In September 2003, USF was preparing to play its first Conference USA game. The Bulls traveled to West Point to face Army, and ESPN’s College GameDay was there to salute the occasion.
That meant Lee Corso would have the choice to don the Army mascot head or Rocky the Bull as he made his prediction on who would win.
Corso started that tradition in 1996 at Ohio State, when he first picked the Buckeyes to beat Penn State (they did). There was no stopping it after that.
This was a potentially huge moment for USF’s young program. National TV. GameDay. Corso’s mascot pick.
What could go wrong?
Well, just about everything.
Long-time USF radio man Jim Louk takes up the story here.
“While we were safe and comfortable in the press box, a group of USF administrators and fans were on the open water,” Louk wrote in a story for GoUSFBulls.com.
“Fortunately, it only drizzled on their boat ride up the Hudson River. The real weather hit during the tailgate event, when a group of Bulls fans were gathered under a tent in an open field near the stadium.”
Oh, did it hit.
“We had 300 people huddled together under a tent. The weather came on so fast that you were immediately ankle-deep in water. Afterward, you had to throw out your shoes,” Louk said.
“My clearest memory of the day came in the middle of the storm when I saw Lee Roy Selmon with his arms wrapped around a big tent pole, holding it up and stabilizing the tent while the caterers used brooms to move the water away."
The only time Lee Corso didn’t put on the headgear was Sept. 27, 2003. Army hosted USF but a torrential rain & lightning storm canceled College GameDay, forcing ESPN to do the show from the studio. Corso was going to pick USF, but the storm sent everyone scattering & the USF…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 30, 2025
Meanwhile, the ESPN producers were trying to figure out what to do. USF was advised that Corso was going to pick the Bulls to win, so this was a huge moment.
Until it wasn’t
“Unfortunately, the segment never ran. The weather became so severe that ESPN was knocked off the air a full 35 minutes before kickoff, and they never got back on from the game site,” Louk said.
“Rocky's head lost its moment of ESPN glory.”
It’s the only time in mascot-head history that Coach Corso didn’t get to make his pick on camera.
USF, indeed, won the game 28-0 to announce the Bulls’ entrance into Conference USA with authority.
USF hasn’t been featured on a GameDay since.
Corso retired with one final pick, correctly choosing Ohio State to defeat Texas. The Buckeyes took care of business, 14-7, to give the ol’ mascot-picker a fitting sendoff.
But, let’s plant the seed now. USF will open its on-campus football stadium against Louisville in 2027. It will be a grand celebration of the program’s revitalization and a moment to shout “USF---USF” to the college football world.
Hint, hint: GameDay might want to be there to capture the moment. Depending on his health, maybe they could interview Coach Corso in advance and air the segment before the game.
What a story it will make.