Monday, September 7, 2009

Despite the absence of UT football, fans here are still in the game

To people new to the area, the lack of a college football team at the University of Tampa is an odd, mysterious fact for this growing school. Football fans here remedy this with technology that was nonexistent or unavailable in the years when a team first began to play for UT.

According to James W. Covington's book “Under the Minarets: the University of Tampa Celebrates Fifty Years of Progress: 1931-1981,” the school organized its own football team and started playing in the 1933 season. For over 40 years the team was a favorite of many in the Tampa community, and it attained recognition nationwide

Financial trouble for the sports program, reported by a February 13, 1975 article in the St. Petersburg Times by Mike Tierney, was the main reason for the demise of UT football after 1974.

Covington also acknowledged the football program's budgetary woes in his book; he further documented that 80 percent of the faculty were in favor of terminating the sport, since 31 of the 55 student athletes in the program were in academic trouble during that final season

Most of today's college football fans at UT overcome the lack of a team on campus by watching other schools' games on television. Many also utilize the the internet for fast highlights and scores.

As posted on the school's website, UT dorms have basic-cable service connections from Brighthouse Networks, each with the availability of upgrading to paid service that provides more broadcast sports channels.

Adam, a second-year UT graduate student, says that his “wife goes to USF, so we watch a lot of their games on TV. But actually, I haven't been to a football game since I was an undergraduate...I mostly try and [sic] watch games on TV.”

“I read ESPN.com and get all the info there,” says Ted, a Gators fan and UT freshman, about one of the ways he keeps abreast of college football rankings. He also expresses interest in attending USF and Bowl games in the future.

The close proximity of the University of South Florida allows some a chance to enjoy the experience of a live game from the stands.

Raymond James Stadium, the residence of Tampa Bay's professional team, the Buccaneers, is also home to the USF Bulls. Located about five miles northwest of the UT campus, the stadium's main ticket office only allows discounted tickets to USF students. Although the office states that members of the USF community can purchase and distribute discounted guest tickets to anyone

At this time, Stephanie Russell Holz of UT's Office of Student Leadership and Engagement is not aware of any student groups that organize trips to USF home games.

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