The University of South Florida held its first intercollegiate athletic event in 1965, a men’s soccer game that was coached by Dan Holcomb. The Bulls defeated Florida Southern College 4-3.

By the time Holcomb concluded his 22-year coaching career, he had a record of 216-87-22 (with no losing seasons), along with 24 postseason victories, a .701 winning percentage, eight Sun Belt Conference championships and two league Coach of the Year awards.

“What I’ve done at the university has been in good faith and with all honor,’’ Holcomb said upon his 1986 retirement.

In 2010, Holcomb was inducted into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame and he’s still considered one of the most influential coaches in the school’s athletic history. Holcomb, who died at age 90 in 2024, concluded his time at USF as Assistant Director of Campus Recreation for 16 years.

“Soccer is a great sport and I think we helped bring it to the forefront in the Tampa Bay area,’’ Holcomb once said. “We were able to give opportunities to some really talented players and I think we built a program that gave us a lot of pride.’’

USF men’s soccer has continued to thrive in the modern era. The Bulls have 14 conference championships, 22 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Elite Eight finishes and 31 draft picks into Major League Soccer.

That legacy of success began with Dan Holcomb