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Brad

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Blog Entries posted by Brad

  1. Brad

    Tampa Tribune and the Bulls

    By Brad,


    Bulls Media
    Thought some would enjoy this, especially in theses times of wishing the local reporters cared a little more.  This is quite a committment by the now defunct Tampa Tribune, but could you imagine the excitement to see this today with the Tampa Bay Times?

     
    At least two on that billboard were active on TBP back then.  Either way, it was a nice billboard and an embrace of the program by the local paper.
    Any chance will ever see the Bulls embraced like this from the remaining paper?
  2. Brad

    Jim Leavitt on new QB Matt Grothe

    By Brad,


    USF Athletics
    I'm not sure Coach Jim Leavitt knew exactly what he had when Matt Grothe arrived on campus.  But one thing he got right, was Matt's confidence.  It carried him.  Take a quick listen to Jim Leavitt discuss Matt Grothe as recorded at Bulls Media Day by board member Gene Haines.
     

  3. Brad
    Looking through the archives of pictures taken, scanned or saved from the internet, I came across at least three right away that are worth re-visiting.  First we'll start with a very long tenured coach, Ken Eriksen, flashing back to his days on the USF Baseball team:
     

     
    Per GoUSFBulls.com: In four seasons (1981-84) as a player on the USF baseball team, and while playing five positions, his career batting average topped .315 and he had an ERA of 2.48 on the mound. In 1982, he was named to the NCAA All-Region Tournament Team on a team that just came short of reaching the College World Series. 
    In 1995, Jim Leavitt joined USF to head up its newly approved football team.  Leavitt retains the highest winning percentage of all USF coaches and sits atop the the career wins list.  Oft-maligned for his combination of Pepsi-fueled excitement and passionate competitive nature, Coach Leavitt occasionally found other outlets for his love for USF, including this game against UAB - in basketball:  
     

     
     
    GoUSFBulls.com still has some pictures of Leavitt painted up for that game in December, 2007, you can see them here .  Here's a sample:
     

     
    Lastly, from the Winter 2001 edition of the USF Magazine (I just happened to have it on hand because our long forgotten original site, SouthFloridaBulls.com, published ads in it) a picture of the highly successful Jose Fernandez in his "rookie" year at the helm of USF Womens' Basketball.  Jose has reached meteoric success compared to other USF Sports and did that as WBB was about to crater at USF.
     

     
    I know I have some great Seth Greenberg images stored somewhere (none when he had hair).  If I find them I'll add them.  I hope you enjoy these slightly rare images of Bulls coaches.  
  4. Brad

    OT: Summer Fun - 2017 Edition

    By Brad,


    Summer Fun
    Was it really three years ago?  Out of boredom, I decided to be politically incorrect and attempt to get the attention of our board members by displaying pictures of scantily clad bikini babes.  My devious plan was to grab their attention and then test their NCAA logo knowledge.  
    The fun lasted from June 2 - August 29, featuring 14 different attention grabbing logo discussions.  The eye-straining effort concluded just two days before the season kicked off with an embarrassing 53-21 beat down by McNeese State.  McNeese State just happened to be in the series a couple weeks before:
    Three years later, it's time to revisit this Summer Fun theme.  Instead of on the main board, we'll tuck the potentially offense images (babes and logos) into the blog here. 
    But beware ... the Stony Brook Seawolves come to town September 2.  
  8. Brad

    The early years...

    By Brad,


    Site Archives
    This screen grab of the site about 15 years ago has some memorable meaning for me.  It was around 2002 and the site was beginning to take off a little.  A fan from another site of one of the early pay sites decided to insult the old SouthFloridaBulls.com site - the original host of "TheBullsPen".  So being a smart ass, I went ahead and gave the guy his own front page story.  We were going to seek venture capital to update the site to proper 2002 standards.
    The other memorable part was directly related to the desire to form "The 12th Man Club" - the precursor to the Bull Backers Club.  Not too long after advertising a 12th Man Club, I received a cease and desist order from Texas A&M that I still have lying around somewhere.  We talked about renaming to the "12th Bull Club" but ultimately settled on the Bull Backers in order to support the program.. without jail time.  
     

    Click to enlarge
  11. Brad

    BullVenturesInc.com

    By Brad,


    Site Archives
    How about a look way back at the early days and origin of The Bulls Pen, saved from the internet archive.
     
     
     
        This site, bullventuresinc.com, was the lead site in the sprawling internet based empire led by the former entrepreneur known as Bulliever. Bulliever incorporated a company known as "Bull Ventures, Inc. (BVI)  It was a company whose charter and mission would lead into unknown recesses of the internet while spearheading efforts at building a USF Fan base online.
    After a rough experiment in the internet retail business (specifically in selling South Florida Bulls gear), Bull Ventures, Inc. folded.  What's left is this name and this site out in cyberspace - so we might as well use it.
    Still remaining of the empire is SouthFloridaBulls.com, the flagship site of the former BVI and pride and joy of Bulliever. 
    At SouthFloridaBulls.com, you will find numerous features, articles, etc. on South Florida Basketball and Football.
    Hosted at this site are two main features of the complete online Bulls experience.
    First,
    The largest online Bulls Message Board Community.  Please click on the image above and see for yourself. 
     
    Secondly (to be opening soon),
    The only online Bulls auction site.  The site is open for bidding right now, with a Grand Opening announcement scheduled for the week of 09/16/02.
     


    Home to:
         The Bulls Pen Message Board    Bulliever's Auction House Visit SouthFloridaBulls.com for:
       Bulls Football    Bulls Basketball    Scores, Stats, Stories    Image Galleries    Free Email Accounts    Online Store (pending)    Athletic Calendar    Fan Polls    Updates on former Bulls    The Bulls Network    Links to official and unofficial     South Florida Bulls sites    and Much, Much More...  
  15. Brad

    Member Leaderboard functionality

    By Brad,


    Site Archives
    If you look across the top of the site (desktop mode) in the main title bar, you'll see tabs for "Browse", "Activity", "New & Info" and so through "More".  Some of these have sub-menus with other content or links.  Under "Members" is "Leaderboard" and "Member Map".   For mobile version, click on the three bars in upper right corner to see the menus.
    Leaderboard lists the "top rated members" by content for the day, week month or custom period.  If you look at last week, I Bleed Awesomeness took the award for most voted up content for week ending June 18-25.
    I Bleed Awesomeness thread was the much enjoyed My son already making me proud, even before he's born. featuring the ultrasound of his boy putting up the horns while resting comfortably.

    When members read content and rate with the up or down arrows:

    It becomes feedback for the content poster and feeds into the totals that outline popular threads and popular contributors.
    The Leaderboard awards gold, silver and bronze awards for rated content.  It's something fun to look at.  
    For the last month, NewEnglandBull has been ahead of the pack a seen below:

    Furthermore, under the "Past Leaders" tab you can see the daily winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze trophy each day, dating back some 300 pages worth!
    Anyway, I encourage your involvement in the community to not only rate others contributions to the board, but look to build your own ratings.  There will be some upcoming changes to the rating system, but it will also be more tied in to a merit system that provides some perks to those that are providing highly rated content.  
    Take a look around the Leaderboard and share your thoughts.
     
  18. Brad
    Hey Members and Bulls fans, 
    I have been in touch with some of the folks in the media that follow and report on our USF Bulls.  Looks like we'll have a handful with interest in being introduced here and getting to know us while we get to know them (better).  
    For the group, it's looking like the range of questions can cover a lot of ground.  I have asked for collaboration with a broad range from beat writers to USF Administrators.  Instead of asking you to provide questions to specific individuals you can ask questions across the range and I can direct them to the best to answer.  If you do have a specific individual, then feel free to name.  If I don't have them joining us for an interview, chat or Q&A, I'll see if they can.
    Please list your questions here in the response box.  Feel free to ask questions if you have any.  Or, offer solutions on who/what you would like to see.  If you remember Jeff Odom, did a Q&A last season around this same time.  I'll be gathering these questions over the next three-four weeks so keep them coming as guests are scheduled to join us.
    Don't be shy, we'll need dozens of questions if we get the collaboration I am expecting.  Ask away.  
    Thank you.
    Brad
     
  19. Brad

    2001 Article - USF Official Site Problems

    By Brad,


    Site Archives
    In a recent discussion about local coverage of the USF Bulls football program (What’s with Knight and the McNeese State references?) I mentioned some of the involvement of former beat writers Brett McMurphy, Greg Auman and Jeff Odom having interaction with TheBullsPen.com.  In fact, I recalled how the relationship benefited both parties as TBP promoted McMurphy and Auman in the days of USF's rise to national awareness.  Both McMurphy and Auman frequented the board and from it gathered story ideas.   All did chats or Q&A.  In looking back at past interactions, it reminded me of  some of the articles written that mentioned SouthFloridaBulls.com/TBP.  Starting with this blog entry, I'll post those that are available.  Good reading, not just for a TBP reference but to get a better feeling for those days.  
    This first article is pretty eye-opening.  In fact I remember the time period well.  No official site.  I remember talking to the SID at an earlier time about the importance of an online presence.  Back in the early days, communication was typically by fax.  But the web had been around for a handful of years and teams were doing different things.  Ultimately, USF lost its official website.  

    Sun, Aug 19, 2001 – 42 · Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) · Newspapers.com
     
    Note:  The blog entry cover photo is of the early days of http:/usf.edu/athletics.  Note the story displayed from June 13, 2001.  
  20. Brad
    Continuing to inventory relics of the old SouthFloridaBulls.com takes us to one of the more offbeat things a young USF fan base did.  After about 4-5 years of football we decided it was time to erect an online "Hall of Fame".  Since we're a fans' site, fewer rules got in the way.  This allowed us to induct anyone that was making a difference at that time for the upstart USF Football team or elsewhere within Athletics.
    Ancient html makes this a less than pretty page, but take a look.
     
     
    In 2002, SouthFloridaBulls.com established a virtual Hall of Fame to recognize South Florida's outstanding players, coaches, administrators and fans.
     
    Introduction: Each Year SouthFloridaBulls.com will nominate and induct into the Hall of Fame a select group of USF fans, players, coaches and administrators that most exemplify what it means to be a Bull.
    The next class of Bulls honorees will be inducted in the Summer of 2006
      Atkins        Henry        Hope        Leavitt        Lucas        Mitchell        Plaisted        Price 
    Blackwell       Bradley       Dobras       Selmon
      Current nominations for balloting in 2006:
    (as selected by SouthFloridaBulls.com visitors):
    Click here to make your nominations
     
    (by category, bios to follow): Fans:                   Mitch Rebenstorf
    "the Reaper"
     
                      Players:                   Kawika Mitchell
    Football
     
      J.R. Reed
    Football
     
      Hakim Shahid
    Men's Basketball
     
              Coaches:                                       Administrators:                                        
     
    Nomination Form: Selection Criteria to consider:
    1)  Commitment to the University
    2)  Performance while playing at USF
    3)  Interaction at TheBullsPen.com and related events
    4)  Attendance at Bulls games and functions
      Recent Nominees July 13, 2006
    Eddie Cardieri
    Mary Dooley
    Jose Fernandez
    Reggie Kohn
    Herd of Thunder Band
    "mutt and Bubbles"
    Scott Hemond
    Brandon Faza Andre Hall
    Solomon Jones
    Jack and Janis Boyd
    "Turkeysoup"
    Dr. Michael Robinson
    Don Barr
    Ken Ericksen
    Brittany Link  
    Would you like to nominate someone for future inclusion in the SouthFloridaBulls.com Hall of Fame*?  Please complete this form
    Nominee:

    For Fan nominee, you may use proper name or message board username
    Reason/Significant Feats/Stats:


        The 2006 voting schedule will be posted soon.
      of 13 nominees, the following were selected by SouthFloridaBulls.com visitors. Charlie Bradley
    Men's Basketball
    -All time leading scorer with 2,319 points
    -Averaged 28.2 points per game in sophomore season
    -Three time All-Sun Belt selection and member of All Decade Team
    -Led the nation in scoring for 11 weeks, ending 5th in 1983
    Marquel Blackwell
    Football
    -USA Today Division I-A National Player of the Week (09/08/01)
    -Career Passing leader (9,108 yards)
    -Selected to multiple I-A All-Independent Teams
    -Team Offensive MVP three consecutive years (2000-2002)
    Radenko Dobras
    Men's Basketball
    -The only Bulls to lead the team in scoring all four years of career
    -Career average 17.0 points per game
    -Led the Bulls in first ever NCAA Tournament appearance against Arizona
    -First Team All-Sun Belt and First Team All-Metro
    Lee Roy Selmon
    USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics
    -Joined USF in 1993 as Director of External Affairs
    -Three years as Athletic Director, eight years as Associate Athletic Director
    -Catalyst in Bulls' invitation to join Big East Conference
    -Key figure in foundation of Bulls football program
      of 15 inaugural nominees, the following were selected by SouthFloridaBulls.com visitors. Chucky Atkins
    Men's Basketball
    -Member of USF 93-97 team
    -NBA member of Magic, Pistons, Celtics and Lakers
    -Bulls' 3rd all-time leading scorer
    -Bulls all-time leader in three point attempts and 3pt FG  made
    -Finished with 519 assists
    -Named All-Conference in 1996
    -Averaged 19.3 ppg. and 4.0 apg in final season
    Anthony Henry
    Football
    -Second ever Bull to be selected in NFL Draft (2001, #97)
    -As a Bull, tied for most INTs in a season with 5
    -Currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL
    -Recorded 10 interceptions in his NFL rookie season
    -Holds Bulls career interceptions record (10)
    Jim Leavitt
    Head Coach, USF Football
    -Bulls first and only Head Football Coach
    -Led the Bulls to National I-AA rankings (ranked as high as #17)
    -35-20 overall
    -Led the Bulls to a 2001 upset over the Pitt Panthers
    Vicki Mitchell
     Associate Athletic Director for Development
    -V.P. USF Foundation
    -Ardent supporter of GreenbergOpolis
    -Attended numerous watch parties
    -Participates on Message Board
    -Provided numerous updates to Bulls fans at site sponsored events
    Terry Lucas
    aka "The Sheriff"
    -Former USF football player
    -Founder of GreenbergOpolis
    -Leader of numerous road trips
    -Allowed all to live vicariously through him
    Brian Hope and Walter Price
    aka "the Green and Gold Guys"
    -Dedicated supporters of USF Sports
    -Frequented numerous USF athletic events
    -Engaged fans during game to boost vocal support for the Bulls
    -Recognized by President Genshaft at halftime of basketball game.
    -Most featured USF duo on ESPN telecasts.
    Gary Plaisted
    aka "el toro"
    -One of most traveled Bulls fans in history
    Highlights:
    1997: Drove down from Ohio for the Inaugural game
    1998: Drove from Georgia to a number of home games in Tampa - 350 miles each way (Slippery Rock, Valpo, Citadel, Elon, WKU) Went to GSU on the road
    1999: Went to San Diego St (away), SW Texas State, S Illinois, Liberty, Illinois St, New Hampshire, JMU (Away), Hofstra.
    2000:  Traveled to J'ville State, Kentucky (away), JMU, Troy St, Southern Miss (away), U Conn (away), WKU, Mid Tenn State (away), Austin Peay.
    2001:  Made it to Pitt (away), Memphis (away), N Texas, U Conn, Houston, Utah State
    Click Image Below to see 2002 cyber plaque honoring our inductees
     
     
     
     
  21. Brad
    Located on line, via the internet archive:
     

    SouthFloridaBulls.com seeks to deliver new ways for Bulls fans to come together, while cultivating as many new fans as possible.  We are committed to building a strong online Bulls presence.  Please spend some time with us and become apart of the Bulls community.
    SouthFloridaBulls.com Turns 5!
     
        SouthFloridaBulls.com Turns 5!
    Brad Meyer
    I’m not one that usually does much to celebrate or commemorate certain dates or events, but because of the good fortune I feel being the “founder” of SouthFloridaBulls.com (SFB), I felt it worthwhile to elaborate on the fifth anniversary of its creation.
    The site debuted on August 31, 1999, just as the Bulls were to begin their third season of football.  The site started as – and remains – a hobby.  It seemed like the perfect hobby.  I could learn a little HTML, express my thoughts on the World Wide Web, and more important than anything, make sure that there would be a consistent Bulls presence on the Internet.  All three concepts came together in a site that prided itself on being a fans site.
    As a fans site, I have tried to shape the site in ways that Bulls fans would find it informative, maybe get a laugh or two, even find it useful as an archive.  There are over 85 gigabytes of Bulls data, images, video and audio now resident on SFB’s server. 
    Over the years there were less than successful features like “Voice of the Fan” in which a fan could call a local phone number and leave an audio message on the site.  I thought it was a great new feature, but I was apparently alone with that thought.  There was the online crossword puzzle, the Bulls Nostalgia features, GreenbergOpolis specials, the online store, auctions, trivia, polls, chats, photo galleries and audio and video from press conferences and other special events.  All designed solely to catch the eye of the passing Bulls fan – or potential Bulls fan.  Other “sticky” features offered over the years include free email, a free newsletter and of course the message board.
    Important in building any online community is the message board.  SFB’s first message board was very simple and allowed very few user options.  The second-generation board opened up in late 1999 and lasted until mid-May of 2000.  It had more bells and whistles, but also numerous glitches.  In May of 2000 the current message board, known as TheBullsPen.com was opened.  It has grown to become the centerpiece of the SFB site, virtually becoming an entity of its own when the domain  “TheBullsPen.com” was purchased and hosted separately in August 2003.
    The reason for it all?  To build a vibrant online Bulls community – a place where we can all go to catch up with each other, read and post about our Bulls and attract other potential Bulls fans.  Building the Bulls fan base is job #1.
    The site is achieving success in that job category.  With over 1100 message board members and 500 email users, it is clear the Bulls online presence is strengthening.  The members themselves have been integral to the growth of the site.  Site members have provided strategic advice, technical management, content creation, and audio/visual material to the site along with voluntary financial contributions. 
    Most importantly however, the site’s members and guests have provided a wealth of camaraderie – which is what provides me with the feeling of good fortune.  Five years doesn’t just mark the anniversary of the site, it also reminds me of how long I have known many of the visitors, members and guests of the site and its message board - the friendships that have been built and the good times shared. 
    We need only build on this as our Bulls enter the Big East and take a more prominent position on the national stage.  Together, we can build an even stronger online community and find new ways to attract and expand the Bulls fan base. 
    Now, let’s invite few more Bulls to the party and cut the cake!
     

  22. Brad
    Just to have something else fun to do with your member points, now you can play the lottery.  Initially, it will be a weekly lottery with pots of various sizes.  You can see this week's lottery (just started today) here:
    https://www.thebullspen.com/lottery/
    It will end tonight, as it is mostly a test run.  But if you like games of chance like lotteries, feel free to play weekly.  You can buy as many tickets as your points will afford.
    You should already be aware of the Member Shop.  It's a points store that allows you to play games, acquire board functions or purchase smaller gift items with your points.  Items and costs will change frequently so as not to break the bank and to address inflation, exchange rates and monetary policies.
    Lastly, another extension of your points and the Member Shop is the Betting Shop.  Once again, your points come into play and you can bet on featured college or NFL games - virtually anything.  There si even a spot for you to "request a bet" if there is a game you'd like to wager on that is not shown.
    I hope you'll visit these optional forms of entertainment - it may help pass the time to USF Football!  Have fun.
  23. Brad

    Social Integrations

    By Brad,

    It is easier than ever to join the conversation at The Bulls Pen.  And the giveaways, quizzes, galleries, downloads, Member Shop, etc., too.
    I have recently completed a revisit of the social integrations functionality after finding some had been broken by our software as well as that of Facebook and Twitter.
    The integrations are important for a number of reasons, but I'll stick with the top two.
    New members - Anyone with a Facebook, Twitter, Google, Linked In or Windows account can log in to The Bulls Pen with those credentials.  Very simple access to an account at TBP and immediate posting.  It really is so easy.  So, if you're out there talking with fellow or future Bulls fans, bump into them on Twitter, or Linked In remind them they can join in seconds, and maintain the same identity they have on other social platforms.  Here is what guests will see when they come upon https://thebullspen.com:  

     
    For existing members, if you go to your profile page, you'll see to the left the opportunity to integrate with your social platform accounts, allowing you to share name changes, content, and status updates (varies by social platform).  It makes it very easy to share from TBP to Twitter and FB.  Here is my profile.  I am integrated with all but Linked In at this time.  

     
    Please keep this in mind when talking to other Bulls.  There's no dreaded sign up, just use one of the social platform credentials nearly everyone has already!  And as a member, by getting yourself connected, you will have an easier time sharing with others you.
    If you run into any problems while setting up your integrations, please let me know.  
     
  24. Brad
    The calendar function has been around since The Bulls Pen was a forum on SouthFloridaBulls.com.
    It doesn't quite get the community use it could, so I'll invite you to visit and see if it can help manage yours and our Bulls life.
    First of all, there are two calendars that combine as one:
    Bulls scheduled games Bulls events Only the Admin can add scheduled games, but we can all add events - such as BULLRALLY I added a week or so ago.  Events can have RSVPs attached so members here can see which other members are planning on going.
    The feature I wanted to mention is the "Set Reminder" function. 

    A new feature recently added, now you can set that reminder that will keep you informed, even if you are not on the website.  I recently set up a test reminder to share.  It's a nice email reminding you of an event (with however many days lead you need) as well as some recent stories from the Pen at the bottom of the reminder email.  Here is what my reminder looked like for Fall Camp (top of email):

     
    So, whether it's the first football game, fall camp, BULLSRALLY, Block party (to be added) or any other function or game on the calendar or to be entered on the calendar, you can use the TBP reminder email to keep you on schedule.  
    I hope you'll visit the Calendar (tab on main navigation bar) and provide some comment.
    Thank you.
    Brad
  25. Brad
    We had a couple threads on the new "Points" economy, this being the initial one:
    The points collecting has been in place for about a month, there is plenty of experimenting to do, but the possibilities are pretty entertaining.  I don't think it's a good thing to identify what adds points to your count (you'll figure it out), but I can tell you one key source of points is being online everyday, multiple days in a row at the least.  Starting quality topics is rewarding as well.
    Points will be able to be used in the future for a number of things including games (like Rock, Paper, Scissors), board actions (username changes, signature changes, entry into premium raffles) and lotteries and a betting shop.  The latter two will be around towards football season.  Most of all, you can turn in your points earned as a member of this community to buy USF gear, memorabilia and even donate to USF.  
    There will be more to come on this functionality, but there is a version 1.0 of the points store located here:  Points Shop
    If you look on the main menu under "More" you should see this as well as some other helpful stats and information.  Again, get familiar, more to come on this. 
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