The USF football program itself only dates back to 1997, and the Bulls Tailgating Association members began tailgating in 2000, when USF was still a conference-less, Division I-AA team. Since then, they’ve grown into USF’s premier pre-gaming party.
Association President Brad Sufficool and his crew have amassed an impressive list of tailgating sponsors. “Basically I just went out and went up to some of these businesses and told what we were about,” says Sufficool. Plenty of local businesses were happy to help out the Association in exchange for the publicity at their festivities.
Sufficool was recognized for his tailgating devotion by being inducted into the tailgating sub-group, The Sombrero Boys. “Each year they take a new person to join,” he explains. “The existing members buy the new member their [USF green and gold] sombrero. It has to be someone who goes above and beyond to bring something cool to the tailgate.”
The Bulls Tailgating Association’s prized possession is “The Beast,” a huge BBQ grill. Mojo pork has become Sufficool’s specialty. Their tailgates also include drinking games like beer pong and flipcup, as well as live music from some of the area’s most popular DJs. The Big East has gone out of their way to get national TV exposure by scheduling more night games than most conferences, and USF has three home night games on their schedule this season. Instead of sleeping in, Sufficool and his group will enjoy 8+ hours of parking-lot revelry before kickoff. An annual tradition for the Bulls Tailgating Association is their campout the night before USF’s last home game. Since USF ends the year with a Thursday night hosting of West Virginia, a 24-hour tailgate seems about right.