As we look forward to the 2014 USF Football season, we'll spend part of the summer looking back with the Voice of the Bulls Jim Louk. Louk has compiled his list of the 10 most influential Bulls in program history. As the radio voice for Bulls football since its inception in 1997, Louk has personally witnessed every game in the program's history and worked closely with coaches and players. Yet, his list may not line up perfectly with yours. Discussion and debate is welcome. Join the discussion by sending your list or feedback to @USFJimLouk and use the hashtag #USF10.
We'll list these 10 players in no particular order in the coming weeks leading up to 2014 USF training camp. Selected players may or may not have huge statistics or have been a part of the big plays we all remember. But, because of their talent, their effort or even their timing, they influenced the USF program greatly during our first 17 years of football.
First installment: Hugh Smith
Second Installment: Chad Barnhardt
Third Installment: Bill Gramatica
Fourth Installment: Matt Grothe
Fifth Installment: Jason Pierre-Paul
Sixth Installment: Andre Hall
Seventh Installment: George Selvie
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA, JULY 28, 2014 - Because of how it ended, you might forget how it began.
Like his predecessor Matt Grothe, the career of B.J. Daniels ended earlier than it should have. In between a wonderful afternoon in Tallahassee in 2009 and a broken ankle in his final USF appearance in 2012, Bruce Edward Daniels, Jr. may have seen more ups and downs than any USF player. He was a common link through a tumultuous time in USF Football history, and the success he helped the Bulls achieve in the early part of his career should never be forgotten.
It's easy to remember the first start; the Tallahassee kid coming home to beat the Seminoles the week after Grothe's injury. But B.J. Daniels didn't end there.
It was Daniels who led the Bulls to a bowl victory over Northern Illinois in Jim Leavitt's final game as USF head coach. And a year later, it was Daniels accepting the MVP trophy at the Meineke Car Care Bowl after USF beat Clemson in Skip Holtz's only USF bowl appearance.
Bulls fans know that a lot happened in the 12 months between those games. What didn't happen was USF having any problems at quarterback.
But for Daniels, like some other Bulls on this list, the best came early. USF was 16-10 in his first two seasons with two bowl wins, but only 8-16 after that. (That mark includes games Daniels missed due to injury, in which the Bulls went 0-3).
Daniels was a daring and inventive runner who could change a game and thrill a crowd. But there were fumbles. He was a strong armed passer with great courage. But there were interceptions, including a series of very badly timed ones.
The numbers alone put him on this list; 8,433 yards passing, 2,068 yards rushing, a USF record 25 rushing touchdowns, and the best individual passing yardage game in program history (409 yards against Cincinnati in 2011).
It's more than that with Daniels though. He led the Bulls from Leavitt to Holtz, and he provided an answer when the unthinkable happened and Matt Grothe was gone. Yes, there were turnovers and yes, the Bulls entered the game in which he played his final play with a 2-6 record. But B.J. Daniels was a winner. He made plays. And boy, did we miss him when he left.
