Rocky the Bull

Rocky
Rocky
University	University of South Florida
Conference	The American
Description	Bull
First seen	1965

Rocky the Bull (officially Rocky D. Bull) is the mascot of the University of South Florida. He is an anthropomorphized bull who can typically be seen at athletic dressed in USF athletic gear--usually a football or basketball jersey, but occasionally other attire like a USF T-shirt.

History

Shortly after the university's inception in 1956, a contest was held that would determine the university's mascot. Among the finalists were the Brahman, the Olympian, the cougar, the buccaneer, and the golden eagle, and the Brahman bull was ultimately selected and unveiled as the mascot on November 17, 1962.^[2]^[3] Rocky's name was chosen as a play on the popular American delicacy Rocky Mountain oysters. His middle initial "D" stands for "dogie", a term referring to a motherless calf, reflecting Rocky's past.^[4]

Rocky started out in 1965 as a toy sold by the USF bookstore. His image was officially trademarked by the university in 1974, and debuted the next year. His birthday is celebrated every year during USF Week in April.^[5]

The USF athletics teams were known as the Golden Brahmans until the earlier 1980s, when the name was simplified to the Bulls. Rocky was redesigned in 1986 and 2003.^[6]

Rocky won the Capital One Mascot Challenge in 2013, besting Mike the Tiger (LSU), Sparty (Michigan State), and, in the finals, Raider Red (Texas Tech). Rocky is the first mascot to go undefeated in the Capital One Mascot Challenge.^[7]

References

^ "Traditions | University of South Florida".
^ Chickens, Camels and a Bull named Rocky
^ University of South Florida: The First 50 Years
^ "Traditions | University of South Florida". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
^ "Schedule | USF Week". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
^ "Rocky the Bull | University of South Florida". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
^ "Rocky Wins Capital One Mascot Challenge". USF Athletics. Retrieved 2020-10-17.

External links

History of Rocky the Bull

[1] "Traditions | University of South Florida".

[2] Chickens, Camels and a Bull named Rocky

[3] University of South Florida: The First 50 Years

[4] "Traditions | University of South Florida". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-06.

[5] "Schedule | USF Week". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-17.

[6] "Rocky the Bull | University of South Florida". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-17.

[7] "Rocky Wins Capital One Mascot Challenge". USF Athletics. Retrieved 2020-10-17.

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v t e South Florida Bulls football
Venues	Tampa Stadium (1997–1998) Raymond James Stadium (1998–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games
Rivalries	UCF
Culture & lore	Rocky the Bull Golden Brahman March Herd of Thunder
People	NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e South Florida Bulls men's basketball
Venues	Curtis Hixon Hall (1971–1980) Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory (1972–1975) Bayfront Center (1974, 1976–1978, 1979–1980) Hillsborough Community College Gymnasium (1978) USF Gymnasium (1978–1979) Expo Hall (1979–1980) Lakeland Civic Center (1976, 1979–1980, 2011) Bob Martinez Sports Center (2011) Amalie Arena (2011–2012) Yuengling Center (1980–2011, 2012–present)
Rivalries	UCF
Culture & lore	Rocky the Bull
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e South Florida Bulls women's basketball
Venues	USF Gymnasium/Campus Recreation Center (1972–80, 2011–12) Yuengling Center (1980–2011, 2012–present)
Rivalries	UCF
Culture & lore	Rocky the Bull
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e South Florida Bulls men's soccer
Venues	USF Soccer Field (1965–1977) USF Soccer Stadium (1978–2010) Corbett Stadium (2011–present)
Rivalries	UCF Tampa
Culture & Lore	Rocky the Bull Herd of Thunder
USF Athletic Hall of Fame	Dan Holcomb Fergus Hopper
NCAA Tournament Appearances	1969 1970 1971 1973 1975 1982 1996 1997 1998 2001 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2019
National championship seasons in bold; College Cup seasons in italics