By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - Lee Roy Selmon was the epitome of service.

The former USF athletic director was not only the "Father of USF Football," but a father figure to Bulls student-athletes and a confidant to anyone that needed great advice. Selmon's impact spanned much further than USF's campus and his impact on Tampa alone has earned him an honor that he would have accepted in typical LRS fashion - humbling and very thankful.

The state's legislature has declared Oct. 20 as Lee Roy Selmon Day in Florida, which is a gesture of great respect for a man that gave people in the Sunshine State many reasons to smile from 1967 up until his final day on Sept. 4, 2011.

Selmon's entire immediate family was at Buccaneers headquarters for the announcement on Friday along with USF President Judy Genshaft and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug Woolard.

"Lee Roy's impact on USF athletics was dramatic, as you've heard from President (Judy) Genshaft and many others.  His role in bringing college football to USF and moving our young program into the Big East Conference is well chronicled, and appropriately so," Woolard said. "His work in athletics was driven by a single core value:  the moral obligation to positively impact the lives of young people, to give them every chance possible to lead successful and fulfilling lives."

Friday's platform also was a fitting place for USF to unveil a new program called "Mentoring U, Selmon Style" that carries on Selmon's mission of preparing the Bulls for life after athletic competition.

"It is a three-year career preparation track that will provide workshops, classes and unique learning experiences, culminating in the athlete's senior year with the opportunity to work with executive-level mentors in their areas of career interest," Woolard said.