College Football

2017 Florida Citrus Parade to be Held Saturday Dec. 30 with former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz as Grand Marshal

Published

9 years ago

December 29, 2017

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Citrus Sports, host of the Camping World Bowl and Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s, will host the 37th annual Florida Citrus Parade this Saturday, December 30, with former Notre Dame head football coach Lou Holtz serving as the grand marshal for the event.

Known for its unique floats, constructed using more than 100,000 pieces of local citrus, the Florida Citrus Parade will both the Notre Dame and LSU marching bands and cheerleaders, along with seven high school bands from across the country. (A list of the participating high school bands is attached.) It is recognized as one of the nation’s largest sports-affiliated parades in the country, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the streets of downtown Orlando each year.

This year’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. and curbside seating is free. The parade route begins at the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street and continues south on Orange Avenue, east on Anderson Street, then north on Rosalind Avenue. The parade concludes at Rosalind Avenue and Robinson Street. The route is 1.4 miles in length and takes 90-120 minutes to complete.

Grandstand seating, available for $28 at FloridaCitrusParade.com, will be located near the corner of Rosalind Avenue and Washington Street in Downtown Orlando. This location will also be the site of the parade’s live stream broadcast, which will be available at FloridaCitrusParade.com. (Stream embed information is attached.)

“The Florida Citrus Parade has been an Orlando tradition for more than 35 years, bringing families and football fans from all across Central Florida into the heart of downtown for one of the city’s most unique annual events,” Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan said. “It is an honor to have Coach Holtz joining us in such an important role on such a special day for our community.”

Holtz led six different universities to bowl appearances as a head coach — including William & Mary, which played in the 1970 Citrus Bowl — but he is best known for his 11 seasons at the helm of the Fighting Irish, a run that included five 10-win seasons and 100 total victories in 132 games, the most games coached and the second-most wins by any coach in Notre Dame history. The highlight of that tenure came in 1988, when he led the team to an undefeated national championship. Following his coaching career, Holtz had a successful decade-long run as a college football analyst at ESPN. He and his wife, Beth, are Orlando residents. They have been married since 1961 and have four children.

Saturday’s parade will also feature an appearance from former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck, who led the Tigers to a BCS title during the 2003 season. For his LSU career, Mauck threw for 3,831 and 37 touchdowns and added five more scores on the ground. He went 18-2 overall as a starter, the highest winning percentage for a quarterback in school history.

The Florida Citrus Parade is one of three signature events taking place during Florida Citrus Sports’ Bowl Week celebration. On Dec. 28, the Camping World Bowl featured an exciting clash between Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech, and on Jan. 1, Notre Dame and LSU will ring in the New Year at the Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s. Tickets are still available for Monday’s Citrus Bowl game and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. For more info on Stadium Pass Bundle packages, which include a ticket to the NFL Pro Bowl on Jan. 28 at Camping World Stadium, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.

Related Topics:Florida Citrus Parade LSU Notre Dame

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Central Florida News

USF Comes Up Short at UTSA as Late Touchdown Seals 31-24 Loss

Published

2 weeks ago

October 9, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — USF running back D.J. Crowther (5) crosses the goal line on a 15-yard touchdown run to open the scoring against UTSA Thursday night at the Alamodome. Photo by Stephen Galvin / University of South Florida Athletics.

South Florida held an early advantage and reclaimed the lead late, but UTSA’s second-half execution proved to be the difference Thursday night at the Alamodome.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida gave itself a chance to steal a road win Thursday night, but UTSA answered when it mattered most, defeating the Bulls 31-24 at the Alamodome.

USF struck first behind D.J. Crowther, who broke through for a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Bulls an early advantage. Quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. helped keep South Florida’s offense moving throughout the night as the Bulls continued to respond whenever UTSA threatened to take control.

USF stayed within reach from start to finish, but the second half belonged to a UTSA offense that consistently found a way to finish drives.

UTSA Finds Its Rhythm

Running back A’Marion Peterson became the difference-maker for the Roadrunners, finishing with 92 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

UTSA scored on every second-half possession, gradually shifting momentum away from a USF team that continued to battle offensively. The Roadrunners leaned heavily on their ground game while keeping the Bulls from building any sustained separation.

(more…)

Central Florida News

Temple Hands USF First Loss, 17-13

Published

2 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

Cameron Seldon races toward the sideline as Temple defenders force him out of bounds. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

Bulls move to 4-1 as Hartline turns attention toward corrections and the week ahead

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida’s unbeaten start ended Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium as Temple defeated the Bulls 17-13. USF struck first behind a Nico Gramatica field goal but went into halftime trailing 10-3 before finding momentum after the break.

USF responded in the third quarter as D.J. Crowther’s one-yard touchdown tied the game at 10.

USF and Temple battle at the line of scrimmage. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

The Bulls’ defense added a key stop when No. 1 C.J. Hicks recovered a Temple fumble in the end zone. Gramatica later connected from 49 yards to give USF a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead. Temple answered with the defining possession of the night, driving 96 yards before quarterback No. 13 Ajani Sheppard scored on a 34-yard run to put the Owls ahead for good.

Temple’s 96-yard fourth-quarter drive became the turning point in the 17-13 finish.

Joshua Porter sprints for catch with Adrian Laing closing in for Temple. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

USF was unable to answer late, dropping to 4-1. Following the game, head coach Brian Hartline focused on returning to the film, correcting the mistakes that surfaced and making sure the Bulls use the loss to improve heading into the next week.

FINAL: Temple 17, USF 13

Up Next: USF travels to San Antonio to face UTSA on Thursday night.

– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com

Central Florida News

USF Saves Its Best Work for the Fourth in 14-6 Win Over Bowling Green

Published

3 weeks ago

September 29, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

The Bulls erase a six-point deficit and leave Ohio 4-0 for the first time since 2018.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (FNN SPORTS) — The first three quarters belonged to a low-scoring game. The fourth belonged to South Florida.

Bowling Green entered the final quarter ahead 6-0, but USF’s defense had kept the margin small enough for one possession to change the direction of the game. Three quiet quarters did not decide this one. The final quarter did.

That opportunity came after a fourth-down stop near midfield.

USF Head Coach Brian Hartline reviewing play. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News.

D.J. Crowther helped move the Bulls downfield, and Luke Kromenhoek finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run to put USF ahead 7-6.

Crowther was back at the center of the next scoring drive, ending a 72-yard possession with a one-yard touchdown. He finished the afternoon with 143 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Bowling Green’s final drive reached USF territory, but Asani Redwood recorded a late sack before the Falcons came up two yards short on fourth-and-16.

USF walked away with the 14-6 win and its first 4-0 start since 2018.