USF Athletics Announces Landmark Jersey Partnership with Tampa General Hospital

April 08, 2026

As the exclusive hospital-based health care provider for the Bulls, Tampa General's logo will adorn South Florida football jerseys.

TAMPA, APRIL 8, 2026 – University of South Florida Athletics and Tampa General Hospital (TGH) today unveiled a landmark partnership that makes Florida's premier academic health system the official jersey patch sponsor for South Florida football, marking the first college athletics jersey partnership announced among programs in the state of Florida and one of the first collegiate jersey partnerships nationally with a health care provider.

The groundbreaking multi-year agreement marks a powerful evolution of a more than 25-year partnership between Bulls Athletics and TGH, the exclusive hospital-based health care provider for South Florida Athletics. With this partnership, the TGH logo will be featured prominently on the front of Bulls football uniforms, marking a first for South Florida Athletics jerseys. The Bulls' new-look uniforms will be revealed later this year and will debut on Sept. 5, when the team kicks off the 2026 season — presented by TGH — against FIU at Raymond James Stadium.

"Tampa General Hospital has been an extraordinary partner for South Florida Athletics for more than two decades, and as we charge into a new era of collegiate athletics, it's only fitting that TGH becomes the first partner represented on our jerseys," USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins said. "We are proud to have TGH represented on our jerseys in recognition of their profound impact on our community, steadfast support of our student-athletes and continued partnership in realizing our vision for the future of USF Athletics. This is more than a partnership — it's a shared commitment to excellence, innovation and the relentless pursuit of greatness."

"Our team at Tampa General is proud to be USF Football's exclusive hospital-based health care provider and to have our longstanding partnership reflected on the team's jerseys," said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General Hospital. "As members of our Tampa Bay community, we have the privilege of caring for student-athletes on and off the field. At its heart, this partnership is about just that: delivering world-class, comprehensive care — powered by academic medicine — that supports their health, safety and performance year-round."

Beyond the football jersey and future stadium and football operations center partnerships, TGH remains a core partner across South Florida Athletics' 21 varsity programs.

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region's only academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America's Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the health care category for the sixth year in a row, and among the top five in the state of Florida, in the 2025 Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 20 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT USF ATHLETICS

USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women's lacrosse and women's beach volleyball. The Bulls' athletic program, founded in 1965, celebrates its 60thseason in 2025-26.

Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF's Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 156 conference titles across 16 sports, with 84 men's championships and 72 women's championships. Men's tennis and men's soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women's programs have been headlined by women's tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 38 conference team titles.

Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program record of 22 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of fall 2025. Since 2015, more than 800 Bulls have earned their degrees.

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Get your tickets today!

Call 1-800-GO-BULLS (1-800-462-8557) or email BullsTickets@usf.edu to claim your season or single-game tickets. You can also download the USF Bulls app on the Android or Apple stores to purchase tickets and parking. Visit USFBullsTix.com for more information.

– #GoBulls –

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