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The voice of USF Athletics, Jim Louk, will routinely put down his radio headset and pick up the pen to share his perspective on the history of USF Athletics.
Louk has been broadcasting games for 30 years and is the resident historian in the Athletics Department hallways.
By JIM LOUK
Voice of the Bulls
TAMPA - Sometimes the good stories don't come with huge statistics.
California native Landon Edmond only played two seasons and he never put up big numbers for the Bulls. His timing, though, was pretty solid.
A transfer from San Jose Community College, Edmond was a member of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 teams, meaning he went to the postseason in both years, once to the NIT and once to the NCAA Tournament.
"Not bad timing," Edmond laughs. "Those were not bad years."
The 6-foot-7 forward started rarely (only once in his senior year) but provided depth and balance to the Bulls as a key reserve during USF's first run to the NCAA Tournament.
Edmond made his first-career start that year against Bethune-Cookman, a nd was part of the Bulls team that traveled to Boise in USF's first-ever NCAA Tournament game in March, 1992.
"We were excited to play Georgetown," Edmond recently recalled. "The tournament scene was great; we were part of a big story. It took the school 20 years to get back to that tournament, so you realize how important and special that was."
A playing career in Europe awaited Edmond after his graduation from USF, or so he thought. Instead, an opportunity to go to law school came up, so he traded his playing days for more time in the classroom. Today, Edmond is a successful attorney in his home state.
Despite living on the west coast, he has had his share of USF moments recently. With California friends, he proudly watched the Bulls defeat the Golden Bears in the NCAA Tournament ("won a few hot wing dinners for that") and traveled to Reno, Nevada last fall to watch the Bulls football team beat the Wolf Pack.
He finally made it back to Tampa a few weeks later for the USF basketball reunion, and got his first look at the new basketball facilities.
"Overwhelming. I came and sat in the Sun Dome as it was for the first time in 1990, and thought if I can play here, I want to. Now, it's a world class facility. I feel so happy for the current team and the teams that are coming in the future," he said.
When you think of the great USF teams of that era, Landon Edmond, who scored 15 career points for the Bulls, is not the first name that comes to mind. But he lived it with us, made the most of the opportunity, and found post-graduate success while not forgetting his time here.
"Lots of memories to take as I go through life," Edmond said. "USF is a memory that I cherish."
As do Bulls fans, who remember the early 90's as a great time of USF basketball, not only because of the stars like Radenko Dobras and Gary Alexander, but also because of the quiet contributors like Landon Edmond.
GO BULLS!
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