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Mayor Wants USF To Have Priority

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

TAMPA - In the future, the University of South Florida could be a high-priority tenant at Raymond James Stadium.

Mayor Pam Iorio urged officials from the school and the Tampa Sports Authority to work together on a long-term contract guaranteeing the Bulls their choice of scheduling dates, after the Buccaneers.

During a meeting at her office Friday afternoon, Iorio also instructed city officials not to pursue the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game beyond 2009, leaving the calendar open for the Bulls to play a home game the first weekend in December.

"The two are in the long-term incompatible," Iorio said.

The mayor called the meeting of officials from USF, TSA, Tampa Bay & Company and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission after the Bulls were unable to play a nationally televised Big East home game against Rutgers on Dec. 4. The ACC has exclusive rights to Raymond James Stadium for four days leading up to its Dec. 6 title game.

"We're going to look at the University of South Florida structuring a long-term lease agreement with the Tampa Sports Authority that will in the future protect their rights for that first week in December," Iorio said.

ACC associate commissioner Michael Kelly said the mayor's decision doesn't "change the league's focus" for the next two years. The ACC championship will be held at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 6, 2008, and Dec. 5, 2009. The 2010 and 2011 ACC championships will be held in Charlotte, N.C.

"We're pleased we can host the ACC championship for two years, but it's not a tournament we would go after in the future," Iorio said.

South Florida's current deal with TSA is for five years with a five-year option. It allows the termination of the contract with a two-year notice in the event USF wants to build an on-campus stadium.

USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard didn't specify the length of a new lease the school would seek with TSA, but Henry Saavedra, the TSA's executive director, said it obviously would have to be more than five years.

USF President Judy Genshaft, who left voice mails with various community leaders threatening to move games to Tropicana Field or build an on-campus stadium, declined to comment on whether she still would pursue an on-campus stadium. Genshaft said Iorio was the meeting's designated spokesperson.

Iorio said an on-campus stadium for USF was "not a priority of the university."

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com

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