Tampa Spartans football

Tampa Spartans
First season 1933
Last season 1974
Stadium Plant Field (1933-1936)
Phillips Field (1937-1966)
Tampa Stadium (1967-1974)
Location Tampa, Florida
NCAA division Division I
Conference Independent
All-time record 201–160–12 (.555)
Bowl record 3–0 (1.000)
Colors Black, Red, and Gold[1]
              
Website TampaSpartans.com

The Tampa Spartans football program was an intercollegiate American football team for the University of Tampa (UT) located in Tampa, Florida that began play in 1933. The program competed against other small college programs in the forerunner of today's NCAA Division II for almost forty years before moving to the top level of NCAA Division I as an independent in 1971. Successfully competing against top college programs as a much smaller school put an enormous train on the university's finances, and the school decided to discontinue football after the 1974 season.[2]

History

Beginnings of the program

Nickname and colors

When the University of Tampa was founded as Tampa Junior College in 1931, St. Petersburg Junior College was expected to be their top athletic rival. Since the neighboring sports teams were known as the Trojans, the University of Tampa's sports teams became the Spartans, a selection inspired by the Trojan War between Troy and Sparta in ancient Greece. Though the mascots were chosen to promote the rivalry, it never developed, and St. Petersburgh College later changed its athletic nickname to the Titans.[3] Meanwhile, Tampa Junior College moved to its current location in the former Tampa Bay Hotel in 1933, changed its name to the University of Tampa, and organized a football program.

Most of the University of Tampa's early students were from Tampa, and most of its early athletes were graduates of Hillsborough High School and Plant High School. Hillsborough's colors are black and red and Plant's colors are gold and black, so Nash Higgins, Tampa U's first football coach, decided that the Spartans would combine the colors and wear red, gold, and black.[4]

Small college football

The University of Tampa Spartans began play with a 28-0 win over Bowdon College in LaGrange, Georgia on October 12, 1933.[5] They played their first home game a week later at Plant Field, which was their home field for their first three seasons. The Spartans shared Plant Field with many other community events, so the school built Phillips Field on nearby land donated by local businessman I. W. Phillips and moved to their new stadium in 1937.[6]

During their first three and a half decades of football, the Spartans predominantly competed against other small colleges, mostly in the south. They usually fielded competitive teams and won two Cigar Bowls, a small college bowl game played in Tampa. The Spartans occasionally competed against larger programs, including the University of Florida Gators, whom they never defeated in five contests.[7] The Spartans also scheduled eleven games against the Florida State Seminoles in the 1940s and 1950s, soon after FSU began its football program. Tampa U went 2-9 in those games, and they last met in 1959.[8]

Move to Division I

In 1963, head coach Fred Pancoast encouraged the university to move its football program to the top tier of college football, NCAA Division I. The Spartans moved from Phillips Field to brand new Tampa Stadium in 1967 and became an independent Division I program beginning with the 1971 season. The Spartans continued to have success, highlighted by wins over established programs Ole Miss and Miami and a 10-2 1972 campaign that was capped by a win in the Tangerine Bowl. The Spartans were led by star players Leon McQuay, Freddie Solomon, Noah Jackson, and John Matuszak, who was the first overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft.[2]

Ending the program

Although the Spartans found success on the field against Division I opponents, the University of Tampa had only about 1,300 students during the early 1970s, and the football program was putting an increasing financial strain on the small school's limited resources. In early 1975, university president B.D. Owens and the UT finance committee proposed dropping football, citing rising expenses. Owens revealed that the football program had run a deficit of almost $200,000 in 1974 ($773,148 today) and that UT had borrowed over $750,000 ($3,433,686 today) from its endowment to subsidize football since its move to Division I, pushing the entire university towards possible bankruptcy. He also expressed concern that Tampa's new NFL franchise would erode attendance at Spartans' games, increasing financial losses even more. (The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were organized in 1974 and took the field in 1976.) To the disappointment of Spartan players and coaches and the Tampa community in general, the UT Board of Trustees voted on February 20, 1975 to immediately end the football program, cancelling the already scheduled 1975 season.[2][9]

The Spartans played their last game on November 11, 1974, a 35-10 win over Florida A&M, though no one knew at the time that it would be their final contest. The football program finished with an all-time record of 201-160-12.

Stadiums

Plant Field was the first stadium the team used. Named after Henry B. Plant, the stadium hosted the first ever Major League Baseball game in the Tampa Bay area. At the stadium, is a plaque to commemorate 4,300 fans who attended the game and saw Babe Ruth hit the longest home run. The University of Tampa football team used Plant Field from 1933–1936. Phillips Field opened on October 4, 1937 and was the home to University of Tampa football for thirty years. The stadium had wooden seating, in a horseshoe and was on the banks of the Hillsborough River. Tampa Stadium was built in 1967 and the team would play here until they closed down the football program. The first game that the University of Tampa played in this stadium was a 38-0 loss against the third ranked team in the country, the Tennesee Volunteers.

Coaches

  • Nash Higgins was the first head coach at the University of Tampa. He coached the team from 1933–1940 to a record of 36-39-5.
  • Frank Sinkwich, who had won the 1942 Heisman Trophy playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, coached two seasons at University of Tampa to a record of 12-7-1. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
  • Marcelino "Chelo" Huerta was the head coach from 1952 to 1961. In those ten seasons he went 63-37-2. Huerta had been a star player for the Florida Gators, and there were rumors of him secretly suiting up for Spartan road games. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
  • Fred Pancoast was a four-year starter at safety for the Spartans from 1949 to 1952. He was named head coach ten years later in 1962. In two seasons as a coach, his record was 7-9. He left to become the offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators.
  • Sam Bailey coached the Spartans from 1964 to 1967. He had earlier coached the basketball and baseball teams at the University of Tampa. As a football coach his record was 16-20. Today, the baseball field at the university is known as Sam Bailey Field.
  • Fran Curci, the first coach of the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm, coached the Spartans from 1968 to 1970 to an impressive 25-6 record. In 1970, after a 10-1 season and an Orange Bowl win over the Miami Hurricanes, he left to coach at Miami.
  • Bill Fulcher only coached the team for one season in 1971, leading them to a 6-5 record. Fulcher left for Georgia Tech after the season, succeeding Bud Carson.
  • Earle Bruce also only coached the team for one season, going 10-2 including a win in the Tangerine Bowl. Bruce was then hired by Iowa State to succeed Johnny Majors, who had been named coach at Pittsburgh.
  • Dennis Fryzel was the final coach of the University of Tampa football team. He coached for two seasons going 8-3 in 1973 and then 6-5 in 1974, the team's final season.

Notable former players

  • Freddie Solomon, known as ‘Fabulous Freddie’ finished his University of Tampa career with 5,803 total yards and a then quarterback record of 3,299 rushing yards along with 39 touchdowns. In the 1974 season, he rushed for a then NCAA quarterback record 1,300 yards and 19 touchdowns to go along with it. That season, he finished 12th in Heisman voting. In 1975, Solomon was selected in the second round by the Miami Dolphins. During his career he played wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and returned kicks for the Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers, winning two Super Bowls with the 49ers.
  • John Matuszak was a defensive end for the Tampa Spartans and an All-American in 1972. He was selected first overall in the 1972 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. He played 123 career games with Houston, Kansas City, and Oakland. As an actor, Matuszak antagonized opposite Ringo Starr in the comedy Caveman and played "Sloth" in the 1985 comedy The Goonies.
  • Darryl Carlton was an offensive tackle at University of Tampa. He was drafted in the first round, twenty-third overall to the Miami Dolphins. He played a total of 71 NFL games.
  • Noah Jackson was a three-year started at defensive tackle before leaving before his senior seasons to play in the Canadian Football League where he converted to offensive tackle and was an all star. In 1974, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Baltimore Colts and in 1975 he was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. He played a total of 131 NFL games.
  • Leon McQuay, a running back, was the first black athlete to receive a scholarship at the University of Tampa. In his three seasons as the running back for the team he was named a two time small college All-American. In 1971, he skipped his senior year to sign and play in the Canadian Football League where he was an award winning all star for the Toronto Argonauts. He is remembered for his untimely fumble in the 59th Grey Cup championship game. In 1973, he was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants. He played thirty games for the Giants, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints.
  • Paul Orndorff, was a fullback at the University of Tampa who was drafted in the twelfth round by the New Orleans Saints. He later became famous as a professional wrestler known by the nickname, ‘Mr. Wonderful’.

Other notable players from the University of Tampa to play professional football are quarterback Jim Del Gaizo, linebacker Ted Greene, tight end M.L. Harris, defensive back J.C. Wilson, linebacker Mike Woods.

Bowl game appearances

Tampa participated in three bowl games, garnering a 3–0 record.

Season Date Bowl Opponent Result Coach
1952December 13, 1952Cigar BowlLenoir–RhyneW 21–12Marcelino Huerta
1954December 17, 1954Cigar BowlCharlestonW 21–0Marcelino Huerta
1972December 29, 1972Tangerine BowlKent StateW 21–18Earle Bruce

References

History of Tampa Spartans Football from the University of Tampa Athletic Department

  1. ↑ University of Tampa Brand Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Johnston, Joey (29 March 2017). "UT football alums give thanks for the memories". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "History of St. Petersburg College" (PDF). Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "History of UT". University of Tampa Athletics. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Tampa Spartans Score 28-0 Win to Open Season". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Fla. 1933-10-13. p. 5-A. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
  6. ↑ Steele, Kathy (11 April 2013). "Historians to recognize Phillips Field at ceremony". TBO.com. Tampa Tribune. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. ↑ 2018 Florida Football Media Guide - Florida Gators (PDF). University of Florida Athletic Association. p. 125. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  8. ↑ 2018 Florida State Football Media Guide (PDF). Florida State University. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  9. ↑ "Tampa Nixing Football - Now". Orlando Sentinel. AP. 28 February 1975. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
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