Tickets Sold Out for BullsFest Premier Auction Event Set for Saturday, May 18

Approximately 500 attendees are expected for the highly anticipated event at Raymond James Stadium that will benefit the Selmon Mentoring Institute.

TAMPA, MAY 10, 2019 – USF is proud to announce that tickets have been sold out for BullsFest 2019, presented by R.R. Simmons, on Saturday, May 18.

Approximately 500 attendees will be able to meet big-name guests and bid on exciting items at the premier auction event that begins at 6 p.m. in the West Club at Raymond James Stadium. All proceeds will benefit the Selmon Mentoring Institute, a progressive program providing one-on-one mentorship opportunities for USF’s nearly 500 student-athletes to develop as people and professionals.

Fans unable to attend and wanting to make a contribution to the Selmon Mentoring Institute may do so.

Thanks to an overwhelming response from supporters, final remaining available seats filled up fast this week for the first BullsFest since 2014. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is expected to attend along with former Bucs greats Doug Williams and Jimmy Giles. Anthony Henry, a standout cornerback for the Bulls from 1997-2000 and USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, also is on the guest list and registrants will have the opportunity to meet several coaches and administrators from USF Athletics.

BullsFest will feature a large variety of silent auction items, including VIP experiences with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rowdies, an opportunity to attend the 2020 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club and numerous vacation destination trips.

Bulls football fans can win an exclusive luxury suite for the 2019 season-opening home game against Wisconsin that’s set for Friday, Aug. 30 at Raymond James Stadium. Another silent auction prize up for grabs will be an opportunity to join head coach Charlie Strong’s Bulls on a road trip during the football season.

Attendees also can place a silent auction bid to win tickets to every Bulls home contest during the 2019-20 season, or a VIP experience with all USF sports that will take you behind the scenes and up close and personal with game action.

Five high-end live auction items will be revealed during the second half of the three-hour event emceed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers play-by-play announcer Gene Deckerhoff.

“I am so very pleased that USF Athletics will be bringing back BullsFest, which was a huge success in the past and was well received by our community,” said Claybra Selmon, who has remained actively involved with USF Athletics since her husband’s passing and will be attending the event with the Selmon family. “This effort proves their perpetual goal of enriching the lives of our student-athletes. I am very grateful for the commitment that USF is making to secure the future of the mentoring program that Lee Roy envisioned years ago.”

Lee Roy Selmon’s life and legacy will be honored in a number of special ways during BullsFest, which will provide an inside look at the impact the Selmon Mentoring Institute has made on USF student-athletes. More than 100 Bulls have graduated from the program that allowed them to engage in one-on-one mentorships with professionals in the Tampa Bay area. The mentor pool consists of more than 120 experts from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rays, Disney, ESPN, Tampa Police Department, USF Heath and several other area organizations.

“The success and growth of the mentoring program since its inception in 2014 has been so exciting to witness,” Claybra Selmon said. “This growth has been largely due to our community of professional mentors who volunteer their time and allow the students to experience their chosen career firsthand. The mentors are the heart of the program. It is my desire to see every student-athlete take part in the mentoring program in order to have the opportunity to plan for post-graduate life.”

About USF Athletics
USF Athletics 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. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 53^rd season in 2018-19. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 18 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 119 conference titles overall. Nine USF programs reached national post-season competition in the 2017-18 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the third straight year in 2017-18 and have posted a program record eight straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had more than 250 student-athletes earn their degree in the last three years.

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