With the sun constantly shining and the temperature soaring, Florida is what some consider to be a sports capital of the US, especially when it comes to football. With teams like Florida State and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Florida boasts some of the best record holding football teams along the east coast. While Florida currently has three NFL football teams throughout its areas, college football is arguably Florida’s most popular outlet for football fans. Why then, especially with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right down the street from its campus, does the University of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida, lack its own football team?
The University of Tampa, home to roughly 6200 students, is a private school in Tampa, Florida that educates students from all 50 states and most of the other six continents of the world. It is a melting pot of ethnicities, backgrounds, and sports fans alike, but when it comes to sports, the University suffers in many respects. While UT does have some victorious teams such as their baseball and volleyball players, it lacks the most beloved sport of all Floridians and possibly all the country- football.
While many are unaware of the fact, the University of Tampa did not always lack a football team. It was once a football force to be reckoned with. Decades ago, in 1933 to be exact, the University began its football program, playing its first game in Georgia on October 12. For 38 seasons the “Spartans” as the team was called, continued to be victorious over many teams, but also suffered many losses against some of the current most prevalent teams like University of Florida, Florida State and UMiami.
Throughout its years of reign, the team lacked necessary support from the school’s board of trustees. This caused its own set of problems as the funding for the team was also virtually nonexistent. After much debate and almost facing extinction, the team was upgraded to Division I and given an opportunity for a larger and better stadium to be built for their needs. This was all with the help of then athletic director and head coach Fred Pancoast, and paired with the Sword & Shield organization that fans and alumni formed, upwards of $139,000 was raised, and put towards the building of a brand new stadium.
This stadium would later become what is now known as Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the University of Tampa play their football matches. Even though the UT football team carried a record of 201 wins, 160 losses and 12 ties, the football program at the school was eventually cut, and much to the chagrin of many students and faculty, has since then never been resurrected.
While students are unable to get their fix of football with their own personal school team to root for, many students at UT are finding other ways to enjoy the sport. With Raymond James Stadium merely a few minutes down the road from the school, students travel to watch the Buccaneers and the University of South Florida Bulls dominate the field. “Bucs games are a blast!” says Aaron Gerbasi, a UT student, “I go to about 2 or 3 games a year and watch games on TV too.” Many students share Gerbasi’s ways of getting in their football fix, watching games on TV and heading to Bucs and Bulls games with friends and family. Still though, students seem to think that having a football team for their own school would bring some much needed spirit and togetherness to the campus. Libby Watson, a student from Ohio, wishes that UT had a football team, as she experienced what it was like to have a team at her old school- Miami University of Ohio. “ My old school had a team, and it made it feel more like college,” said Watson. In Watson’s experience having a football team united her school, and brought everyone together on game days. Having a football team also got parents involved, “Everyone went to the games, even parents came and tailgated with their kids. We all had an awesome time, and it was something to look forward to,” said Watson.
While some students say that football is not their favorite sport and they do not mind that the school is lacking its own team, most students were united in that they believed a football team would be great for the school. Thankfully however, students do have many ways of getting in some time with their much beloved sport of football. The students feel very lucky to have the stadium nearby, and many schools do not have that luxury. Students can participate in tailgating and football fun without having to travel far, even though they do wish that they had their own team to support. Many students still have hope however, that one day the University will resurrect their football team and go on to be victorious once again.
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