South Florida will induct former soccer coach Jim Leavitt into its athletic corridor of fame, the college introduced Monday, including to this system architect’s difficult legacy and acrimonious exit.
Leavitt was the primary head coach in program historical past. He constructed the crew from scratch, figuring out of trailers on campus because the Bulls rose from 1997 Division I-AA newcomers all the best way to the Large East and, in 2007, a No. 2 nationwide rating. He received three bowl video games and had a pair of nine-win seasons in what was then one of many nation’s six premier conferences.
However his tenure was additionally outlined by its ending. The college fired Leavitt in January 2010 after concluding he grabbed a participant by the throat and slapped him within the locker room throughout halftime of a recreation towards Louisville. USF additionally decided he interfered with the investigation. Leavitt denied the accusation and sued the college for wrongful termination; they settled the lawsuit a yr later for $2.75 million.
The college’s corridor of fame announcement didn’t point out Leavitt’s exit. It touted his 95-57 file — one of the best in program historical past — and run of 5 consecutive bowl video games.
“The category of 2025 is a strong reflection of the excellence, custom and progress that outline USF Athletics,” athletic director Michael Kelly mentioned within the faculty’s assertion. “This group represents a few of the most impactful figures in our historical past — people who elevated their applications, impressed our neighborhood, and helped propel USF Athletics to new heights.”
Leavitt later labored as an assistant with the 49ers and because the defensive coordinator at Colorado, Oregon, Florida Atlantic and SMU.
The Bulls’ five-person class additionally consists of the late Amir Abdur-Rahim. He coached the lads’s basketball crew to a program-record 25 wins and its first-ever top-25 rating in his lone season earlier than dying in October at age 43 throughout a medical process.
(Picture: Steve Dykes / Getty Photos)
