USF's Leavitt suddenly dean of state coaches

When Jim Leavitt arrived at the University of South Florida in December 1995 and set up shop in those trailers that held the football offices for several years, Steve Spurrier was in the middle of his term as king of Gainesville, Butch Davis was rebuilding a Miami program that eventually would win a state-record 34 consecutive games, and Bobby Bowden's Florida State program was considered one of the finest in the nation.

Spurrier and Davis later headed to the NFL for bigger challenges and bigger paychecks - both are now back on the sidelines in college - but Bowden remained in Tallahassee year after year, winning his second national title in 1999.

However, the Seminoles' dynasty soon started to decline and amid growing unrest among FSU boosters and fans and Bowden was forced out Tuesday, announcing his retirement after 34 years as the head coach.

Meanwhile, Leavitt continued to build USF's program from the ground up, and he took on a new mantle with Bowden's announcement. Leavitt is now the longest-tenured college football coach in the state.

Leavitt, who turns 53 on Saturday, is in his 13th season. Before Bowden's announcement Tuesday, Leavitt hoped the FSU icon would hang around for a while longer.

"Hopefully he'll stay, because I don't need to be the older guy."

Leavitt can rest easy if that's what he is concerned about. The 80-year-old Bowden's retirement pushed Leavitt to the top of the seniority list in service, but 75-year-old Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger is the state's oldest coach.

The Bulls close the regular season Saturday at Connecticut, followed by a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season. Leavitt hopes by the time he is finished at USF, he'll match some of the accomplishments of Bowden's legendary career.

"We are going to our fifth bowl game in a row, and that's not what we want. I want more. We all want more," Leavitt said. "I don't want to discount it, either. I don't want to sit here and say that's not a decent thing to do. But you go to bowl games so many years ... you want to win championships. That is our goal."