A quick review of our brief history...

[Orlando Bull]

You wonder why CUSA picked us and BE picked us...  Lets look at what CJL has accomplished in our short football lives...

USF Stats

1997 first season, 5 - 6, won opening game 80 - 3 though a losing season

1998 8 - 3

1999 7 - 4 and 1 win against current BCS conf team, ranked 1aa

2000 7 - 4 and 1 win against current BE/BCS team, ranked 1aa

2001 8 - 3 and wins against two current BE teams and 2 addtl against BCS conf teams

2002 9 - 2 and wins against ranked team, plus all CUSA teams we played.

2003 7 - 4, 2 wins against BCS conf teams, bowl eligible

2004 4  - 7, one of only two losing seasons. 3 CUSA wins.

2005 6 - 6, bowl eligible 1A team, went to MCC bowl, w wins vs BCS teams, first year BE

2006 9 - 4 and bowl game (beat ECU), received votes in polls

2007 9 - 4 and bowl gmae (lost to PAC 10 team) Ranked as high as 2

2008, started out 5 - 0 and ranked at 10.... 

We are really lucky with the way the cards have fallen for us, but mostly that CJL has brought success and recognition to our program.   

That, boys and girls, is a brief history of the great program we are all fans of...

Had to make a couple corrections.

Also, wasn't USF a founder of C-USA and was slated to join C-USA in football once the Bulls reached I-A in 2001!?! And didn't some C-USA coaches deny USF joining C-USA in football until 2003!?!

Kizarvexis

"some coaches" being that d-bag from from Southern Miss that said that C-USA needed to focus on "quality not quantity". We promptly kicked their *** that year.

We had to be independent for one year for some legit reason, but should have been in C-USA in 2002 when we were 9-2.That was my senior year at USF, would have been awesome to be making our first bowl appearance.

[Guest]

[glow=yellow,2,300]You wonder why CUSA picked us and BE picked us...[/glow]  Lets look at what CJL has accomplished in our short football lives...

USF Stats

1997 first season, 5 - 6, won opening game 80 - 3 though a losing season

1998 8 - 3

1999 7 - 4 and 1 win against current BCS conf team, ranked 1aa

2000 7 - 4 and 1 win against current BE/BCS team, ranked 1aa

2001 8 - 3 and wins against two current BE teams and 2 addtl against BCS conf teams

2002 9 - 2 and wins against ranked team, plus all CUSA teams we played.

2003 7 - 4, 2 wins against BCS conf teams, bowl eligible

2004 4  - 7, one of only two losing seasons. 3 CUSA wins.

2005 6 - 6, bowl eligible 1A team, went to MCC bowl, w wins vs BCS teams, first year BE

2006 9 - 4 and bowl game (beat ECU), received votes in polls

2007 9 - 4 and bowl gmae (lost to PAC 10 team) Ranked as high as 2

2008, started out 5 - 0 and ranked at 10.... 

We are really lucky with the way the cards have fallen for us, but mostly that CJL has brought success and recognition to our program. 

That, boys and girls, is a brief history of the great program we are all fans of...

1) Conference USA didn't "pick" USF.  The University of South Florida was a charter member of the conference when it was founded in 1995.  In fact, the conference voted to DENY USF's football team entry into the conference in 2001 when we started playing I-A.  The former Southern Mississippi football coach was quoted as saying "We want quality, not quantitity."

2) USF was picked by the Big East because of our OLYMPIC sports.  In 2003 when USF was selected by the Big East, the University of South Florida had won more conference championships in C-USA than any other member.  It was the overall strength of our athletic program, and not the performance of just our football team, that sealed the deal with the Big East.*

*Of course our academic standing as a top-level research institution, the Tampa Bay television of market, and the size of our school/alumni we also deciding factors for the Big East as well.

[Guest]

Also, wasn't USF a founder of C-USA and was slated to join C-USA in football once the Bulls reached I-A in 2001!?! And didn't some C-USA coaches deny USF joining C-USA in football until 2003!?!

Kizarvexis

"some coaches" being that d-bag from from Southern Miss that said that C-USA needed to focus on "quality not quantity". We promptly kicked their *** that year.

We had to be independent for one year for some legit reason, but should have been in C-USA in 2002 when we were 9-2.That was my senior year at USF, would have been awesome to be making our first bowl appearance.

Didn't see Kiz or OB's post... We were denied for two years, and started playing in C-USA in 2003.  The year we were 9-2, USF beat 4 C-USA teams... and would have been invited to Hawaii if ECU would have just beaten Cincinnati on the last weekend of the year...

[snarling Bull]

Oh yeah, I remember Jeff Bower, "Quality not Quantity"

I remember our first game, not knowing what to expect,  and the atmosphere in the Sombrero 83-3.

[IncrediBULL]

Thanks to all for the postings and updates...  I am sure there are other inaccuracies.  Was going mostly from memory and the stats on the USF web site....  Not much else to go on.

Anyway, it is a great picture and really cements in my mind how much success we have had under CJL.... 

[flsportsfan83]

2004 4  - 7, one of only two losing seasons. 3 CUSA wins.

How many people were on this board for the 2004 season when all the village idiots were wanting CJL fired? 

What a riot.  I pity our fan base when we happen to have another sub .500 record.  Heck 4 losses seem to get some in an uproar that the sky is falling.

I was here 8-16-04. Dang how the years fly by.