Rowdies Cup

{{Infobox sports rivalry

| wide = yes

| name = Rowdies Cup

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| team1 = South Florida Bulls

| team1logo = South Florida Bulls wordmark.svg

| team2 = Tampa Spartans

| team2logo = UT Spartans wordmark.png

| sport = Soccer

| firstmeeting = November 5, 1972
South Florida 9–2 Tampa

| mostrecent = August 14, 2023
South Florida 6–1 Tampa{{cite web |title=2023 Men's Soccer Schedule |url=https://gousfbulls.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule |website=gousfbulls.com}}

| nextmeeting = tbd

| total = 40

| series = {{nowrap|Official matches: South Florida (10–7–2)
Exhibition matches: South Florida (16–4–1)
Total matches: South Florida (26–11–3)}}

| largestvictory = South Florida 21–0 Tampa
(Sept 20, 1973)

| longeststreak = South Florida: 5 (1985–89, 2015–2019)

| longestunbeatenstreak = South Florida: 7 matches (2005–11)

| currentstreak = South Florida, 2

| currentunbeatenstreak =

| trophy = Rowdies Cup

| trophy series =

| stadiums = South Florida: Corbett Stadium
Tampa: Pepin Stadium

| map_location =

| map_width =

| map_label1 = University of South Florida

| map_mark1 =

| map_label1_position = 28.0587° N, 82.4139° W

| coordinates1 = 28.0587° N, 82.4139° W

| map_label2 = University of Tampa

| map_mark2 =

| map_label2_position = 27.9468° N, 82.4670° W

| coordinates2 = 27.9468° N, 82.4670° W

| map_caption = Locations of the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa

| city or region = Tampa, Florida

| other names = Mayor's Cup (1972–2005)

}}

The Rowdies Cup is a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the annual college soccer derby 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. The rivalry was known as the Mayor's Cup from 1979 to 2005.[http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=209225951 Bulls Looking to Bring Rowdies Cup Back to USF - GoUSFBulls.com—Official Athletics Web Site of the University of South Florida]{{cite web|title=Bulls Down Spartans to Claim Rowdies Cup|url=http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=210285415|access-date=August 24, 2015|work=gousfbulls.com}}{{cite web|title=Bulls Retain Rowdies Cup|url=http://www.gousfbulls.com/news/2017/8/19/mens-soccer-bulls-retain-rowdies-cup.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103719/http://www.gousfbulls.com/news/2017/8/19/mens-soccer-bulls-retain-rowdies-cup.aspx|archive-date=August 28, 2017|access-date=August 27, 2017|work=gousfbulls.com}} It was renamed to honor the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a first-division professional team in the original North American Soccer League, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their Soccer Bowl '75 championship.

History

{{OSM Location map|float=left|coord={{coord|28.0|-82.43}}|height=200|label-color1=#006747|label-color2=#c8102e|label-pos1=top|label-pos2=bottom|label1=South Florida|label2=Tampa|mark-coord1={{coord|28.0585|-82.4135}}|mark-coord2={{coord|27.9468|-82.4670}}|mark1=green pog.svg|mark2=red pog.svg|nolabels=1|width=250|zoom=10|caption=Locations of USF and UT in Tampa}}

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.{{cite news|last=Vorse|first=Barry|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/328110429/?terms=usf%2Bsoccer%2B21-0|title=USF swamps Tampa, 21-0 |date=September 21, 1973|work=The Tampa Times|page=4C|access-date=January 20, 2020}} UT would finally taste victory for the first time four years later in a 1977 preseason match, by the score of 3–2.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/335023244/?terms=USF%2Bsoccer|title=Spartans Boot USF In Exhibition |date=September 22, 1977|work=Tampa Tribune|page=3C|access-date=February 16, 2020}}

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 of the twenty-two meetings were played during the two schools' regular season. Since the rivalry's renewal in 2005 all of the matches have been part of their preseason exhibition schedules. As of the 2023 edition, USF holds a 26–11–3 edge in the all-time series.{{cite web|url=https://gousfbulls.com/news/2018/8/18/mens-soccer-rudderham-scores-hat-trick-bulls-retain-rowdies-cup.aspx|title=Rudderham Scores Hat Trick, Bulls Retain Rowdies Cup|work=gousfbulls.com|access-date=September 17, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://tampaspartans.com/article.asp?articleID=5238|title=Spartans Take Rowdies Cup With 1-0 Victory Over USF|work=Tampa Spartans|access-date=November 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320085920/http://tampaspartans.com/article.asp?articleID=5238|archive-date=March 20, 2015}}

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 and has been played every August ever since, aside from 2020 when the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/330122020/?terms=Rowdies%2BCup|title=Bulls face Spartans for Cup |date=August 20, 2005|work=St. Petersburg Times|page=5C|access-date=January 19, 2020}}

In 2011, USF opened the new Corbett Stadium, named after former Rowdies owners and USF alumni Dick and Cornelia Corbett.

Trophy

The winner of the annual match is awarded a traveling trophy and has the honor of hoisting the Soccer Bowl '75 trophy, though the Soccer Bowl trophy remains on permanent display at Corbett Stadium no matter who wins the annual game. The current Rowdies Cup trophy is the second edition of the rivalry trophy. The current one, used since the series was renamed to the Rowdies Cup, is a golden circle with the Rowdies wordmark and a soccer ball inside, while the original was more in the style of a traditional soccer trophy (a large golden cup with a wooden base).{{Cite journal|date=2021-08-11|title=UT History Series: Men's Soccer and The Mayor's Cup|url=https://tampaspartans.com/general/2021-22/releases/20210811cyjskd|language=en}}

Results

{{Sports rivalry series table

| legend_tie_text =

| cols = 4

| series_summary = yes

| format = compact

| team1 = South Florida

| team1style = {{NCAA color cell|South Florida Bulls}}

| team2 = Tampa

| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|Tampa Spartans}}

}}

Sources:{{cite web |title=South Fla. Series History |url=https://tampaspartans.com/sports/msoc/Series_History?opponentRpi=651 |website=TampaSpartans.com |access-date=October 1, 2019}}{{cite web |title=Men's Soccer History vs University of Tampa from Aug 18, 2007 - Aug 18, 2012 |url=https://gousfbulls.com/opponent-history/mens-soccer/university-of-tampa/7/182 |website=gousfbulls.com |access-date=October 1, 2019 |date=August 19, 2012}}

References

Category:Sports in Tampa, Florida

Category:College soccer rivalries in the United States

Category:College soccer rivalry trophies in the United States

Category:1972 establishments in Florida

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1972

Category:South Florida Bulls men's soccer

Category:Sports rivalries in Florida

Category:Tampa Spartans men's soccer