By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Certain historic sports photos capture pure emotion: a boxer towering over a fallen opponent, a basketball player frozen midair during a dunk, a soccer player erupting after a championship-winning goal. Each is a lasting symbol of athletic greatness.
At USF, Aschley Joseph recently captured a similar thrill at the USF football game against the University of Florda: Bulls players holding up kicker Nico Grammatica after his game-winning field goal with a sea of stunned Gators fans in the background. The 18–16 upset over then-No. 13 Florida on Sept. 6 in Gainesville was one of the biggest wins in Bulls football history and propelled them to No. 18 in the AP Top 25.
USF Athletics intern Aschley Joseph
That image was seen across the country.
“To document something that connects people to it forever is such an honor,” said Joseph, a USF Athletics photography intern. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Other USF Athletics interns also keep the excitement alive — capturing fan reactions on video, creating shareable memes and making sure the energy lasts long after the final whistle.
“Our student interns are essential to capturing and preserving the moments that define game day,” said Martin Salamone, USF’s senior associate athletic director for external affairs. “Their work during the win over Florida, whether shooting photos and video or supporting our social channels, helped bring Bulls Nation even closer to the action. In the process, they’re gaining invaluable hands-on experience, while experiencing memories they’ll carry forever.”
The Videographer
A sceenshot from Clark Stanton’s social media post [Photo courtesy of Instagram]
If you’re one of the millions who has watched Clark Stanton’s sideline footage on X or Instagram, the answer is yes – he really was filming with a Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system.
“A 3DS XL Mario and Luigi: Return to Dreamland Edition to be exact,” said the senior digital communications and multimedia journalism major, who interns with USF Athletics as a sideline videographer capturing footage for social media posts.
The viral clip began with a perspective from someone else on the field filming Stanton holding his DS, then transitions to his recording of the game-winning field goal and the ensuing player celebration. Even in the peak of their jubilation, players can be heard commenting on Stanton’s use of a gaming system released more than a decade ago.
“That was funny,” he said.
Fans were equally taken with the old-school gaming system’s grainy footage that has since been featured on the social media accounts of ESPN, Bleacher Report and Hard Rock Bet.
“This is lowkey fire lol,” one posted on X.
Clark Stanton
“Made it seem like we’re living the 2000’s era again,” another posted on Instagram.
As a sideline videographer, his job is to give fans a glimpse of what it’s like to witness big moments from the field. Select footage is then posted after the game.
“We’re giving fans sideline access,” Stanton said. “It’s a view they cannot get from watching on television.”
Sometimes he uses an iPhone. Sometimes he uses the DS.
“It works great,” Stanton said. “So why not?”
The 21-year-old estimates he received the DS about a decade ago as a gaming system but was delighted to discover it also had a video and photo camera. Little did he know at the time that it would later be used to capture a viral video of one of USF football’s biggest wins.
“I would have been jumping for joy had you told me that when I received it,” Stanton said. “It’s an iconic upset, and I got to film it.”
Memes
For those less familiar with internet culture, a meme is an image, video or phrase — often humorous — that spreads quickly online, sometimes changing as people adapt it.
“I want to make something that helps people remember a big moment,” said Galloway, a sophomore business advertising major. “Maybe it changed momentum. Maybe it caused celebration. I don’t want that feeling to end for the fans.”
Intern Naomi Galloway creates those for USF Athletics.
Galloway’s job is to watch the game and come up with ideas that can be posted after a USF victory. Each week, her postgame memes typically generate around 100,000 views in all.
“I wasn’t in Gainesville for the game, so I worked remotely — screaming at my television while still focusing on my work,” she said with a laugh. “As the game goes on, I think about the biggest moments and find ways to make them shareable so people will repost.”
Galloway estimates she created about 30 meme ideas during the Florida game, narrowing them to 10 that were posted.
Some were designed from scratch, others modified from popular existing memes.
One example is the well-known “0 DAYS SINCE LAST” sign from the animated sitcom “Futurama” that has been adapted into countless memes by others.
Galloway customized the sign to read “0 DAYS SINCE LAST ranked win (again),” referencing USF’s back-to-back victories over ranked Boise State and Florida.
Her personal favorite was the original play on words: s(womp) s(womp) — a cheeky nod to the Gators’ home field nickname, The Swamp.
“It’s like saying ‘womp, womp,’ but with a Gators twist,” Galloway said.
But what if she creates a meme for a game the Bulls lose?
“We don’t like to think about that,” Galloway said. “But if it happens, we try to adapt it for the next win.”
Naomi Galloway
And how does she keep coming up with ideas?
“I don’t think this is great advice for teenagers,” she joked, “but being chronically online helps. You have to consume the kind of content you know works. If I’d send it to my friends for a laugh, it probably works.”
The Photographer
As a sideline photographer, Joseph’s main job is to capture the action — a diving catch, a crushing tackle, a perfect spiral. But for her, action alone doesn’t make an iconic image.
“It’s about emotion,” said Joseph, a senior nursing major. “Anyone can get a shot of a field goal. But can you also capture how that kick made people feel? I want the photo to show what the moment meant.”
That takes skill — and sometimes, luck.
“I wasn’t sitting there thinking, ‘I’m about to shoot a celebration,’” she said. “I was just shooting the game, completely immersed in it as a fan.”
Aschley Joseph
Joseph’s camera wasn’t even set to take rapid-fire shots, leaving her only one chance to capture the moment.
“I saw the ball go through, and my finger just went down on the shutter,” Joseph said. “It was like my brain was directly connected to my finger telling me, ‘Do this now.’ I didn’t think it would be a great photo until I looked at it after the game.”
Now, it might live on forever.
“I haven’t really thought about that,” she said. “If it does, what an amazing opportunity — and I’m so happy it happened while I was at USF. I’m ride or die for USF football.”