USF's branding quandary

Column

More than half a century since a state university in these parts was conceived, they still can't decide what to call it.

Last week, with the help of a group known as "The National Reputation Task Force," the university determined it needed help "branding" the school. To that end, school leaders came up with the "University of South Florida Tampa Bay."

A spokesman said they really don't want to change the name. It's just that, "Ever since the university was founded people have been debating that the words 'South Florida' don't accurately describe where we are."

Those people aren't the only ones perplexed. There appears to be a rush to eliminate names such as Tampa and St. Petersburg in favor of "Tampa Bay." Even the local paper over in St. Pete a few weeks ago decided to abandon its city's name in favor of the more generic "Tampa Bay."

The debate about what to call the school, which is not really in South Florida, goes back to the '50s, when the first name suggestions included Gulf Coast University (now a reality in Fort Myers) and the University of Florida Temple Terrace. An editorial in Mother Trib pushed the South Florida name into being.

The naming of the school was nothing compared with coming up with a mascot. After lengthy debate the students voted to become the "Buccaneers." It was tossed out because a state junior college in Pensacola already had that mascot.

The next choice was "Golden Brahmas," which lasted only until local agricultural people pointed out the school had named its teams after a chicken.

After more thought university leaders added an "n'' to become the Golden Brahmans." The name lasted until they shortened the whole thing to Bulls.

I hardly can wait until next football season when the band marches onto the field and spells out "University of South Florida Tampa Bay." It might have to add a few tuba players.

Mayor Bob recently announced the city has hired a consulting firm to complete a $1.4 million study to create a plan for downtown.

I thought that's what the people we elect were supposed to do, not to mention the handful of local and regional planning authorities who produce study after study for us to ignore.

Finally, I'm sure some of you were around for the real thing. But at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Tampa Bay History Center there is going to be a presentation of "December 8, 1941" by Studio@620WMNF Radio Theater.

Written and directed by Larry Elliston, it will recreate a live broadcast from what was an actual radio show, "MacDill Field Radio News," on the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack took place 70 years ago this week.