UCF Knights football

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2008 UCF Knights football team
UCF Knights football
First season 1979
Staff
Athletic director Keith Tribble
Head coach George O'Leary
3rd year, 22–27
Stadium
Home stadium Bright House Networks Stadium
Stadium capacity 45,301
Stadium surface Grass
Location Orlando, Florida
League/Conference
Conference C-USA
Division East
Team records
All-time record 162–149–1 (0.519)
Postseason bowl record 0–2
Awards
Conference titles 1
All-Americans 2
Pageantry
Colors Black and Gold            
Fight song UCF Fight Song
Mascot Knightro
Marching band Marching Knights
Website UCF Athletics

The University of Central Florida Knights are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program. The team began playing in 1979 as a Division III program and completed their ascension to Division I-A, now Division I FBS, in 1996. The Knights are a member of Conference USA and their current head coach is George O'Leary, who formerly led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team.

Contents

[edit] Home field

Until 2007, the Knights had always played their home games at the Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2005, the school proposed putting a stadium on campus for the first time. Bright House Networks Stadium was originally planned to open in time for the 2006 football season, but neighborhood opposition delayed the time frame.

Stadium construction began in 2006 and was finished in time for the first 2007 UCF Knights football team home game on September 15, 2007 against the Texas Longhorns. The stadium seating capacity is 45,301 with plans for the stadium to expand to a capacity of 65,000 in the future.

[edit] Program history

Logo as the UCF Golden Knights, 1993-2007
Logo as the UCF Golden Knights, 1993-2007

The program began at the Division III level in 1979, when the school was known as Florida Technological University. Don Jonas, a former professional football player and Orlando dignitary, became UCF's first head football coach on a volunteer basis. UCF would move up to Division II in 1982.

Gene McDowell took over as head coach and athletic director in 1985. During his tenure, the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1990 and was a playoff team in 1990 and 1993.[1]. In 1996, the program made its foray into Division I-A. In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use[2], McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998 and was replaced by Mike Kruczek on an interim basis. He would receive the position permanently later in 1998.

Kruczek guided the team as a Division I-A independent until 2001 and UCF Knights proved to be a scary team on the road. Close losses included 6-10 at Auburn in 1998, 23-24 at Georgia in 1999, and 17-21 at Georgia Tech in 2000. Kruczek's biggest victory would come in 2000 against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, winning 40-38 on a last-second field goal by Javier Beorlegui. After finishing 9-2 in 1998, UCF received a tentative verbal agreement to play in the Oahu Bowl. However, the arrangement fell through in the final week of the season, when Miami upset undefeated UCLA. The unexpected result stole UCF's hopes for their first bowl appearance.

After six difficult years as an independent, UCF played its much-anticipated first season as a member of the Mid-American Conference in 2002. They finished runner-up in the East division with a 6-2 record. They finished the season 7-5 overall, completing their 14th winning season in the past 17 years. The excitement however, was short-lived.

After signing a three-year contract extension to begin the 2003 season, Kruczek was fired following a 3-7 start. He was replaced on an interim basis by Alan Gooch before the program hired George O'Leary for the start of the 2004 season. An increasing travel cost burden, and overall disdain with the midwest-based MAC saw UCF begin to explore the possibility of a different conference affiliation. The difficult coaching transition for 2004 saw the team hit rock bottom, going 0-11, blasted even by perennial basement dweller Buffalo. It would be their final season in the MAC.

In 2005, UCF started their first season as a member of Conference USA. Not expected to improve much over 2004, they surprisingly won their first conference game against Marshall, 23-13, and finished 7-1 in C-USA games, winning the East Division and hosting the first ever C-USA Championship game, which they lost, 44-27, to Tulsa.

After an anemic 2006 which saw the Golden Knights go a mere 4-8, the team rebranded in 2007 in preparation for its move to its new on-campus venue, Bright House Networks Stadium. They dropped the "Golden" from their name, becoming the "UCF Knights". After defeating a BCS school for the second time ever, the NC State Wolfpack, they inaugurated their new stadium by hosting — and almost beating — the then-#6-ranked Texas Longhorns. They went on to a 5-1 regular season at home, and won the C-USA East again, hosting the Championship game against Tulsa once more. This time, the Knights won, 44-25, and clinched their first football conference title and a berth in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.The Knights lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis,TN; 10-3 to Mississippi State.

In 2007 Kevin Smith rushed for 2,567 yards, placing him 2nd on the NCAA's all-time single season rushing list behind Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders.

[edit] Rivals

UCF, being a relatively young Division I-A team, has yet to establish any major long-term rivals. Nevertheless, many see the Marshall Thundering Herd as UCF's main rival due to the amount of meetings and the comparable size of the programs. Both teams also joined Division I-AA a year apart and made the switch to C-USA from the MAC in 2005. The similarities and histories between the two programs gave UCF's football victory over Marshall in 2005, which ended the Golden Knights' 17-game losing streak, even more significance.


[edit] Division History

Year Division Conference Affiliation
1979-1981 NCAA Division III
1982-1989 NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference(1975-1984)
1990-1995 NCAA Division I-AA
1996-Present NCAA Division I-A Independent (1996-2001)
Mid-America Conference East Division (2002-2004)
Conference USA East Division (2005-Present)

[edit] Conference Championship appearances

[edit] Conference Championships

[edit] Bowl appearances

[edit] Retired numbers

[edit] Knights in the NFL

[edit] Knights in the Super Bowl

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  • ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete history of the Game (ISBN 1-4013-3703-1), pp.194-198.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Division I-AA Playoffs and Facts
  2. ^ PLUS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL - CENTRAL FLORIDA; Coach Quits After Guilty Plea - New York Times
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Current NFL Players
The stadium on opening day at halftime. The Knights hosted the#6 Texas Longhorns in a 35–32 game.
The stadium on opening day at halftime. The Knights hosted the#6 Texas Longhorns in a 35–32 game.
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