Coach Leavitt takes bowling seriously

[MikeG]

They had a night out bowling-- lots of pics over on gousfbulls.com

http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=730108

[MikeG]

The University of South Florida football team enjoyed its second full day in Birmingham preparing for Saturday’s Papajohns.com Bowl at historic Legion Field.

Following a spirited practice late Thursday morning at John Carroll High School, the Bulls took a step back into time to learn about Birmingham’s roots and the history of the civil rights movement at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

The institute situated in the Civil Rights District – and located across the street from the historic 16th Street Baptist Church which was bombed in 1963 – housed exhibits that depicted historical events from post World War I racial separation to present-day racial progress.

The visit began with an eight-minute video on the history of the city of Birmingham after the Civil War and the major contributions that African-Americans made in the city’s development.

Following the video presentation, the players made their way through the Institutes many exhibits which included original newspaper articles and archived television news footage of Rosa Parks, the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and the original jail cell that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was incarcerated in, here in Birmingham, and where he wrote the famous “Speech in a Jail Cell.† 

After the trip through the historic past of Birmingham, the Bulls returned to the hotel briefly before departing for a night of bowling and barbeque at Vestavia Bowl. Both USF and East Carolina players and coaches, along with bowl administrators, were on hand for the festivities.

Despite a 165 from USF head coach Jim Leavitt, the Bulls hand-picked team of six bowlers fell to a contingent from East Carolina at Vestavia Bowl tonight in an evening out for the two teams competing in Saturday’s Papajohns.com Bowl.

Leavitt was joined on the Bulls’ team by offensive coordinator Rod Smith, assistant strength coach Travis Larimore, linebacker Stephen Nicholas, tight end Will Bleakley and offensive lineman Matt Huners. Nicholas impressed with a 127, second only to Leavitt among the USF bowlers.

JR Smith, an assistant coach at ECU, led all bowlers with a 178.

[Economics_Nerd82]

[The Sheriff]

****... Wish I could've been there to give the guys a hand... a solid 180 average for a part time bowler... we would've smoked ECU.