Longtime voice of the USF Bulls retiring: Jim Louk set to step aside

TAMPA, Fla. – The only radio voice University of South Florida football has known is stepping aside.

Jim Louk, who has called USF football since its 1997 debut, is retiring at the end of this season.

His Bulls’ basketball history goes back even further as he has called USF games in that sport since 1983.

Louk has called more than 3,000 USF Athletics contests over a 43-year career, delivering memorable play-by-play on both radio and television broadcasts.

“Thank you, Bulls fans for watching and listening for all these years,” Louk said in a message posted to X. “I would have had a short run if you weren’t willing to do that. Instead, I got to have just the kind of career I dreamed about as a kid growing up in upstate New York.”

Though stepping away from the football booth, he will continue to call select basketball and baseball games on ESPN+ and make occasional appearances on football radio broadcasts and other athletics events.

Longtime voice of USF men’s basketball Jim Lighthall will assume Louk’s play-by-play duties for football beginning in the 2026 season. Lighthall, who enters his 29th season calling Bulls basketball in 2025-26, has also been a mainstay on South Florida football pre- and post-game shows since the first season of Bulls football and is a familiar presence at athletics events.

Louk heads into Saturday’s Homecoming matchup vs. FAU having called 341 USF football games, including the Bulls’ inaugural game on Sept. 6, 1997, and 12 bowl appearances.

“Jim Louk has been a big part of the history and tradition of South Florida Football throughout his incredible career,” said Head Coach Alex Golesh. “He’s been a valued and trusted part of our program and will certainly be missed. I know he’s looking forward to spending more time with his growing family, and I congratulate him on a tremendous run.”

Since 1983, Louk has been the voice of South Florida Athletics, beginning with men’s basketball and transitioning to football in the program’s first season. He’s also called action across USF Athletics —football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and volleyball—on networks including SportsChannel, Fox Sports Florida, Brighthouse Sports Network, and ESPN+.

Louk has partnered in the booth for the last eight football seasons with former Bulls linebacker Sam Barrington, and for the first 21 seasons with former NFL standout Mark Robinson.

Beyond the broadcast booth, Louk served USF Athletics in multiple roles. From 1995 to 2012, he oversaw ticket sales, and later led the Bulls Vision video production unit until his 2021 retirement from the department. He also served as the voice of USF commencement ceremonies from 2013 to 2021 and authored the longtime GoUSFBulls.com series Letters from Louk.