'Tradition not superstition': Woody Bull statue is the talk of USF tailgates

TAMPA, Fla. - Randy Dotson has been there for the University of South Florida's football team from the very beginning.

"I was actually the second season ticket holder ever," said Dotson. "My wife and I have been season ticket holders since the beginning, since before there was a team."

Dotson, a USF alumnus from the class of 1975, remembers the days when a football team at USF felt like a pipe dream. Now, he and his family get to live out a dream of their own each and every game day. 

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Setting up his tailgate with the other Bulls faithful in Lot 6 at Raymond James Stadium, Dotson has seen a lot of Bulls football over the years. 

"We beat FSU at FSU and beat Notre Dame at Notre Dame. We were there for both of those games," he recalled. 

And now, Dotson has become a staple at each and every home tailgate – or rather, his creation has. 

"I've been bringing him to every home game for 13 years," said Dotson proudly. 

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Back in 2010 a hurricane knocked down a tree in Dotson's backyard in Lakeland. Ever the Bulls fan, he decided to do something with that tree in support of his favorite football team rather than reduce its branches to ash. 

"That piece of wood lying on the ground was just calling me to do something with it," Dotson said. "I'm not a chainsaw carver, but I've seen people do some beautiful stuff and I said, 'let me give it a try.'"

So, he took chainsaw-to-tree-branch and carved out a miniature football player. 

Making sure to mix the correct green and gold color tones, Dotson added some paint, a face mask, eyes, a nose and two polished horns to finish his creation. 

Thus, Woody Bull was born.

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"Clemson has Howard Rock and Notre Dame has their little sign that they tap," he said. "Why not have a Woody Bull and let people tap his head on their way into the game?"

Now, for the past 13 seasons, Dotson has delivered this 35 pounds of solid wood statue to every home game without fail. Fans stop to take pictures while players give him a rub on the head during their Stampede into the stadium. 

"I feel proud. I feel honored that they embrace him," said Dotson. 

While some see his Woody Bull as a harmless art project turned tailgating staple, others have a very different view. 

Coinciding with a downswing in the USF football program's success over the last decade, some fans believe Woody Bull to be cursed and think he should be scraped for firewood. 

"They don't know about Woody Bull," said Dotson in defense. "They think he only showed up the last year or two. They don't realize there's 13 years of tradition with Woody Bull." 

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Regardless of how some fans feel about Woody Bull, Dotson remains defiant. 

"He's not superstition, he's tradition," he said.

In fact, it is a tradition that some fans have happily embraced as harmless tailgating fun. 

"I see the fans that come out here and want to get their pictures taken with him and want to touch him and want to rub his head," said Dotson. "There's kids out here that love to come up to him, that's what he's here for." 

After all, fans come and go all the time, but Dotson has been there, proudly donning his green and gold best, since day one. 

With Woody Bull along for the ride for the last 13 years – and counting – Dotson doesn't plan to abandon his tradition any time soon.