The expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Lee Roy Selmon No. 1 overall in 1976. That was 26 years before Josh Celiscar was born.
Lee Roy was named USF’s athletic director in 2001. That was one year before Josh was born.
But despite those time gaps, the two men are forever linked. Celiscar was chosen as the first USF defensive lineman to wear Selmon’s iconic No. 63 throughout the season.
It’s a new tradition that USF started to honor Selmon’s life and the role he had in launching the university’s football program. The depth of that honor isn’t lost on Celiscar.
Here’s this year’s #63. Josh Celiscar says wearing it feels “legendary”. Says he feels a lot of responsibility. @USFFootball pic.twitter.com/hBxzl3PY8p
— Jim Louk (@USFjimlouk) August 11, 2025
“I’ve been trying to look up things. I know he got drafted in 1976; he had a great career at Oklahoma as well. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame,” Celiscar said.
“I've just been learning different things about him each and every day. I know he was a great human being as well, not just a player. So I'm doing my best to learn everything about him and trying to see what's the best thing to do off the field as well, to honor him.”
Celiscar, who grew up in Winter Haven, is a senior transfer from Texas A&M.
“I feel a lot of responsibility (wearing that number), not really any pressure, but the responsibility for sure,” he said.
“Knowing that this is somebody that's very notable in the Tampa area, I have to do my part as not just a student athlete, but a person who's honoring his legacy.”
Tomasicka puts on a show
USF women’s basketball sophomore guard Raina Tomasicka was named to the All-Star Five at the FIBA U-20 EuroBasket 2025 tournament.
Tomasicka, playing for her home country Latvia, was at the top of her game throughout.
🤯 Total dominance in the thrilling OT win over France 🍿#U20EuroBasket x @basketbols | @USFWBB pic.twitter.com/ZpFeq0LGud
— FIBA Women's EuroBasket (@EuroBasketWomen) August 7, 2025
The FIBA website noted, “Latvia’s Raina Tomasicka dominated the scoring charts at the tournament, leading all players with an eye-catching 24.4 points per game. Her offensive firepower was on full display throughout, highlighted by a stunning 39-point effort against France, where she also contributed 7 rebounds and 4 steals. She also finished as the second most efficient player with an average score of 21.8 per game.”
Men’s basketball in the mix for a top player
Zagsblog reported that Darius Bivins has included USF in the six official visits he plans to take this fall.
The others are Stanford, Rutgers, Houston, Texas Tech, and VCU.
Bivins is a 4-star point guard for Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va. He also plays for the Washington Warriors Adidas AAU team.
He averaged 16.8 points last season.
Of USF, he said, “I like how (head coach Brian Hodgson) lets his guards play and stuff. It’s a good system. I feel like I could fit in well there. And the campus is beautiful. They sent me videos and stuff. And I like their energy. The coaching staff seemed really cool and interesting.”
He is ranked 59th on the ESPN top 100.
Women’s soccer gets some preseason respect
USF was picked to finish second in the American Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll and the Women's Soccer Watch List.
Memphis was picked first with 96 points. USF had 94 points in the poll.
USF returns Herraez Gallach, the American Goalkeeper of the Year, and Sadie Sider-Echenberg, the American Midfielder of the Year. The Bulls also return six players who earned spots on all-conference teams from last season.
The Bulls open the season at 7 p.m. on August 14 at Furman. The game is available on ESPN+.