"I'm Here To Tell You We Are Going To Do It," Weatherford Says of On-Campus Stadium
By Joey Johnston
The pursuit of an on-campus stadium for USF football — long a dream, sometimes a far-flung theory — became enthusiastic reality Wednesday.
Will Weatherford, chairman of USF's Board of Trustees, didn't offer many specifics or a timetable — yet. But he said the plans are well under way.
"Bulls Nation deserves to have a stadium on this campus,'' said Weatherford, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and co-chairman of Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV Host Committee. "There's a renowned author named Victor Hugo who once said, 'There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.' Our time has come.
"These student-athletes … our 50,000 students … the alumni, faculty and administration, they all deserve a stadium on this campus. I'm here to tell you we're going to do it. It's going to take a lot of work. It may take a little time. But If I know anything about USF and the Bulls spirit, it's that we're never shy about having bold ambitions and going after them.''
Weatherford's promise was warmly received by USF coach Jeff Scott, vice president of athletics Michael Kelly and interim school president Rhea Law, while also being applauded by a few hundred boosters, alumni, staff members and players who attended Wednesday's groundbreaking for USF's $22-million Indoor Performance Facility.
The IPF is scheduled for a ribbon cutting next summer. Next up: USF's Football Center, which will house offices, locker rooms, weight rooms and meeting space. A new question: Could that football center be built in concert with an on-campus stadium?
"We can't be specific about that yet, but our ambitions are now known and they have been spoken into existence,'' Kelly said. "What I do know is we have $25-million in pledges raised for our indoor facility and those numbers have not happened in the 55 years of playing sports at USF.
"We have a plan. We have momentum. We have had some plans that were temporarily derailed by the pandemic, but our supporters are rallying behind the vision. The best days are yet to come for USF football and USF athletics in general.''
USF was founded in 1956 and the original plans for the campus included a football stadium. But USF's first president, John Allen, was anti-athletics. The first athletic team (men's soccer) didn't debut until 1965. Football was brought on in 1997 and it first played at Tampa Stadium, then Raymond James Stadium, the current home for USF football, a facility that has hosted three Super Bowls and a College Football National Championship.
Weatherford said the focus is building a stadium within USF's campus borders. Any land north of Fletcher Avenue — specifically, the USF Golf Course area — is not being considered.
"We have to dream big,'' Weatherford said. "USF is in a place and posture where we can dream big. We're advancing in every metric academically. The athletic program is ready for this challenge.
"It's extremely feasible. Our fans and university community will rally around this big idea. It's a big idea whose time has come. Everybody intuitively knows we need a stadium on this campus. We just needed to put a marker out there and say we're going to do it. I have 100 percent confidence it's going to happen.''
When? How much will it cost? Where will it be located?
"There are lots of details to be worked out, as you can imagine,'' Weatherford said. "You're going to see some rollout of details, an articulation of what this dream can look like. We're just not sharing it yet. But stay tuned. It's coming.''
Scott said he has heard the on-campus stadium talk behind closed doors for about four months. Wednesday, he was elated to finally be talking about those plans.
"I've just been doing a lot of smiling,'' Scott said. "It's all about timing. This isn't just talk. There's action. The right people are in place for this next chapter we're going into.
"I think we have a great campus. But whenever I walk around campus, it's a little sleepy. There's not a lot of activity. What does an on-campus stadium do? It brings students together. It brings energy. It brings spirit. It brings passion. It brings the alumni back. For where we are, I have no doubt our campus will embrace a stadium.''
Scott said there's "not another structure you could build on this campus that will have the transformational affect that an on-campus stadium will have.''
Two major X-factors:
USF is conducting a search for its new president. USF football needs to win.
Weatherford said he believes both processes will work in favor of an on-campus stadium.
"Hopefully, today sends a really clear message to anyone who aspires to be president of USF that they should be supportive of athletics and they should buy into the idea that this community deserves an on-campus stadium,'' Weatherford said. "I think they will be because they'll see this is a community asset for the entire student body. Our next president will understand that.''
Meanwhile, the Bulls, after taking a season-opening loss at NC State, are preparing for Saturday afternoon's home game against the No. 13-ranked Florida Gators, a showcase opportunity on ABC-TV.
"No question, winning helps,'' Weatherford said. "I truly believe that Michael Kelly and Jeff Scott are building something really special here and we all need to rally around that.''
"If Michael Kelly and our board didn't feel confidence in myself and our staff, I don't think we'd be having this today (groundbreaking of the IPF and talk of an on-campus stadium),'' Scott said. "The facilities are going to be great for the long term of this program. Right now, we have to show progress. We're establishing the right attitude and mindset to take on these challenges. The future here is very bright. It really excites me, motivates me and it is great news for all of our current and future players.''
