Representatives from baseball, football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball are to be inducted this fall.
TAMPA, Fla. (June 2, 2025) – Amir Abdur-Rahim, Scott Hemond, Kitija Laksa, Jim Leavitt, and Kawika Mitchell have been selected for induction into the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2025. The five-member class includes two head coaches and three standout student-athletes and marks the 11th Hall of Fame class in program history, bringing the total to 43 individual inductees and one team.
This year’s class features head coaches Abdur-Rahim, who led the USF men’s basketball program in 2023–24, and Leavitt, the first head coach in USF football history (1997–2009). They become the sixth and seventh head coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame, representing six sports. Hemond (baseball, 1984–86), Laksa (women’s basketball, 2015–19), and Mitchell (football, 1999–2002) increase the number of student-athletes honored individually to 33.
The 2025 class will be inducted Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Marshall Student Center on the USF campus, the night before the Bulls football team takes on Charlotte in a Friday night prime-time clash. Additional details regarding the 2025 USF Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be distributed at a later date.
“The class of 2025 is a powerful reflection of the excellence, tradition, and growth that define USF Athletics,” said Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly. “This group represents some of the most impactful figures in our history — individuals who elevated their programs, inspired our community, and helped propel USF Athletics to new heights. We’re thrilled to welcome them into the Hall of Fame and to celebrate their legacy with Bulls Nation.”
Abdur-Rahim, who greatly impacted the entire university and Tampa Bay area before passing away Oct. 24, 2024, led the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins, their first-ever top 25 ranking, and the program’s first regular-season conference championship, with sellout crowds filling the Yuengling Center. He was a special induction into the five-member 2025 Hall of Fame class, voted in by the committee less than a year after his passing. He is the second men’s basketball coach to be inducted, joining Bobby Paschal.
USF football’s first head coach, Leavitt led the Bulls from the program’s infancy to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, becoming the fastest program in FBS football history to go from inception to a top 10 national ranking. He remains the winningest coach in program history, posting a 95-57 record (.625) over 13 seasons (1997-2009) while leading the Bulls to five straight bowl games, eight wins over nationally ranked FBS opponents (including three in the top 10), and 26 weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Joining Leavitt in representing USF football in the Class of 2025 is linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who starred for Leavitt-led teams as the Bulls transitioned from FCS to FBS football and set the Bulls’ career tackles record, which stood for 15 seasons. He went on to an eight-year NFL career that included being a key contributor to the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLII-winning team. Mitchell is the sixth football player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the third defensive player.
Hemond was an elite defensive catcher with power and speed who earned All-America honors before becoming the highest Major League Baseball Draft selection in program history. He went 12th overall in 1986 and played a seven-year MLB career. He is the fourth baseball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
Laksa was an electrifying scorer and the 2018 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year who twice earned All-America recognitions and was on pace to set the program’s all-time scoring record (she finished sixth) before a knee injury cost most of her senior year. The Bulls earned three NCAA Tournament bids and an NIT appearance during her career before she was selected 11th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Laksa is the fifth women’s basketball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
The USF Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 2009, swells to 43 individuals and one team representing 17 sports and three athletic directors among its honored members of outstanding contributors to Bulls athletics. The 2025 class will be the sixth to be inducted since 2013.
TAMPA, Fla. (June 2, 2025) – Amir Abdur-Rahim, Scott Hemond, Kitija Laksa, Jim Leavitt, and Kawika Mitchell have been selected for induction into the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2025. The five-member class includes two head coaches and three standout student-athletes and marks the 11th Hall of Fame class in program history, bringing the total to 43 individual inductees and one team.
This year’s class features head coaches Abdur-Rahim, who led the USF men’s basketball program in 2023–24, and Leavitt, the first head coach in USF football history (1997–2009). They become the sixth and seventh head coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame, representing six sports. Hemond (baseball, 1984–86), Laksa (women’s basketball, 2015–19), and Mitchell (football, 1999–2002) increase the number of student-athletes honored individually to 33.
The 2025 class will be inducted Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Marshall Student Center on the USF campus, the night before the Bulls football team takes on Charlotte in a Friday night prime-time clash. Additional details regarding the 2025 USF Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be distributed at a later date.
“The class of 2025 is a powerful reflection of the excellence, tradition, and growth that define USF Athletics,” said Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly. “This group represents some of the most impactful figures in our history — individuals who elevated their programs, inspired our community, and helped propel USF Athletics to new heights. We’re thrilled to welcome them into the Hall of Fame and to celebrate their legacy with Bulls Nation.”
Abdur-Rahim, who greatly impacted the entire university and Tampa Bay area before passing away Oct. 24, 2024, led the Bulls to a program-record 25 wins, their first-ever top 25 ranking, and the program’s first regular-season conference championship, with sellout crowds filling the Yuengling Center. He was a special induction into the five-member 2025 Hall of Fame class, voted in by the committee less than a year after his passing. He is the second men’s basketball coach to be inducted, joining Bobby Paschal.
USF football’s first head coach, Leavitt led the Bulls from the program’s infancy to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, becoming the fastest program in FBS football history to go from inception to a top 10 national ranking. He remains the winningest coach in program history, posting a 95-57 record (.625) over 13 seasons (1997-2009) while leading the Bulls to five straight bowl games, eight wins over nationally ranked FBS opponents (including three in the top 10), and 26 weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Joining Leavitt in representing USF football in the Class of 2025 is linebacker Kawika Mitchell, who starred for Leavitt-led teams as the Bulls transitioned from FCS to FBS football and set the Bulls’ career tackles record, which stood for 15 seasons. He went on to an eight-year NFL career that included being a key contributor to the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLII-winning team. Mitchell is the sixth football player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the third defensive player.
Hemond was an elite defensive catcher with power and speed who earned All-America honors before becoming the highest Major League Baseball Draft selection in program history. He went 12th overall in 1986 and played a seven-year MLB career. He is the fourth baseball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
Laksa was an electrifying scorer and the 2018 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Scholar-Athlete of the Year who twice earned All-America recognitions and was on pace to set the program’s all-time scoring record (she finished sixth) before a knee injury cost most of her senior year. The Bulls earned three NCAA Tournament bids and an NIT appearance during her career before she was selected 11th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Laksa is the fifth women’s basketball player selected for the Hall of Fame.
The USF Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 2009, swells to 43 individuals and one team representing 17 sports and three athletic directors among its honored members of outstanding contributors to Bulls athletics. The 2025 class will be the sixth to be inducted since 2013.
