Hunter West, former captain of the University of South Florida Men\u27s Soccer Team, discusses the nature of playing for the University\u27s soccer program

Riley, Danielle E., (Interviewer)

West, Hunter, (Interviewee)

English

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University of South Florida
Scholar Commons
Digital Collection - USF Historical Archives Oral
Histories Digital Collection - Historical University Archives
1-16-2004
Hunter West oral history interview by Danielle
Riley, January 16, 2004
Hunter West (Interviewee)
Danielle E. Riley (Interviewer)
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Scholar Commons Citation
West, Hunter (Interviewee) and Riley, Danielle E. (Interviewer), "Hunter West oral history interview by Danielle Riley, January 16,
2004" (2004). Digital Collection - USF Historical Archives Oral Histories. Paper 218.
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/usfhistinfo_oh/218
 
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Oral History Program on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the University 
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All rights, reserved. 
 
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 1 
USF Florida Studies Center 
Oral History Project 
USF 50th History Anniversary Project 
 
 
Narrator: Hunter West    Interviewer: Danielle E. Riley 
Current Position: Captain of the Men’s  Location of Interview: Tampa 
     Soccer Team          Campus Library 
Date of Interview: January 15, 2004   Abstractor: Jared G. Toney 
Editor: Danielle E. Riley    Final Editor: Jared G. Toney  
Date of Edit: May 18, 2004 
 
 
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION 
 
 
Childhood 
Mr. West grew up in Bradenton, Florida, where he has lived his entire life. His father had 
always been involved in athletics, thus he and his brothers were raised around sports and 
outdoor activities. He remembers starting to play soccer with his older brother, Taylor, at 
the age of only seven years. 
 
Early involvement in soccer 
In his first soccer game as a youth, Mr. West scored fourteen goals, “So I thought that 
was the right sport for me.” He continued played soccer through high school at the varsity 
level, and was recruited to come play at USF. As a high school player, he won the 
distinctions of All-State, All-Region, and All-American his junior and senior years.  
 
Recruitment 
He visited USF in the summer of 2001, and recalls making a good impression on the 
coaches and players. As a result, the coaches followed his progress through his senior 
year and welcomed him onto the team after graduation. Though he had a couple of other 
options, he chose USF because, “I liked the [head] coach and also … the assistant 
coaches, so that’s why I made the decision so early … I fit in pretty well.” He also had a 
number of friends who planned on attending South Florida and playing on the team. 
Additionally, he could remain close enough to home to see his family regularly.  
 
First impressions of USF  
 His first impression of USF was a positive one; he remembers most being impressed just 
by the size of the university. “I loved the coaching staff, I loved the players, [and] I loved 
the university.” The head coach of the soccer team offered Mr. West a scholarship, and 
he gladly accepted it. “I just thought this school was right for me.”  
 
Academics 
Academically, Mr. West has decided to pursue a degree in business, and he finds it 
challenging to balance the demands of sports and academics. Although the schedule is 
 2 
particularly difficult, he is able to rely upon advisors and tutors to catch him up on missed 
time. 
 
Living arrangements 
As a result of a team rule, Mr. West lived in a dormitory on campus as a freshman, 
though he has since moved into an apartment off-campus. He remembers his time in the 
dorms favorably, particularly since he was able to live along with three of his teammates. 
“It was kind of loud at times … I love the experience of it. There are some memories 
there that I will never forget.” He remembers one occasion where a food fight broke out 
among him and his co-residents at the dorm, the effects of which they spent a good 
portion of the night cleaning up. “The next day we were pretty tired before practice.” 
Mr. West is currently living off campus with a teammate that he had played high school 
soccer with.  
 
The coach stays very involved in the academic progress of his athletes, so that they are 
able to participate on the team. 
 
Typical day 
A typical day for Mr. West includes waking up at 6:15 am in order to be on the track by 
7:00 am. After some exercising, the team practices for about two hours until classes begin 
around 10:00 or 11:00. The team meets again from 4:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon to lift 
weights. “From there, hopefully we go home and get some rest and start studying.”  
Usually, the games are on the weekends; if they are out of town, the team is usually 
required to leave a day in advance.  
  
Athletic performance 
He came onto the team as a freshman hoping to get a starting position. “I worked very 
hard and I earned a starting spot as a freshman on the men’s soccer team.” His first year, 
Mr. West led the team in both goals and points, and made both first teams All-
Conference and All-American. “As a captain you need good leadership, and I think that’s 
one of the things [the] coach spotted in me. A lot of the guys tend to look up to me and 
listen to me, so I think that’s why … he picked me as one of the captains this year … it 
means a lot.” 
 
Future plans  
“Right now I’m just planning on getting an education.  That’s my main goal.  If soccer 
takes me to the professional level, then I’m sure I’ll try to play. But if not … there are 
some memories I’ll never forget here. Right now I’m just concentrating on my 
education.” 
 
Experience at USF 
Mr. West speaks highly of his experiences thus far at the university, and believes strongly 
in the quality of education and accessibility of his professors. “I think that’s one of the 
reasons I like USF so much … the professors like to interact with their students and help 
them the best way they can.”  
 
 3 
If soccer doesn’t work out, he would like to stay around the sport, possibly as a coach 
somewhere. “I love teaching kids, and I would love to do that.”  
 
One of the main things he has learned from his coach is discipline. “It’s always needed 
on the field and it’s always needed in the classroom.” 
 
Team spirit 
The team members try to spend time together both on and off the field, developing a 
more familial type of spirit in addition to their participation in athletics. Because soccer 
and academics command the majority of his time, Mr. West is not really involved in too 
many other campus activities.  
 
Because soccer is not as big a sport in the U.S. as it is in other countries around the 
world, attendance at their games is, “not always what we expect.”  
 
Team record 
His freshman season, the team was 11-7 and they made it to the conference tournament. 
This year they were working with younger players, and finished with an overall record of 
9-10. “Some of the goals that we set in the beginning of the year weren’t met, and that’s 
why we’re putting in the hard work here this spring.”  
 
 
End of Interview 
 
 


Hunter West oral history interview by Danielle Riley, January 16, 2004

https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1476&amp;context=usfhistinfo_oh

Hunter West oral history interview by Danielle Riley, January 16, 2004

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