, Grothe stood as the program’s second all-time leading passer (8,699 yards) and fifth all-time leading rusher (2,206 yards) as well as ranking second in completions (717), passing yards per game (206.4) and total offense plays (1,693), and third in passing touchdowns (52), 200-yard passing games (18) and pass efficiency (133.2).
Chase Koepka • Men’s Golf (2012-16)
Koepka was the catalyst for the most successful era of USF men’s golf to date as he led the Bulls to three conference championships, four straight NCAA Regionals and back-to-back NCAA Championship Tournament appearances, marking USF’s first-ever trips to the Championship round.
A three-time All-America selection – 2014 GCA third team, 2015 PING honorable mention and 2016 PING third team – Koepka made his presence felt immediately earning 2013 Big East Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in his first season with the Bulls, leading the team to the 2013 Big East Championship. He went on to earn three more All-Conference honors in the American Athletic Conference as he led the Bulls to AAC Tournament Titles in 2015 and 2016. Koepka finished second in the 2013 Big East Tournament and third in the 2016 AAC Tournament.
He led USF to NCAA Regionals in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the NCAA Championship round in 2015 and 2016, including the Bulls advancing to the NCAA Match Play quarterfinals in 2015 and registering a program-best sixth-place finish. He logged a T29th finish in the 2015 NCAA Championship and T36th in the 2016 NCAA Championship.
Along the way, he became the first USF men’s golfer to post a season average under par (70.9), set USF career records with four tournament victories, 19 top-10 finishes, and 79 rounds of par or better, and posted a best-ever USF national scorer rating for a season (11th in 2013-14). He stands second all-time at USF in career scoring average (71.53), career finish percentage (80.3%) and birdies (459) and third in eagles (11). His round of 64 at the Western Refining Collegiate All-Amateur is tied for the second-lowest round in program history.
Koepka went on to play on the PGA Tour, logging $306,396 career earnings to date, and the LIV Golf Tour, where he ranked 26th in the points standings in 2022 and posted winnings of $4.3 million in 2022 and $1.76 million in 2023.
USF HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES BY SPORT
Individual Inductees: 38
Teams: 1
BY SPORT
Administration (3): Dick Bowers (AD), Lee Roy Selmon (AD), Paul Griffin (AD)
Coaches (5): Sherry Bedingfield (WTen, also as an SA), Dan Holcomb (MSoc),
Robert Grindey (MSwimming), Bobby Paschal (MBB), Eddie Cardieri (BSB)
Teams: 1984-85 Women’s Swimming Team
Football (5): Anthony Henry, Marquel Blackwell, George Selvie, Quinton Flowers, Matt Grothe
Women’s Basketball (4): Wanda Guyton, Jessica Dickson, Shantia Grace, Courtney Williams
Men’s Basketball (3): Charlie Bradley, Rodenko Dobras, Chucky Atkins
Men’s Soccer (3): Fergus Hopper, Jeff Attinella, Jeff Cunningham
Softball (2): Monica Triner, Sara Nevins
Women’s Track & Field (2): Karine Black, Dayana Octavien
Baseball (2): Ross Gload, Chris Heintz
Volleyball (2): Michelle Collier, Erica Berggren
Men’s Track and Field (1): Matthew O’Neal
Men’s Tennis (1): Jeff Davis
Women’s Tennis (1): Sherry Bedingfield
Women’s Soccer (1): Evelyn Viens
Men’s Golf (1): Chase Koepka
Women’s Golf (1): Kelly Lagedrost
Rifle (1): Michelle Scarborough
Men’s Swimming (1): Joe Lewkowicz
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, which will expand to 21 teams with the recently announced additions of women’s lacrosse (2024-25) and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 57th season in 2022-23. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including seven trophies in the 2021 calendar year, and own 140 conference titles claimed in 15 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men’s tennis and men’s soccer. USF has claimed 74 men’s conference championships and 64 women’s titles, led by 14 in women’s tennis and 12 in volleyball. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for more than eight straight years and have posted a program record of 17 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0 as of the spring of 2023. USF has had over 600 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
Follow USF Athletics on Twitter (@USFAthletics) and Facebook for all the latest information concerning the USF Athletic program.
– #GoBulls –
