TAMPA – Next to the 41 points and all-around performance of the USF football team in the St. Petersburg Bowl, the most talked about aspect of the game was the white helmets the Bulls wore for the first time in program history.

USF equipment manager Jeremy Lees and his staff were able to keep the helmets a secret from the entire team until the squad took the field for the final opening kickoff against Memphis.

“We were able to keep them a secret for a while because they were stored at an off-site location from the sixth week of the season until right before the West Virginia game,” said Lees.

USF head coach Jim Leavitt wanted to break the helmets out for the regular season finale in Morgantown, but WVU was planning a “White Out” in honor of senior quarterback Pat White.

So they were shelved until Dec. 20 at Tropicana Field.

“As soon as the last player left the locker room, a team of six or seven managers made the switch in each player’s locker,” said Lees.  “It took all of five minutes. We had every helmet built to the exact specs of each player, so there weren’t many issues.”

In all, less than 10 people knew about the new addition to the uniform that actually was many years in the making.

“It was an idea that was brought about six or seven years ago, but never matriculated into anything,” said Lees.  “We kept the sample under lock and key for all those years and decided to get the helmets ready midway through this season.”

For the current team, the wait was worth it.

“The players were jacked about the helmets,” said Lees. “They went crazy when they saw them in the locker room.  I don't know if it gave our players an extra boost (for the game), but it definitely didn't hurt.”

Another area it may help is recruiting.  Basketball and football head coaches from across the country have long talked about the influence of new and alternate uniforms in recruiting. 

Lees has noticed, “Players like new things and they like having options.  The more options you have when it comes to uniforms, the more excited the players get. That's why you see more and more school's going with the alternate uniforms.  It's starting to become the norm in college football.”

Count Coach Leavitt as a fan of the helmets too.  He said the Bulls would probably wear them again, especially because they won the game.

As for other additions to the USF football uniform, Lees says that there is nothing currently in the works.  Those decisions are made in the off-season and will be influenced by the official athletics apparel provider, Under Armour, and official helmet provider, Schutt.  USF's official colors are green and gold and Director of Athletics Doug Woolard has always opposed USF using black as a primary color in any USF uniform.

But other options are still out there.

“I think we will keep the uniform look we have for a while to develop some tradition,” said Lees.  “But if Under Armour develops something we love, you never know.”