2000+ tix sold thru Wednesday & Bowl $$$

[BullGrad95]

http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGB5WVKJYGE.html

USF Cashes In ($2.975M) On Big East Bowl Money

Published: Dec 8, 2005

TAMPA - By earning its first bowl berth in school history, the University of South Florida will receive nearly $3 million of the Big East's $21.4 million in bowl payouts.

USF will receive $2.975 million - $750,000 from the Meineke Car Care Bowl, $350,000 from the Big East to assist with travel costs and $1.875 million as its share of the league's BCS money.

League champion and Sugar Bowl-bound West Virginia will receive $4.275 million, Gator Bowl-bound Louisville $3.475 million and Insight Bowl-bound Rutgers $3.175 million.

Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Cincinnati each receive $1.875 million.

Also as Big East champion, WVU receives an additional $600,000, the Louisville Journal-Courier reported. Louisville gets $300,000 for second place and the third-place $100,000 bonus is split between USF, Rutgers and Pittsburgh ($33,333 each).

THE STREETS ARE SAFE: Three years ago Coach Jim Leavitt said he would run naked through the streets of Tampa if the Bulls received a bowl bid.

Fortunately for Tampa residents, Leavitt's offer was only for 2002.

"That was just for that year," said Leavitt, who turned 49 Monday. "No one wants to see me run through the streets of Tampa naked."

What Leavitt does want to see is Bulls fans stampeding - preferably clothed - to Charlotte, N.C., for USF's bowl game against N.C. State on Dec. 31.

"Certainly, if we brought 20,000, that would make a statement across the country," Leavitt said. "I don't know how many we can bring but everybody, their kids, aunties, grandmothers, extended family, get a caravan: green and gold needs to certainly just engulf Charlotte."

Leavitt said the number of USF fans would play a huge part in USF's "credibility as a program" and "will set a precedent for the next number of years" on how USF is viewed by the bowls.

Through Wednesday, USF had sold a little more than 2,000 of its 12,500 ticket allotment.

"It will be like a home game for N.C. State," Leavitt said. "We need a bunch of Bulls to balance it out."

FAB FRANK: Men's basketball assistant Frank Burnell returned to Stetson on Tuesday.

A forward for the Hatters from 1979-83 and later an assistant from 1986-93, Burnell left as the school's fourth-leading scorer (1,491 points).

"I was a lot skinnier back then," said Burnell, whose No. 40 is one of 30 retired jerseys hanging from the Edmunds Center rafters. "It feels good to be back, but it felt a lot better since we got the win."

ODDS AND ENDS: Former USF baseball assistant Bryan Peters, now a Stetson assistant, was noncommittal about whom he rooted for when the Bulls men's basketball team beat Stetson 77-52 on Tuesday. "I'm wearing a neutral shade of green," said Peters, a USF graduate. ... At least six NBA scouts will attend Saturday's men's basketball game against Michigan.

[kdawgy_orlando]

This is a little disappointing, I threw down for 5 tickets. I know other people on the board have thrown down also.. what gives?

[___ Eats It]

Hey, it was 1500 yesterday now it's 2000 today.  If we keep selling 500 a day until the Bowl Game, we'll sell out of our allotment!   ;D

[Guest AstroBull]

i added 3 to that amount

[Rabbi Bull]

wasn't it 1500 after monday?  that means we have only sold 500 tickets in two days

[E.T.]

I didn't realize the Big east did pay outs for place finishes . . . interesting.

That 3rd place tie really "cost" us.  :-/

Still is nice to land $3M for our season ... hope the bulk goes into Football. Need to feed the money maker.

Go BULLS !!!

[ChiTownBull]

ouch 2k

i bought mine at 9pm yesterday so maybe it is now 2002

[T-Man]

This is why the tire bowl people wanted Uconn... Uconn brought 5,000 last year...  I think we will wind up bringing 3,000..  I was reading an earlier post that said Uni. North Carolina brought 30,000 and Uconn brought 5,000 how many actual bodies did they have in the stands at the game 40,000 total?  Or do locals help sell game?

[sdgukhsdgl]

UCONN was in the motor city bowl, not the Car Care bowl... think UNC played WVU

[EXBULL21]

Very disappointing but honestly it doesn't surprise me from this community.  We all that there is a pretty good die hard base of Bulls fans (mostly from this website and few others).  Besides that it's all Gators, Noles, Bucs fans.

On another note, has anyone heard any local advertisments (via radio, paper, etc) to try to sell tickets to the game besides what you would read from Brett's articles in the Trib or in the Times?  

You know, the school might have to step up and purchase a large block of tickets just to make things look good for the school.  Selling only 3K in tickets isn't going to make us look very good and would honestly be an embarrassment to the school.