Syracuse fans remember USF coach Jim Leavitt going crazy on the sidelines, and authorities now say he lost his temper in a much more serious fashion. A man who was once turned down the Alabama and Miami jobs has been arrested on theft and battery charges against his ex-girlfriend. In a wild twist, Leavitt had finally crawled back into the school’s good graces after being dismissed 15 years ago for a violent incident with a player, allegedly grabbing him by the throat and slapping him twice. Just this summer USF announced they were inducting him into their Hall of Fame.
Leavitt’s Recent Arrest
Authorities say Leavitt was arrested for grabbed his ex-girlfriend, withheld her belongings and shoved a man in the chest. He’s now 68 years old, and allegedly grabbed the woman’s upper arm as she tried to walk away. He also took the woman’s Louis Vuitton purse, clutch bag and wallet and refused to give them back, according to another affidavit.
Why Syracuse Fans Remember Him
Back in the 2000s, Syracuse had been kings of the Big East then suddenly new faces started taking over the top spots in the conference. Programs like USF, UConn and Rutgers began to rise into the powers of the Big East and create national buzz for their programs. In the early part of the decade, SU began to decline under Coach Paul Pasqualoni. Then Greg Robinson took over in 2005 and lit fire to the program. As SU cratered to its worst era ever, USF was among the schools to fill the void.
The Rise of USF Under Leavitt
At the time, Leavitt’s program-build was seen as legendary. He took a football team that didn’t exist before 1997, and steered it into a major conference within the decade. By 2001 USF was no longer 1-AA, and in 2005 he had his first of five consecutive bowl seasons, including a pair of 9-win seasons. The peak happened in 2007 when miraculously the Bulls were ranked #2 in the entire country.
For just a second consider how insane this is. In 1996, there was no football program. By 2007 they were ranked 2nd in the country. They spent three weeks in the AP’s Top 6. Leavitt was hailed as a miracle worker and a hard-driving, no-sleep maniac. He worked (and sometimes slept) in a trailer that doubled as the football offices. He screamed and yelled on the sidelines, undressing officials, barely ever cracking a smile. Before Leavitt’s firing and arrest, his intensity was seen as the very reason USF won.
He had it in his blood. He was from nearby St. Pete, but also learned under the tutelage of Bill Snyder, watching perhaps the most famous rebuild in college football history at Kansas State. Schools came calling, hoping he could create the same magic on their campuses. Alabama courted him, and unbelievably he turned them down… twice. He said no to Kansas State and Miami. USF was seen as a newly awoken college football giant. USF had a massive enrollment, major city destination, in a football mad state, with high-end talent all over the area.
From #2 in the Nation to Scandal
But in 2010 it all fell apart. Leavitt was fired after an investigation by USF officials found that he had struck a player in the locker room during halftime of a game against Louisville. Leavitt lied that he was merely trying to console the player. School officials also found that he had interfered with the investigation. ESPN reported Leavitt told several players and coaches to change their stories. The administration was left no choice.
For Syracuse fans, Leavitt was once the fiery face of a new Big East rival. His intensity and success briefly shook the conference’s balance of power. But his career has been overshadowed by scandal and now legal trouble, tarnishing his legacy. Instead of being remembered as the coach who built USF from scratch into a power program, Leavitt’s arrest may go down as a cautionary tale of unchecked intensity and controversy – and a figure Syracuse fans remember all too well.
