Skip may be the coach, but he's not a Bull

[bullcocky101]

I am writing this from my own experience as a USF alum and supporter for the past 10 years and I would like to hear other opinions and input as to perception and personal experiences.To me, being a USF Bull is a mindset. It is about pride in where we have come from and the sacrifices that were made to bring the school to where it is today. We put up with a ton of sh** as a team, as a fan base, and as a university while finding a way to keep our heads held high.

As a team, we have been consistently crapped on by ESPN and the media (many times even the local papers have bigger UF and FSU sections than USF), Rutgers came in and stomped on our logo one year and destroyed our (the bucs) locker room, we don't have a stadium to call our own, our conference fell apart around us, and most of our players were looked over by the bigger name schools in the state. Up until the hiring of Skip we played with a chip on our shoulder as a team and saw greater results with far less heralded talent than Skip is currently dealing with. Perhaps it is just me, but in the past our teams played with a certain "fu** you" attitude, meanness and intensity even if they didn't always win.

As a fan base we are constantly being told why we are not good enough, people always ask "who is USF?", we get confused with other schools constantly, generally more Gator and Noles stuff is sold at local stores, we are outnumbered in our home city by fans of other teams, we were outnumbered in our home stadium in what was heralded the biggest home game in our history! We are constantly on the defensive for our school because...we have to be (nobody else will)! Our fanbase used to have the attitude that we could take down anybody, anytime, and anywhere and now it is "we suck, maybe everybody was right, well we are a young program, excuse, excuse." The mentality of what it means to be a Bulls fan has changed dramatically from what I have seen in the past year or two.

As a school, we are crapped on by the legislature (disproportionate budget cuts and poly tech BS), the ranking systems, and other schools. I know personally that I took slack whenever I chose USF over UF and FSU.

We do have traditions at USF and first and foremost is the mindset. Maybe Skip has never been in the position that many USF fans have had to deal with, but he needs to get over being a "fighting Irishman" and get some fire in his belly and learn to be a Bull before it is too late. I would like nothing more than a reporter with some balls to ask coach Holtz "what does it mean to you to be a Bull?" because that to me is more important than a win or a loss in any particular game. Sorry for the rant, it is something I felt that I needed to get off of my chest however.

[Skingraft]

"Cheers"

[El_Toro_86]

Bully!

[Whyyyyyyy?]

Wrong guy for this program..... they should hired Dan McCarney or Calvin McGee, Hell Wally Burnham or Rick Kravitz. No those are not big names but at least they would implant the midset that would have kept this program going in the right directions. Take this team and play a team during the Jimbo with all those hard nose players and coaches that accutally pushed those kids...45-17 Jimbo's boys over Skippie.

[Southshore26]

Well said.... valid points all around OP.

[gibbsak]

Well said.... valid points all around OP.

+1.

Miss the anyone, anytime, anywhere attitude.

[Hueyhog20]

Another fan who gets it.

Skip aint no bull, that's for sure.

[snarling Bull]

Wrong guy for t.his program..... they should hired Dan McCarney or Calvin McGee, Hell Wally Burnham or Rick Kravitz. No those are not big names but at least they would implant the midset that would have kept this program going in the right directions. Take this team and play a team during the Jimbo with all those hard nose players and coaches that accutally pushed those kids...45-17 Jimbo's boys over Skippie.

Yes

I agree with everyone here. In the past, I always believed we had a chance to win, loved the attitude the team used to have.

[bullman3]

Skip may not be a Bull, but he is certainly full of bull!! Scamming the AD for 2 million + bucks a year!

[E.T.]

It will be tough to get a coach that is a Bull like Leavitt.