Rowdies Cup
The Rowdies Cup is a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the annual college soccer match between the University of South Florida Bulls and the University of Tampa Spartans, two NCAA men's programs based in the city of Tampa, Florida.
Sport | College soccer |
---|---|
First meeting | November 5, 1972 South Florida 9, Tampa 2 |
Latest meeting | August 24, 2019 South Florida 1, Tampa 0 |
Next meeting | August 2020 @ Tampa |
Trophy | Rowdies Cup |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 37 |
All-time series | South Florida, 24–10–3 |
Largest victory | South Florida 21, Tampa 0 (Sept 20, 1973) |
Current win streak | South Florida, 5 |
History
The rivalry was first contested on November 5, 1972. USF won the match, 9–2. That meeting happens to have the greatest margin of victory in the series among games played during the regular season. The following year in a preseason exhibition, USF, who had been in training for over three weeks, overwhelmed the out-of-shape Spartans in the September heat by a count of 21–0.[1] UT would finally taste victory for the first time four years later in a 1977 preseason match, by the score of 3–2.[2]
USF has been a Division I program for all but the first meeting between the two schools, while UT has competed at the Division II level for their entire history. In the early years from 1972 to 1997 all but three off the twenty-two meetings were played during the two schools' regular season, but since the rivalry's renewal in 2005 all of the matches have been part of their preseason schedules. As of the 2019 edition, USF holds a 24–10–3 edge in the all-time series.[3] The match was known as the Mayor's Cup from 1979 to 1992.[4][5][6][7]
The name "Rowdies Cup" was first used at the 2005 meeting. It comes from the first professional sports franchise in the region, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, whose alumni were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their championship victory in Soccer Bowl '75 on August 24, 1975, with a day-long soccer festival held on August 20, 2005. The Bulls-Spartans exhibition match was the final event of the day[8] and has been played every August ever since.
Results
South Florida victories | Tampa victories |
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References
- Vorse, Barry (September 21, 1973). "USF swamps Tampa, 21-0". The Tampa Times. p. 4C. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- "Spartans Boot USF In Exhibition". Tampa Tribune. September 22, 1977. p. 3C. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
- "Rudderham Scores Hat Trick, Bulls Retain Rowdies Cup". gousfbulls.com. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- Bulls Looking to Bring Rowdies Cup Back to USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida
- "Spartans Take Rowdies Cup With 1-0 Victory Over USF". Tampa Spartans. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- "Bulls Down Spartans to Claim Rowdies Cup". gousfbulls.com. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- "Bulls Retain Rowdies Cup". gousfbulls.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- "Bulls face Spartans for Cup". St. Petersburg Times. August 20, 2005. p. 5C. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- "South Fla. Series History". TampaSpartans.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- "Men's Soccer History vs University of Tampa from Aug 18, 2007 - Aug 18, 2012". gousfbulls.com. August 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2019.