Did anybody hear about this???

[Raoul Duke]

I heard on the radio the night before the Rutgers game about some guy way back I think it was in the 50's or so offered to build a stadium on USF's campus but was turned down by USF's president because he wanted to keep the school focused more so on education than sports. Does anybody know that story or did you hear this on the radio?  It was some old-timer that went there I think. Anyone shed some light on this?

[MaltLiquorBull]

I've never heard anything about an offer to build a stadium, but I do recall many faculty members saying that John and Grace Allen did not ever want USF to have a football program because they thought that it would hurt acedemics or something like that.  That was the story when I was at USF in the late 80s anyway.

[BULLfreak]

I did and the guy was Augusta Busch as in the owner of anheuser-busch.

[usfgrad84]

I heard on the radio the night before the Rutgers game about some guy way back I think it was in the 50's or so offered to build a stadium on USF's campus but was turned down by USF's president because he wanted to keep the school focused more so on education than sports. Does anybody know that story or did you hear this on the radio?  It was some old-timer that went there I think. Anyone shed some light on this?

That's an old story.  I am not sure if it is true or not, but the story was basically that August Busch offerd to build a stadium and outfit and fund a football team as long as the stadium would be named after him. 

John Allen never wanted sports for USF in the early days as he really wanted the school to be strictly an academic institution.  Having anthing associated with a beer company was also something that Allen was supposedly dead set against. 

[Raoul Duke]

Well  I guess I can see the obvious conflict of interest there given the social climate of that era. But...I'd be willing to bet if that happened now it wouldn't get shot down that easily.

[79 Bull]

Yes, I went to school in the late 70's and we always heard that Busch had offered to fund the startup of a football team and build a stadium on campus if they would name it Busch Stadium.  Then president John Allen said thanks, but no thanks, USF is an academic institution.

[Raoul Duke]

I hate to speculate but this begs the question of where USF football would be now if we had that many years to build a program. Don't get me wrong this has been one hell of a ride this season, but just imagine for fun sake where we could be and what it could have contributed to the school.

[BoozedUpBull]

Is the offer still on the table? 

[BULLfreak]

Is the offer still on the table?  

yes please someone call his grandson and get this done

[Raoul Duke]

I don't see too much downside...if there was a moment where the iron was hot it would be now. How sweet it would be. We are getting enough televised games that it could be worth it for someone to come in and try to make a deal.