Rocky celebrates with fans at ESPN's "SportsCenter on Campus" [Photo by Tyler Ennis, University Communications and Marketing]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Josh Lefkowitz didnāt plan to make a grand entrance ā but it somehow fit.
A longtime °®¶¹“«Ć½ fan, he likes to say heās always among the first to arrive at Raymond James Stadium for Bulls home football games.
So, of course, the °®¶¹“«Ć½ sophomore showed up early when ESPNās āSportsCenter on Campusā broadcast from outside the Marshall Student Center on Thursday afteroon to promote the teamās nationally televised home game against the University of Texas at San Antonio, which the Bulls won 55-23.
As Lefkowitz strolled toward the stage nearly two hours before the cameras started rolling, the āRockyā movie franchiseās inspirational anthem, āGonna Fly Now,ā blared from nearby speakers.
He nodded his head at the symbolism.
It was an appropriate soundtrack for the moment ā a seminal one for °®¶¹“«Ć½ football.
āWeāve been waiting for a moment like this, for ESPN to come to our campus and promote our team and our fans,ā Lefkowitz said. āTo finally have it feels like a really big deal.ā
This indeed felt like another of this seasonās coming-out parties for the football program, a chance to show the nation theyāre no longer a future powerhouse, but a current one.
ā°®¶¹“«Ć½ football has arrived,ā °®¶¹“«Ć½ junior Ari Thibeault said.
Moments before taking center stage for the broadcast, ESPN anchor Matt Barrie voiced that perspective to the media.
ā°®¶¹“«Ć½ got this attention themselves, getting some upsets in the early part of the year,ā he said. āAnd so, theyāre kind of culminating into a day with āSportsCenterā on campus. This is a really big day for the university.ā
Around 1,000 were fans outside the Marshall Student Center [Photo by Tyler Ennis, University Communications and Marketing]
And Barrie expects Bulls fever to continue to grow, especially with the addition of an on-campus stadium.
āEverybody thatās here,ā Barrie said, pointing to the crowd of about 1,000 fans. āHow energetic is this?ā
Both before and during the broadcast, the fans matched the energy of a team ranked among the nationās best going into the game ā No. 6 in scoring and No. 7 in total offense ā behind quarterback Byrum Brown, who sits fourth nationally in both total offense and total points generated.
āThis is great exposure for our team and our campus,ā °®¶¹“«Ć½ junior Braden Hart said. āAs fans, we want to show our support.ā
Philanthropist and prominent Tampa Bay restaurateur Richard Gonzmart stood just feet away from a shirtless fan decked out in a golden lucha libre mask and green-and-gold body paint. He was joined by his daughter, Andrea Gonzmart Williams, a °®¶¹“«Ć½ graduate and fifth-generation owner of the family business, as the broadcast highlighted their Columbia Restaurantās iconic dishes ā the 1905 Salad, Cuban sandwich and paella.
The crowdās signs captured the spirit of the season ā one declared the fans the teamās ā12th man,ā another proclaimed Brown the Heisman Trophy frontrunner, and one read, āGreen and Gold ātill Iām Old and Dead.ā
Fans brought homemade posters to the broadcast [Photo by Tyler Ennis, University Communications and Marketing]
āThe college football world has been watching us,ā junior Dylan Baez said. āThey know we are the next big thing and have the best fans.ā
As the °®¶¹“«Ć½ spirit squads and Rocky the Bull swayed to the Herd of Thunder bandās live performances, fans rode a mechanical Bull and competed in a pull-up challenge ā the high mark being 27 ā while cheering on dignitaries as they arrived.
They chanted the name Rob Higgins, the first-ever CEO of °®¶¹“«Ć½ Athletics, like he was a conquering good guy WWE wrestler from WrestleMania in which he helped bring to the area while previously serving as executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.
And the fans erupted as football head coach Alex Golesh stepped onto stage for his live interview.