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Marc Seide

Marc Seide has written 3 posts for The Digital Bullpen

Roaring applause to golf claps, USF athlete switches sports

Junior golfer Karli Heimbecker. Courtesy: USF

The transition from a contact sport to a non-contact sport can be tough for any athlete, but USF student Karli Heimbecker’s transition wasn’t difficult.

The youngest sibling of three, the 20-year-old international studies major didn’t begin her athletic career playing golf.

“I had other sports I was interested in, mainly soccer,” Heimbecker said.

Her older siblings, David and Dani, both played golf in high school and at the collegiate level, which influenced Heimbecker into playing golf her freshman year of high school.

“I didn’t start taking golf seriously until I was in high school,” she said. “I just decided to tryout for the team because soccer was in the spring and golf in the fall.”

“I started working towards a golf scholarship my last few years of high school,” Heimbecker said. “I knew I needed to choose soccer or golf…. I couldn’t pursue both of them. At first, it was tough knowing that I was leaving it because I played it for the first 14 years of my life.”

Playing golf her last two years in high school led her to a golf scholarship at USF, forcing her to give up soccer.

Now in her junior year, Heimbecker looks to continue to improve her game with dreams of becoming a professional golfer.

The next tournament for the USF women’s golf team is on Feb.27 in Weston, Fla.

The top five reasons the late Lee Roy Selmon deserved Wednesday’s athletic center renaming

The unveiling of the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center. Photo credit: Marc Seide

USF memorialized the late Lee Roy Selmon on Wednesday as they unveiled the Athletic Building now named the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center.

Led by USF President Judy Genshaft and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Doug Woolard, the ceremony paid tribute to the father of Bull’s football who passed away at the age of 56 due to complications of a stroke on Sept. 4.

Everyone from Genshaft to Selmon’s wife, Claybra, spoke about the man who change the athletic program.

But why rename the athletic building?

Here are the top five reasons:

1. Bringing football to USF- In 1993, Selmon was hired as associate athletic director, serving under Paul Griffin. During his tenure, He launched the football program in 1997 with the hiring of the Bull’s first head coach Jim Leavitt. Together they spearheaded the construction of a new athletic facility and moving the Bulls into Conference USA. “As associate athletic director, he championed the establishment of Bulls football,” Woolard said.

2. Moving USF to the Big East- Serving as athletic director in 2003, Selmon, along with USF Board of Trustees, ushered USF into the Big East Conference from Conference USA, expanding the USF brand and name.

3. Rocky’s makeover- Selmon didn’t just expand USF athletics, he also gave USF’s mascot, Rocky, a makeover. His son, Lee Roy Selmon Jr., describes the process of selecting prototypes for Rocky and jerseys fun. “One day he came home and even he said lets look at these pictures because Rocky, he needs a makeover,” Selmon Jr. said. “We looked over different prototypes for jerseys and it was a lot of fun.”

4. Unanimous Vote- During her speech at Lee Roy’s memorial service back in September, Genshaft announced that the USF Board of Trustees unanimously voted to change the name of the Athletic Training Facility to the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center.

5. His love for student athletes- Selmon’s lasting legacy wasn’t the launching of the football program or moving USF to the Big East, but touching the lives of student athletes. He believed that every individual had a huge goal to accomplish. “He wanted to see all of our students to use this opportunity to get an education and to learn about his or herself,” Genshaft said.

Selmon touched the lives of many football players and quarterback B.J. Daniels will never forget one of his greatest messages.

“I’ve had numerous encounters with him and one thing I can say is that he’s a big motivator, and he does it by example, by the type of person he is,” Daniels said. “One thing he always told me is win or lose, make sure you get your degree. Stay strong and hold your head up high because there is a lot to be thankful for.”

With that, Lee Roy’s legacy lives on at USF.

VIDEO: USF’s 2012 recruiting class ranked fifth-best in Big East

The USF football team wrapped up its 2012 recruiting class with the addition of three-star linebacker Tashon Whitehurst and three-star offensive lineman Kameron Davis, signing their letters of intent on Wednesday.

As National Signing Day came to a close, USF landed themselves at No. 48, finishing in the bottom of the top 50 schools according to Rivals.com.

A total of 11 players have signed their letters of intent to play for the Bulls in the fall to go along with five junior-college transfers, three early enrollees, and one grey-shirt, who has been on campus since January. The roster consists of 20 players, including North Marion High’s Sean Price, Gainesville High stars Chris Bivins and Whitehurst and Winter Park High product D’Vario Montgomery. Price is one of the most notable additions after being ranked as the fourth-best tight end in this class.

Game film of Sean Price:

Coming off a disappointing 5-7 season, the Bulls’ main focus coming into Wednesday was on the defensive side of the ball, bringing in a total of 11 defensive players. That includes junior-college transfer Tevin Mims, a lineman, who previously played for the Texas Longhorns.

They also landed Guito Ervilus, an athletic defensive lineman from Oak Ridge High who can play on both sides of the ball, along with Fidel Montgomery, a defensive back transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College.

The Bulls had a strong presence in Orlando and Gainesville due to the help of wide receiver coach Phil McGeoghan, regarded by 247sports.com as one of the nation’s top 50 recruiters, and offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, landing three players from Gainesville and five players from Orlando.

USF also added four offensive lineman to the mix including 6-foot-4, 270-pound Kofi Amichia from Powder Springs, Ga.

The addition of wide receivers D. Montgomery, 6-foot-3, 210-pound, and Price, 6-foot-3, 235-pound, gives quarterback B.J. Daniels huge targets that he can throw the ball to and create plays for the team.

Game film of D’vario Montgomery:

“He’s impressive from the moment you lay eyes on him,” said head coach Skip Holtz regarding D. Montgomery on GoUSFBulls.com. “He’s a big, athletic, physical wide receiver who can do a lot of different things for you.”

Although Holtz is excited about the kids he recruited, it’s another average signing class for the Bulls, which sees three-star wide receiver LaMarlin Wiggins, out of Plant City High, possibly going to a junior college.

Most of the roster is made up of three-star athletes with the exception of two four-star athletes, D. Montgomery and Price.

Phil Neary, a writer for Rivals.com, says this year’s signing class is okay.

“It’s not great, but it’s decent,” Neary said, “They got some good players in Whitehurst and Davis along with the five or six junior college transfers.”

Compared to other teams in the Big East, Neary says the Bulls are “no higher than three, no less than five.” The staff at Rivals.com ultimately ranked USF’s recruiting class as the fifth-best in the conference.

No quarterback was recruited this year, which makes it a high priority for Holtz in the 2013 class.

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