insight nationwide. He recently appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch and has been featured on FOX, NBC and NPR. Gilliam makes family a priority, a value he shares in his popular book, The Cost of Greatness, published in 2012. The book tells his personal story while guiding readers though starting and growing a business. Gilliam has also stayed involved with USF’s football program, speaking to the players about finances, behavior and leadership. He’s proud of what the Bulls have accomplished on the field, and more importantly, what they’ve done away from the sidelines. “Honestly, I’m more impressed with the GPA of the team. I’m more impressed with the character of the team and guys doing the right thing,” he says. “As an institution, USF is doing great things. We want W’s on the field, but we want a full program, too.”
Julian Johnson
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Athletics alumni chose a path to business USF FOOTBALL SAW SEVERAL BULLS CONTRIBUTE to the program’s success as student-athletes during a record-breaking 2016 season. What’s just as important is how former USF players have gone on to become valuable members of their communities. Here’s a look at some former Bulls who have thrived in life after football.
Ryan Gilliam Gilliam (pictured), who played cornerback for the Bulls in 200607, went on to become a self-made millionaire and author who’s all about helping others. That’s the main focus of Pediatric Behavioral Services, the company he started with his wife, Alysia, ’09, seven years ago. Based in Orange Park, Fla., the clinic helps children with autism and other disabilities. Gilliam also owns a consulting firm, and real estate and commercial properties, along with providing valuable business
After tours of duty with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, Johnson, a USF linebacker from 1999 to 2003, settled in Tampa where he works as an insurance agent and coaches a high school football team. Johnson, who graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary social sciences, was a sergeant clearing improvised explosive devices from Afghanistan’s roads back in 2005-2006. A tour in Iraq followed, and then technical contract work for the Army. He’s now an agent for New York Life Insurance Co. and a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army Reserves. A former math teacher and family man with two children, he’s the defensive coordinator for Carrollwood Day School’s football team. Somehow in 2016, he also found time to attend all but one of USF’s home games. “I love it because I’m around and I get to see what truly goes on. I’ve gotten an opportunity to talk to the team,” he says. “The coaches are doing an outstanding job with the environment they’re trying to foster.” Building tradition and a strong alumni base are important to Johnson. In an effort to reunite former Bulls, he leads monthly alumni meetings at the Selmon Athletics Center. “For an hour, we get in there and talk,” he says. “Guys introduce themselves and we do a little bit of networking.” Football alumni interested in joining the group can email Johnson at JJohnson201027@gmail.com. – Stories by TOM ZEBOLD | USF Athletics
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