The on-campus stadium would be built on Sycamore Fields, a 27-acre property in the Athletics District located adjacent to the new indoor practice facility.
Courtesy of USF Athletics
By Max Steele
The University of South Florida Board of Trustees (BOT) chose Sycamore Fields in Tampa as its preferred location for an on-campus football stadium during Tuesday’s meeting.
Frank and Carol Morsani, longtime USF supporters and key figures behind the formation of the university’s football team in the 1990s, gifted $5 million in support of the initiative.
“We have loved watching Bulls football for the last 25 years and are thrilled to make the first gift in support of the stadium,” the Morsanis said, according to a press release. “An on-campus stadium elevates not only our athletic programs, but our entire university.”
Sycamore Fields, the finalist among five possible sites, is located in the Athletics District on the northeast side of the Tampa campus and is currently used for intramural sports. The 27-acre site also resides adjacent to where a new indoor practice facility is being constructed.
The idea to build the Bulls a home stadium – as the team has played home games in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium since 1998 – was initially proposed by BOT Chairman Will Weatherford in September of last year.
“These student-athletes, our 50,000 students, the alumni, faculty and administration deserve a stadium on this campus,” Weatherford said, according to a press release. “Our time has come. The athletic program is ready for this challenge.”
The initiative has since been picked up by Michael Kelly, vice president of USF Athletics, and Jay Stroman, CEO of the USF Foundation, who presented the updated plan yesterday to the BOT.
Kelly believes Sycamore Fields is the ideal location for a stadium due to its rich history as the fields served as training grounds for the first USF football team in 1997.
“It is without a doubt the most historically fitting,” Kelly said. “Our football team was literally born on those fields a quarter century ago. [This project] is a tremendous opportunity to build on our tradition in a very smart way.”
USF Interim President Rhea Law is also in support of the plan and has committed to making advancements on the project in her annual goals.
“The impact of USF’s on-campus stadium will be transformational in ways that extend well beyond football,” Law said. “[It will be] a place to come together, develop stronger relationships and build memories across generations.”
The project will be further discussed and analyzed among the BOT at a future date in June, including options for the project’s completion in 2026 or 2027.
