USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: June 2, 2025
ONLINE STORY
USF Athletics announces 2025 Hall of Fame Class
Representatives from baseball, football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball are to be inducted this fall.
TAMPA, Fla. (June 2, 2025) – Amir Abdur-Rahim, Scott Hemond, Kitija Laksa, Jim Leavitt, and Kawika Mitchell have been selected for induction into the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2025. The five-member class includes two head coaches and three standout student-athletes and marks the 11th Hall of Fame class in program history, bringing the total to 43 individual inductees and one team.
This year’s class features head coaches Abdur-Rahim, who led the USF men’s basketball program in 2023–24, and Leavitt, the first head coach in USF football history (1997–2009). They become the sixth and seventh head coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame, representing six sports. Hemond (baseball, 1984–86), Laksa (women’s basketball, 2015–19), and Mitchell (football, 1999–2002) increase the number of student-athletes honored individually to 33.
The 2025 class will be inducted Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Marshall Student Center on the USF campus, the night before the Bulls football team takes on Charlotte in a Friday night prime-time clash. Additional details regarding the 2025 USF Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be distributed at a later date.
“The class of 2025 is a powerful reflection of the excellence, tradition, and growth that define USF Athletics,” said Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly. “This group represents some of the most impactful figures in our history — individuals who elevated their programs, inspired our community, and helped propel USF Athletics to new heights. We’re thrilled to welcome them into the Hall of Fame and to celebrate their legacy with Bulls Nation.”
Abdur-Rahim, who greatly impacted the entire university and Tampa Bay area before passing away Oct. 24, 2024, led the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins, their first-ever top 25 ranking, and the program’s first regular-season conference championship, with sellout crowds filling the Yuengling Center. He was a special induction into the five-member 2025 Hall of Fame class, voted in by the committee less than a year after his passing. He is the second men’s basketball coach to be inducted, joining Bobby Paschal.
USF football’s first head coach, Leavitt led the Bulls from the program’s infancy to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, becoming the fastest program in FBS football history to go from inception to a top 10 national ranking. He remains the winningest coach in program history, posting a 95-57 record (.625) over 13 seasons (1997-2009) while leading the Bulls to five straight bowl games, eight wins over nationally ranked FBS opponents (including three in the top 10), and 26 weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Joining Leavitt in representing USF football in the Class of 2025 is linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who starred for Leavitt-led teams as the Bulls transitioned from FCS to FBS football and set the Bulls’ career tackles record, which stood for 15 seasons. He went on to an eight-year NFL career that included being a key contributor to the New York Giants’ Super Bowl XLII-winning team. Mitchell is the sixth football player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the third defensive player.
Hemond was an elite defensive catcher with power and speed who earned All-America honors before becoming the highest Major League Baseball Draft selection in program history. He went 12th overall in 1986 and played a seven-year MLB career. He is the fourth baseball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
Laksa was an electrifying scorer and the 2018 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year who twice earned All-America recognitions and was on pace to set the program’s all-time scoring record (she finished sixth) before a knee injury cost most of her senior year. The Bulls earned three NCAA Tournament bids and an NIT appearance during her career before she was selected 11th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Laksa is the fifth women’s basketball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
The USF Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 2009, swells to 43 individuals and one team representing 17 sports and three athletic directors among its honored members of outstanding contributors to Bulls athletics. The 2025 class will be the sixth to be inducted since 2013.
USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductees and their biographies may be found on the USF Athletics website.
Class of 2025
Amir Abdur-Rahim – Men’s Basketball Coach (2023-24)*
A beloved coach who orchestrated one of the most memorable seasons of any USF team while guiding the 2023-24 men’s basketball team to the American Athletic Conference regular-season title and a Top 25 ranking in his first (and only) year.
Abdur-Rahim passed away tragically on Oct. 24, 2024, during a medical procedure, a tremendous loss that greatly impacted the entire University, Tampa Bay area and the athletics community nationally. All Bulls athletic teams wore an “AAR’’ patch on their uniforms in a season-long tribute to the impact he had on so many not just as a winning coach but an outstanding person and connector of the community whose “Love Wins” motto was carried on and recognized far and wide.
Abdur-Rahim was named the 2024 AAC Coach of the Year and NABC District 24 Coach of the Year after leading the Bulls to a program-records of 25 victories overall, 16 conference wins, and a 15-game winning streak, surpassed only four times in the state of Florida Division I men’s basketball history. USF claimed the first regular-season conference title and first Top 25 national ranking (reaching No. 24 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls) in the 53-year history of the program. The excitement around the program generated three consecutive sellout crowds in a rocking Yuengling Center to close the regular season home schedule.
Following his passing, the Amir Abdur-Rahim Student Section was named for him at the Yuengling Center and the AAC named him the Honorary 2025 AAC Coach of the Year while establishing and Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award in his honor.
Prior to arriving at USF, Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year, NABC District 3 Coach of the Year and Hugh Durham Award winner (Division I Mid-Major Coach of the Year) while leading Kennesaw State to a 26-9 record, A-Sun Tournament title and the program’s first NCAA Tournament.
Scott Hemond – Baseball (1984-86)
An elite defensive catcher with power and speed, Hemond earned All-America honors and is the highest Major League Baseball Draft selection in program history, being selected 12th overall in the 1986 Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
A Baseball America Freshman All-American in 1984 and Third Team All-America selection in 1986, Hemond is one of two USF baseball players (USF Hall of Famer Ross Gload) to earn first-team all-conference honors three times, doing so in the Sun Belt Conference in 1984, 1985 and 1986. His No. 11 jersey was retired by USF and is displayed on the Bulls’ stadium outfield wall.
He was named the 1986 USF Male Athlete of the Year after he hit .335 with nine home runs and 55 RBI while posting a .984 fielding percentage with 54 assists at catcher, which made him a Golden Spikes Award finalist (college baseball’s “Heisman Trophy”). He had a 15-game stretch in which he picked off five runners at third base, two more at first, and threw out 11 opponents trying to steal. He finished his career with 29 home runs (seventh all-time) and 169 RBI (seventh all-time) after posting 14 home runs and 68 RBI in 1985 and six home runs, 46 RBI, and a .326 average as a freshman in 1984.
Hemond, who played with USA Baseball in 1985, helped lead the Bulls to a 131-67 record (33-19 in Sun Belt play) over his career while USF won conference regular season and tournament titles in 1986 and earned an NCAA Atlantic Regional berth. The 1986 Bulls posted a program-best record of 52-16 and earned their highest national ranking at the time.
He had a seven-year MLB career, playing with the A’s, White Sox, and Cardinals at every position but pitcher and shortstop and logging 12 home runs and 58 RBI in 298 games. He was named to the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame in 2007 after winning the Cape MVP and battling title (.358) in 1986, joining catchers Thurman Munson and Jason Varitek in accomplishing the feat.
Kitija Laksa – Women’s Basketball (2015-19)
An electrifying scorer and notable scholar-athlete who helped lead the women’s basketball program to three NCAA Tournament appearances, Laksa twice earned All-America recognition and was on pace to become the program’s all-time leading scorer before a knee injury cost most of her senior season.
She finished with 1,764 points to rank sixth all-time and a 17.8 points per game scoring average that ranks third all-time. She shot 39.1 percent from three (second all-time) and a record 89.6 percent from the free throw line, including leading the NCAA in free throw percentage with a 96.5 percent mark in 2017-18 when she missed just four times in 115 attempts. Laksa led USF in scoring in two seasons, posting 21.1 points per game in 2017-18 and 19.2 ppg in 2016-17, and set USF scoring marks for a junior (717 points) and sophomore (634 points) which rank as the second and fifth-highest season totals overall.
Twice earning WBCA All-America Honorable Mention (2017 and 2018) and selected for All-American Athletic Conference honors three times (first team in 2017 and 2018; second team in 2016), Laksa was also named to the 2016 AAC All-Freshman Team and earned recognition as the 2018 AAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2018, she also earned national recognition among the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Final 5.
The second-fastest player to reach 1,000 career points (63 games) in program history, she posted a program record 13 games with 30 or more points and is the only Bull to log two 40-point games, posting 41 vs. Ohio State (2018) and 40 vs. Southern (2017). She also set the USF freshman scoring record, and then AAC freshman record, with 38 points vs. SMU in 2016. She did this while helping USF go 93-43 (45-21 in AAC play) over her career and earn three NCAA Tournament bids and one NIT appearance as the Bulls won 20 or more games three times and reached the NCAA second round in 2015-16.
A Latvian National Team player who averaged 19.3 ppg in a six-game FIBA EuroBasket qualifier in 2025, she was selected 11th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. She has played professionally in Latvia, Italy and Turkey, including being a member of the 2024 EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce.
Jim Leavitt – Football (1997-2009)
The first football coach in USF history, Leavitt was hired in 1996 to lead the USF program into existence from mobile trailers parked on the east end of campus. He guided USF football from a practice-only season in 1996 to its debut in 1997 and three FCS seasons before a fast transition to FBS football in year four. Over 13 seasons, he compiled a program-best 95-57 record (.625) while leading the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007 and five straight bowl games (winning three).
Leavitt led USF to an invitation to join Conference USA starting in the 2003 season and two years later an invitation to compete in the Big East starting in 2005. The Bulls posted a 9-2 mark in 2002 as an FBS independent and compiled a pair of nine-win seasons in 2006 (9-4) and 2007 (9-4) as members of the Big East.
Leavitt’s teams defeated three top 10 ranked opponents (No. 5 West Virginia, No. 7 West Virginia and No. 9 Louisville) and eight FBS ranked foes overall, including victories over No. 11 Kansas, at No. 13 Auburn, at No. 18 Florida State, No. 20 West Virginia and No. 25 Bowling Green. The Bulls became the fastest program to go from inception to a top five national ranking as USF claimed the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press poll during Week 7 of the 2007 season following upset wins at No. 13 Auburn and vs. No. 5 West Virginia in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls spent three weeks in the top 10 and 26 weeks overall ranked in the AP poll under Leavitt.
Leavitt coached 11 All-Americans (four First Team) and 38 all-conference players as the Bulls posted 10 winning seasons and reached a bowl game every year from 2005 to 2009, including the program’s first-ever bowl appearance (2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl), first bowl win (2006 Papajohns.com Bowl) and victories in the 2008 MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl and 2009 International Bowl.
Following his time at USF, Leavitt served as linebackers coach for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers (2011-14), helping them to an NFC Championship and Super Bowl XLVII. He also served as defensive coordinator at Colorado (2015-16), Oregon (2017-18), FAU (2020) and SMU (2021).
Kawika Mitchell – Football (1999-2002)
A linebacker who was one of the first standout stars in program history, Mitchell helped set the foundation for hard-nosed USF defenses. He set the program career tackles mark that stood for 15 years and helped the Bulls successfully leap from FCS to FBS football before becoming an NFL Super Bowl Champion.
Selected First-team All-FBS Independent in 2002, Mitchell starred for Bulls teams that were not members of a conference and thus did not receive conference accolades or significant bowl consideration. He finished his career with 367 tackles, which stood as the program record for 15 seasons and now is second all-time. Mitchell posted a then-record 117 tackles as a senior in 2002 (now tied for third in a season) and 106 in 2001 (eighth). His 19 tackles for loss in 2002 are tied for second-most all-time in a season, including posting five at No. 2-ranked Oklahoma (where he had 13 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble). His 37 career tackles for loss rank eighth all-time.
Twice a candidate for the Butkus Award (presented to the nation’s top linebacker), Mitchell’s teams went 31-13 over his career. He was the defensive leader for a 2002 team that went 9-2 in the Bulls’ third FBS season, posting a win over No. 25 Bowling Green and suffering their only losses at No. 2 Oklahoma (the eventual Rose Bowl champion) and at Arkansas (which went on to play in the SEC Championship).
Mitchell was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 47th overall pick (second round) in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons and 97 games (86 starts) in the NFL, posting 487 tackles, 12.0 sacks, and six interceptions. He was a strong member of the New York Giants’ Super Bowl XLII-winning team, posting a sack in the game.
USF Athletics Hall of Fame
Individual Inductees: 43
Teams: 1
BY SPORT
Administration (3): Dick Bowers (AD), Lee Roy Selmon (AD), Paul Griffin (AD)
Coaches (7): Sherry Bedingfield (WTen, also as an SA), Dan Holcomb (MSoc), Robert Grindey (MSwimming), Bobby Paschal (MBB), Eddie Cardieri (BSB), Amir Abdur-Rahim (MBB), Jim Leavitt (FB)
Teams: 1984-85 Women’s Swimming Team
Football (6): Anthony Henry, Marquel Blackwell, George Selvie, Quinton Flowers, Matt Grothe, Kawika Mitchell
Women’s Basketball (5): Wanda Guyton, Jessica Dickson, Shantia Grace, Courtney Williams, Kitija Laksa
Baseball (3): Ross Gload, Chris Heintz, Scott Hemond
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
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 sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women’s lacrosse and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program, founded in 1965, is in its 59th season.
Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF’s Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 154 conference titles across 16 sports, with 81 men’s championships and 73 women’s championships. Men’s tennis and men’s soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women’s programs have been headlined by women’s tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 35 conference team titles.
Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program record of 21 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of fall 2024. Since 2015, more than 750 Bulls have earned their degrees.
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