It's Game Day and No Team

Saturdays on most college campuses means one thing, FOOTBALL! At the University of Tampa, Saturdays are no different. While UT might not have a football team there are still many students who are loyal to one college team or another. Tampa students celebrate their own college football Saturdays.


“Every game day I make sure to wear my UF shirt with pride and watch the game,” says loyal UF football fan Taylor Parker. Like Parker, UT Sophomore, Cam Lacey, has his own college football Saturday ritual, “On football Saturdays, the guys and I just sit in front of the TV in our dorm room all day, watch football and eat.” Says Lacey.


Unbeknownst to many University of Tampa students, UT used to have it’s own football team many years ago, with a rich history that few know about. The team franchise ran from 1933 to 1974 and ended with a record of 201-160-12. From inception to the early years of the program the Spartan football team mostly played other relatively smaller colleges throughout the state of Florida, but as the program gathered momentum and support from both the fans and trustees, the University of Tampa started playing colleges that had more prominent football franchises including the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, and the Miami Hurricanes.


As popularity and demand for Spartan tickets grew, important decisions had to be made. The rising recognition of UT’s team caused not only the Spartans to become a Division-1 team, but also resulted in the Tampa Stadium being built. With the building of the stadium came what would be known as the glory days of UT football. The biggest moment in University of Tampa football history was the crushing defeat of the Miami Hurricanes in the 1970 Orange Bowl.


After the Spartans great victory against Miami, the football program fell into major financial troubles. The program had been using money from university and it was calculated that if it continued, the university would soon have had to declare bankruptcy.


The University of Tampa’s football program was terminated on February 12, 1975, and since then there have been numerous attempts to try and resurrect the program, but all to no avail.



While the University of Tampa may still lack a football team, many UT students have found ways to circumvent that fact. Simply by cheering on other collegiate teams. Whether it’s tailgating and attending a USF football game or watching the unaired game on ESPN360.com, Fall Saturdays at the University of Tampa are still and will always be, football game days.


Sources:
"Tampa Bay Football History Network - Tampa Spartans History." Tampa Bay Football History Network. 7 Sep. 2009.