 Shortly after the university's inception in 1956, a contest was held that would determine the university's mascot.Among the finalists were the Brahman, the Olympian, the cougar, the buccaneer, and the golden eagle, and the Brahman bull was ultimately selected and unveiled as the mascot on November 17, 1962.The USF athletics teams were known as the Brahman Bulls until the earlier 1980s, when the name was simplified to the Bulls.