BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
The University of South Florida Athletic Program has gone through some tough times in the past few years and has had to replace its football and basketball coaches.
But things are looking up at My Alma-Mater in Tampa.
In Alex Golesh first season, the Bulls had a 7-6 record and were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl. USF thrashed Syracuse 45-0 and the fans that took the four-hour trek down I-75 South enjoyed every minute of this game.
The basketball team is led by first year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim and his squad is currently on a 13-game winning streak. The Bulls record stands at 20-5 with a lot of basketball left to be played.
When I returned to the Yuengling Center (The Sun Dome) on February 18, 2024 for a game vs Florida Atlantic University, it was great being in a building where I earned my BA Degree and haven’t been there in over 30 years.
Sometimes as a writer, luck just goes your way.
When I was sitting in the media lounge, Bulls Vice President of Athletics, Michael Kelly introduced himself to me. We talked and just like that, he agreed to do an interview with me as we talked about the USF Athletic Program.
We talked about the Football, Men’s Basketball and Baseball programs, plus much more.
Before the interview, he knew where my loyalties are and it was great for an alumnus to talk to an athletic director on so many different topics as Kelly graciously answered all of my questions.
The entire interview is in this story it’s very insightful.
This game vs No.24 FAU was televised nationally by ESPN and USF held on to win 90-86 in front of a record crowd of 10,659.
When I went to the Sun Dome in the mid 1980’s, our crowds were between 2-3000 and USF didn’t have a football program.
Homecoming was held at the Sun Dome for Men’s Basketball games.
How things have changed and I’m glad that I can monitor them living in South Florida.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can see his broadcasts by subscribing to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.
Also, Scott’s Book “Lessons From The Microphone” is available on Amazon and Kindle.
He talks about his beginning in the media which began in 1979.
if you’re looking to gain an understanding of the industry, this is a good read with the theme Old School Media vs New School Media.
