The Beef Studs

The idea of painting your entire body green and gold in support of USF athletics wasn’t a new idea when the Beef Studs came along, but they certainly took it to a whole new level of exposure. In 1999, Brian Hope, ’03 and Walter Price, ’04 decided to add some more excitement to USF football and basketball games, transforming into the Green and Gold Guys. A little body paint went a long way – with their bodies painted half green and half gold, the two freshmen became unofficial hype men, pumping up USF fans at home games.

Their idea caught on and in 2002, a second group of painted students called The Beef Studs emerged. Founded by Dr. Brandon Faza, ’05, the Beef Studs and Beef Babes are now a staple at all home football and basketball games. It’s hard to miss their signature grass skirts, bull horn hats and skillfully applied green and gold body paint. Their unique look and unrivaled enthusiasm have even caught the attention of national media.

The USF spirit program consists of three teams - a coed cheer team, an all-girl cheer team and the SunDolls. The squads cheer for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and home conference volleyball matches. Select squad members have the opportunity to travel to away football games and basketball tournaments.

After claiming the program’s first-ever national championship in 2021, USF’s Coed Cheer Team win again in 2022 AND 2023, bringing home the program’s third UCA championship. USF All-Girl Cheer also won a national championship in 2023.