is the third-largest among Florida public universities and the largest of any American public university founded post-World War II.
In its 2018 ranking, the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed USF 1st in Florida, 7th in the United States, and 16th worldwide in the number of US patents granted. USF faculty, staff, students, and alumni collectively hold over 2,400 patents. USF is home to the National Academy of Inventors and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, both located in the USF Research Park in the southwest side of campus.
USF's sports teams are known as the South Florida Bulls and primarily compete in the American Conference of NCAA Division I. USF's 21 varsity teams have won a combined 6 national championships and 171 conference championships. Athletes representing the Bulls have won an additional 24 individual and relay national championships and 256 individual and relay conference championships.
== History ==
=== 1950s ===
USF was the first state university in Florida built during the …
