The University of South Florida has selected Rob Higgins, longtime executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, as its first chief executive officer of Athletics.
Higgins, a USF graduate and former athletics staff member, will return to his alma mater after leading the sports commission since 2004, where he helped bring two Super Bowls, the College Football Playoff National Championship, multiple NCAA tournaments and other high-profile events to the Tampa Bay region.
“As we embarked on this search, it became clear that this moment was different for the University of South Florida,” said Will Weatherford, chair of the USF Board of Trustees. “Our next leader couldn’t just be an athletics director – we needed a CEO of USF Athletics. Rob Higgins has proven, during his time with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, that he isn’t afraid to dream big.”
Higgins’ career includes serving as president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee and playing key roles in securing the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four, the NCAA Frozen Four, the NHL All-Star Weekend and WrestleMania 37 for the region.
After attending his first Bulls basketball game, at age 8, he became a ball kid for the team and later worked in facilities and event management for USF Athletics after graduation. He was inducted into USF’s Zimmerman School of Advertising Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the university’s Distinguished Citizen Award earlier this year.
“This truly is a dream come true,” Higgins said in a statement. “I could not be more honored to take on this responsibility and could not be more excited to get started. Go Bulls!”