UCF Golden Knights football
Encyclopedia
The University of Central Florida Knights football program
, commonly referred to as the UCF Knights, represents the University of Central Florida
in the NCAA
's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Knights are a member of Conference USA
and the current head coach
is George O'Leary
, who has led the team since 2004. The Knights play their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium
, which is located on the main campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida
.
The University of Central Florida first fielded a varsity football team in the fall of 1979 as a Division III program, and subsequently completed their ascension to Division I-A, now known as the Division I Football Subdivision (FBS), in 1996. As a Division I-AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs, and were picked as the preseason #1 to start the 1994 season. The Knights were the 2005
, 2007
and 2010
C-USA Eastern Division Champions, the 2007
and 2010
Conference USA Champions
, and have appeared in four bowl games, in 2005
, 2007
, 2009
, and 2010
.
, Marshall
, Memphis
, Southern Miss
and UAB
. The conference schedule is filled out with three games against foes from the C-USA Western Division on a rotating basis. These games operate on a two-year cycle, as a home-and-home series.
Key conference rivalries include Marshall, East Carolina and an inter-divisional rivalry with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane
.
Beginning at the Division III level, when the school was still widely known as Florida Technological University, O'Leary, then the university's athletic director
, held a meeting of prospective players in March 1979. This would be the first football tryouts for prospective players, and would serve as the first that many students would hear about the new athletic program. O'Leary had previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama
under Paul "Bear" Bryant
. He would spear head the effort to raise more than $40,000 to start the program, and would complete a deal for the team to play in the Tangerine Bowl
. Without a budget to hire a staff, O'Leary reached out to six UCF graduate students as volunteer assistants. From there, O'Leary was able to lure Don Jonas
, a former NFL
quarterback
and Orlando dignitary, to become UCF's first head football coach
on a voluntary basis.
One day during a practice, O'Leary pulled the team aside and unveiled the template for uniforms of "The Fighting Knights". He would reveal a template that would follow the team into the 21st century: black jerseys, gold pants and gold helmets. Less than one year after Colbourn had envisioned a football program for the university, UCF hosted its first game on September 2, 1979 against St. Leo University. The Knights would prove victorious with a 21–0 shutout, and less than a week later, the Knights would win their first home game by defeating Ft. Benning, 7–6. Jonas led the Knights to a 6–2 inaugural season, behind an average attendance of 11,240, including a Division III record crowd of 14,138. Following the season, in March 1980, Jonas was offered the Knights head coaching as a full-time position. After leading the team to a 4–4–1 and 4–6 record in 1980 and 1981 respectively, Jonas would leave the Knights following the 1981 season. During the 1980 season, the Knights earned the only tie in program history, an 11–all game against Miles
, and Tim Kiggins became the first Knight to sign a professional contract. After his departure, Jonas remained involved in the program, including doing radio broadcasts of UCF football games and a radio sports talk show. Jonas led the Knights to a 14–12–1 (.518) record in three seasons.
, became UCF's new head coach and led the Knights in their move up to Division II in 1982. Another change to the university's athletic programs in 1982 was the departure of O'Leary as athletic director, and the hiring of Bill Peterson
, who was the Florida State Seminoles
head coach from 1960–70. In their first season playing Division II ball, the Knights went 0–10, and Weir decided not to return for the 1983 season. One bright spot of the season was that Mike Carter became the first Knight to sign with an NFL team, the Denver Broncos
.
Lou Saban
replaced Weir as the Knights head coach in 1983. Saban had previously coached at Miami
, Army
, Northwestern
, and in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills
and Boston Patriots
, to name just a few. In UCF's first Black and Gold Spring game held in 1983, the defense won 14–6. The Knights finished the 1983 season 5–6, including the team's first win over a Division I-AA opponent. Starting the 1984 season filled with optimism, the Knights were shaken by a 1–6 start. Following the disappointing beginning to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry Anderson. Saban had a 6–12 (.333) record during his tenure as the Knights head coach. Anderson finished out the year with the team in an interim position, with a 1–3 (.250) record. UCF finished the season with a 2–9 mark.
In the course of the three seasons following Jonas' departure, the Knights went through three head coaches, and amassed a 7–25 record.
to fill both positions. McDowell took the helm in 1985, and hired his eventual successor and former Pittsburgh Steelers
quarterback Mike Kruczek
as his offensive coordinator
. The Knights would finish with a 4–7 mark in McDowell's first year, including a 21–42 loss to UCF's first-ever Division I-A opponent, Louisville
. Due to financial hardships, McDowell waived half of his annual salary, and FSU head coach Bobby Bowden
donated uniforms and cleats to the program.
McDowell would the lead the Knights to their first winning season since 1979, with a 6–5 record in 1986. Also that year, Ted Wilson
became the first UCF player to be selected in the NFL draft
, being picked by the Washington Redskins
in the 10th round. Following an 8–3 regular season record in 1987, the Knights earned their first trip to the Division II
playoffs, where they earned a 1–1 record. After starting the 1988 season with five straight wins, UCF would be ranked #2 in Division II. During a game against the defending D-II national champions Troy
at the Citrus Bowl, UCF fans were so loud at one point that the Trojans quarterback Bob Godsey couldn't call plays. Godsey complained to the referee about the crowd noise, but instead of helping Troy, the referee called a delay of game penalty on the Trojans. The "noise penalty" is infamous at UCF, and the win over Troy thrust the Knights into the position as the #1 ranked team in D-II. Between 1986 and 1990 under the leadership of McDowell, the Knights held a 24–6 record at the Citrus Bowl.
During McDowell's tenure, the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1990. In their first year in the division, the Knights earned a 10–4 record, a program best, and a trip to the I-AA playoffs. UCF would make it to the semifinals, and became the first school in history to qualify for the I-AA playoffs in its first season of eligibility. The Knights would finish the 1991 and 1992 with winning seasons as well. In 1992, Dr. John Hitt, UCF's fourth president, announced that the program would make the move to Division I-A in 1996, and he hired Steve Sloan
as the university's new athletic director. Earning their eighth winning season in 1993, the Knights would again make the playoffs. During the season, the team won their first game over a Division I-A team, a 38–16 victory at Louisiana Tech. After another impressive season, UCF was selected as the preseason #1 to start the 1994 season. The 1994 season would prove disappointing however, as the Knights would finish the season ranked #20 with a 7–4 record. During the teams final season in Division I-AA, the Knights were reinvigorated by freshman sensation Daunte Culpepper
. The quarterback would lead the Knights to a 6–5 record, and their tenth straight winning season in 1995.
On September 1, 1996, UCF officially made its foray into Division I-A. At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions (III, II, I-AA and I-A). In their first two seasons in Division I-A, the Knights posted identical 5–6 records behind Culpepper. In 1997, assistant coach Alan Gooch
was named the national assistant coach of the year, due to his work with deaf tailback Dwight Collins. In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use, McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998. Over his 13–year tenure at UCF, McDowell earned a 87–61 (.587) record.
After the abrupt departure of McDowell, Mike Kruczek
was named UCF's new head coach on an interim basis. He would receive the position permanently later in 1998. Daunte Culpepper led UCF to its best season ever with a 9-2 record in 1998 (with losses only coming to Purdue
and Auburn
). Culpepper finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting and set the NCAA record for completion percentage that year (73.4%). Following the season, Culpepper was drafted
with the 11th pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings
, marking the highest ever draft pick of a UCF player.
The Knights proved to be a scary team on the road, with close losses including a 6–10 loss at Auburn
in 1998, a 23–24 loss at Georgia in 1999
, and a 17–21 loss at Georgia Tech in 2000
. Kruczek's biggest victory would come in 2000 against Alabama
in Tuscaloosa
, when the Knights won 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.
Kruczek guided the team as a Division I-A independent until 2001
. 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, would be short-lived. After signing a three-year contract extension to begin the 2003 season, Kruczek was fired following a 3–7 start. Kruczek was replaced on an interim basis by Assistant coach and former player Alan Gooch
who finished out the dismal 3-9 season with losses to Mid-American Conference rivals Marshall
and Miami (OH)
. The Marshall game marked UCF's first nationally televised home football game as it was aired on ESPN2
. Kruczek ended his 6–year stewardship of UCF with a 36–30 (.545) record.
An increasing travel burden, and lack of natural rivals within the midwest
-based MAC
saw UCF begin to explore the possibility of a different conference affiliation after just a couple years in the conference. In 2003, UCF was invited as an all-sports member to Conference USA
for the 2005 season.
George O'Leary
was named UCF's new head coach in 2004. This was a controversial hire on several fronts because O'Leary had previously been named head coach at Notre Dame
, but was relieved of his duties five days into his tenure after inconsistencies were found on his resume. The difficult coaching transition for 2004, the Knight's final year in the Mid-American Conference, saw the team hit rock bottom, going 0–11.
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, ending the school's 17 game losing steak, then the nations longest streak. UCF fans celebrated by storming the field and tearing down the goal posts. Students came back to the campus and celebrated further by jumping into UCF's Reflection Pond (a practice normally reserved for Spirit Splash). UCF then went on to win eight out of the remaining nine games on their schedule, finishing 7–1 in C-USA games, winning the East Division and hosting the first ever C-USA Championship game
, which they lost, 27–44, to Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, UCF was invited to play in their first ever bowl game
, the Hawaii Bowl
, losing to Nevada
49–48 in overtime due to a missed PAT that would have tied the game. In 2005 O'Leary was chosen by SportsIllustrated.com
for the coach of the year award and received votes for the larger Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award. In May 2006, UCF extended O'Leary's contract for 10 years and increased his pay to $1 million plus incentives per year after he engineered the fourth-best turnaround in college football history.
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". Fortunes seemed to have changed as the Knights moved into new facilities. After defeating a BCS school for just the second time ever, the NC State Wolfpack
, they inaugurated their new stadium by hosting and losing to the No. 6 ranked Texas Longhorns 32–35. The Knights lost to regional rival South Florida
64–12 in Tampa, but went on to have a 5–1 regular season at home and won the C-USA East again, hosting the Championship game against Tulsa once more. UCF defeated Tulsa in a near-reversal of the 2005 Conference USA
Championship Game 44-25, thereby gaining UCF's first ever Conference Championship title. And a berth in the 2007 Liberty Bowl
. Following UCF's victory, the Knights received 35 votes in the AP Poll
, but did not reach the top 25, ranking 27th. The Knights lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN
; 3–10 to Mississippi State
. The Knights went on to finish the year with its first 10 win season in the FBS. 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
. Despite this, he was not selected even as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy
or the Doak Walker Award
. He also was the only running back in the 2007 season to rush for more than 100 yards against the Texas Longhorns. He was a fan favorite, especially with student section at Brighthouse Networks Stadium. Smith originally stated that he would return for his senior season at UCF, however, he later changed his mind, announcing on January 6, 2008 that he would declare for the NFL Draft
. He went with the first pick in the third round, to the Detroit Lions
.
After a lackluster 4-8 season in 2008, UCF bounced back with an 8-4 record in 2009, including winning their last six straight C-USA games. Among those wins was their first victory over a nationally-ranked team, beating then #12 Houston
on November 14, 37–32 at Bright House Networks Stadium. UCF finished the 2009 season 8–5, with a 45–24 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
in the St. Petersburg Bowl
, their third bowl appearance in five years.
, Coach O'Leary verbally abused Plancher throughout the workout, and continued to push the young man to perform despite what they reported to be obvious physical signs that Plancher was in no shape to continue. ESPN
's "Outside The Lines
" program on November 2, 2008 interviewed players who were at the training session at which Plancher became ill, and which after he died, and stated that the session was longer and far more rigorous than O'Leary and other UCF Athletics officials have admitted to publicly. They also alleged that O'Leary and other coaches had initially warned players off from providing assistance to Plancher when he became visibly distressed. UCF medical records appear to indicate that UCF coaches and trainers knew that Plancher had sickle-cell trait
which could lead to problems, and even death, during high-intensity workouts.
After a 14–day trial in 2011, a jury found the UCF Athletics Association guilty of negligence in the death of Plancher. The jury awarded each of his parents $5 million.
, there were high hopes for the Knights. After winning 5 straight games, and posting an 11-game conference winning streak, the Knights were ranked for the first time in school history following their nationally televised 40–33 victory over the Houston Cougars
on the road. For the polls released on November 7, 2010, UCF was ranked in all three major college polls. The Knights were ranked 25 in the AP Poll
, 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 25 in the Harris Poll. In their first game as a nationally ranked squad, the Knights fell 21–31 to Southern Miss
in Orlando. UCF would bounce back and defeat Tulane
61–14 and Memphis
37–17. With the wins, the Knights secured the Eastern Division championship and reentered the polls.
The Knights would go on to win the 2010 Conference USA championship game
, defeating SMU
17–7. Following the win, UCF entered the BCS Standings
for the first time in program history, ranking #25. The Knights ended the 2010 season with a 10–6 victory over Georgia
in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
, marking the teams first-ever bowl victory. UCF would end the season ranked 20th in the final coaches poll and 21st in the final AP rankings.
2011
proved to be a disappointing season as UCF finished with a losing record, and were not bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. The season included out-of-conference losses to FIU
and BYU, as well as conference losses to then-winless UAB, a 1–point loss to then-ranked #23 Southern Miss and the continuation of the Knights woes at quarterback, as Jeff Godfrey and Blake Bortles battled for playing time.
Until 2007
, the Knights had played all of their home games at the Citrus Bowl
in downtown Orlando. While UCF was the primary leasing tenant for the facility, they received minimal revenue from football games, and the stadium's 70,000 seat capacity was seen as too large for UCF. With an average attendance of 30,000–40,000 people per game, the stadium was left with the appearance of being largely empty. In addition, the stadium was also located more than 10 miles (16 km) from UCF's main campus.
In 2005, the university proposed building 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 over a year. 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 seating capacity
of the stadium is 45,301 with plans for an expansion to 65,000 seats in the coming years. Although the Knights lost their first on-campus home game, they finished the remainder of the stadium's inaugural season undefeated, including the Conference USA
home opener against Memphis
. They hosted and won the 2007 C-USA Championship
, defeating Tulsa
.
. UCF hopes to continue a rivalry within the state seeking short-term contracts with the Miami Hurricanes
and the FIU Golden Panthers
.
in a four year home-and-home series, from 2005 to 2008. UCF was defeated in each game, including two home heart breakers in which UCF tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to watch South Florida secure the win. USF declined to continue the series, however, fans of the series look to the Bowl Season to see a future match up between the two schools (The St. Petersburg Bowl has both Big East and C-USA as tie-ins).
has been considered UCF's main rival due to the amount of meetings and the comparable size of the programs. Both teams joined the FBS a year apart and made the switch to C-USA from the MAC
in 2005. The similarities and histories between the two programs fuel the fire in this rivalry. UCF's first football victory over Marshall in 2005, ended the then Golden Knights' 17-game losing streak. In 2008, UCF played spoiler to Marshall, beating them to allow East Carolina to jump the Herd for the C-USA Eastern Division lead. Further aggravating the rivalry in 2009, not only did UCF win its game against the Herd in Orlando with 23 seconds on the clock, but in the summer of 2010 the Knights hired then Marshall head basketball coach Donnie Jones
.
Since 2002 the two teams have faced off 10 times and UCF currently leads the series 7–3. UCF has not lost to Marshall as C-USA opponents, with the Knights winning the last seven meetings.
's played each other twice in Conference USA title games and split, in 2005 and 2007. Tulsa leads the series 3–2, with the Golden Hurricane winning twice in the regular season and once in the conference championship game.
. In several of the recent years, the match between UCF and ECU has determined the winner of the Eastern Division. In 2007, UCF's only conference loss came at the hands of the Pirates. UCF won the division anyway, and ultimately took the conference title.
In 2008, UCF was looking like they were going to ruin East Carolina's dreams of the Eastern Division title like they did to Marshall, but with a late rally, the Pirates won in overtime making the Pirates the first C-USA team to beat UCF in Bright House Networks Stadium. A loss at ECU also determined them as the Eastern Division champions in 2009, while a UCF win at home was the difference in 2010.
Among the games scheduled are home-and-away series with BYU (2011 away, 2014 home), Akron
(2012 away, 2013 home), South Carolina
(2013 home, 2015 away) and UConn
(2014 away, 2015 home). They also have home games against Boston College
(2011) and Kansas State
(2012), and away games against Ohio State
(2012) and Texas
(2017). Of note is that all of UCF's non-conference games in 2012 will be against FBS opponents.
The Knights will also participate in a 4-game series with FIU
from 2011–2014, starting with an away game at FIU Stadium
in Miami. The profile of this series was increased when FIU won the Sun Belt Conference
championship in 2010.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, commonly referred to as the UCF Knights, represents the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Knights are a member of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
and the current head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
is George O'Leary
George O'Leary
George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota...
, who has led the team since 2004. The Knights play their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
, which is located on the main campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
The University of Central Florida first fielded a varsity football team in the fall of 1979 as a Division III program, and subsequently completed their ascension to Division I-A, now known as the Division I Football Subdivision (FBS), in 1996. As a Division I-AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs, and were picked as the preseason #1 to start the 1994 season. The Knights were the 2005
2005 UCF Golden Knights football team
The 2005 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his second season with the team...
, 2007
2007 UCF Knights football team
The 2007 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach is George O'Leary...
and 2010
2010 UCF Knights football team
The 2010 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, who was in his seventh season with the team. For the first time in program history, the Knights were nationally ranked following a...
C-USA Eastern Division Champions, the 2007
2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game
The 2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 1, 2007 between the UCF Knights, the champion of C-USA's East Division, and the West Division champion, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida...
and 2010
2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game
The 2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game presented by HotelPlanner.com was played on December 4, 2010 at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, FL. The game was played between the UCF Knights, winner of Conference USA's East Division, and the SMU Mustangs, the winner the West...
Conference USA Champions
Conference USA Football Championship
The Conference USA Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of Conference USA. From 1996–2004, the champion of Conference USA was determined by regular season record...
, and have appeared in four bowl games, in 2005
2005 Hawaii Bowl
The 2005 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl matched the UCF Knights against the . The fourth edition of the Hawaii Bowl was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and featured the WAC champions versus the Conference USA runner-ups. UCF was one of the nation's best stories of the season...
, 2007
2007 Liberty Bowl
The 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 29, 2007 at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee....
, 2009
2009 St. Petersburg Bowl
The 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's, formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, was the second edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game began at 8:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009, was...
, and 2010
2010 Liberty Bowl (December)
The 2010 Liberty Bowl, also known as Autozone Liberty Bowl, was the fifty-second edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game started at 3:30 PM US EST on December 31, 2010...
.
Overview
The University of Central Florida is one of the twelve members of Conference USA, and the UCF Knights football team competes in the C-USA Eastern Division. The Knights play an eight-game C-USA football schedule. Five of these contests pit the Knights against the other members of the C-USA Eastern Division: East CarolinaEast Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
, Marshall
Marshall Thundering Herd football
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision...
, Memphis
Memphis Tigers football
The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Tigers compete in Conference USA...
, Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
and UAB
UAB Blazers football
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers college football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , as a member of the East Division of Conference USA . UAB plays its home games at Legion Field, which is located off-campus in Birmingham, Alabama...
. The conference schedule is filled out with three games against foes from the C-USA Western Division on a rotating basis. These games operate on a two-year cycle, as a home-and-home series.
Key conference rivalries include Marshall, East Carolina and an inter-divisional rivalry with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports team of the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane...
.
History
| ellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable"> | Division | Year(s) | Conference Affiliation(s) |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division III | 1979–1981 | Independent NCAA Division III independent schools NCAA Division III independents are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the NCAA’s Division III level, but do so independently of an established athletic conference. These same institutions often compete as members of an intercollegiate athletic conference in some sports... |
| NCAA Division II | 1982–1989 | Independent NCAA Division II independent schools NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that field intercollegiate teams in football and other sports, but which are not formally affiliated with any athletic conference.-Full Division II member:... |
| NCAA Division I-AA | 1990–1995 | Independent |
| NCAA Division I-A/FBS | 1996–2001 | Independent |
| 2002–2004 | Mid-American Conference Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members... (East) |
|
| 2005–Present | Conference USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... (East) |
Jonas era: 1979–1981
The UCF football program can be traced back to a speech given by the university's second president, Dr. Trevor Colbourn, in January 1979. Colbourn believed that a successful athletics program would bring the university greater notoriety, and tasked Dr. Jack O'Leary with the job of creating a new football program at the school. In addition, Colbourn changed the name of the school to the University of Central Florida, to express the university's expanded academic scope.Beginning at the Division III level, when the school was still widely known as Florida Technological University, O'Leary, then the university's athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
, held a meeting of prospective players in March 1979. This would be the first football tryouts for prospective players, and would serve as the first that many students would hear about the new athletic program. O'Leary had previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
under Paul "Bear" Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
. He would spear head the effort to raise more than $40,000 to start the program, and would complete a deal for the team to play in the Tangerine Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
. Without a budget to hire a staff, O'Leary reached out to six UCF graduate students as volunteer assistants. From there, O'Leary was able to lure Don Jonas
Don Jonas
-Sources:* Bob Gill, “The Best Little Quarterback You Never Heard Of” on the Professional Football Researchers Association website.-References:...
, a former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and Orlando dignitary, to become UCF's first head football coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
on a voluntary basis.
One day during a practice, O'Leary pulled the team aside and unveiled the template for uniforms of "The Fighting Knights". He would reveal a template that would follow the team into the 21st century: black jerseys, gold pants and gold helmets. Less than one year after Colbourn had envisioned a football program for the university, UCF hosted its first game on September 2, 1979 against St. Leo University. The Knights would prove victorious with a 21–0 shutout, and less than a week later, the Knights would win their first home game by defeating Ft. Benning, 7–6. Jonas led the Knights to a 6–2 inaugural season, behind an average attendance of 11,240, including a Division III record crowd of 14,138. Following the season, in March 1980, Jonas was offered the Knights head coaching as a full-time position. After leading the team to a 4–4–1 and 4–6 record in 1980 and 1981 respectively, Jonas would leave the Knights following the 1981 season. During the 1980 season, the Knights earned the only tie in program history, an 11–all game against Miles
Miles College
Miles College is a historically black college founded in 1898. It is located in Fairfield, Alabama, which is six miles west of Birmingham, Alabama. It is a private liberal arts institution of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church...
, and Tim Kiggins became the first Knight to sign a professional contract. After his departure, Jonas remained involved in the program, including doing radio broadcasts of UCF football games and a radio sports talk show. Jonas led the Knights to a 14–12–1 (.518) record in three seasons.
Turbulent times: 1982–1984
Following the departure of Jonas, Sam Weir, who was the head coach at Lake Howell High SchoolLake Howell High School
Lake Howell High School is a comprehensive four-year high school located in Central Florida, USA. Home of the Silver Hawks, it has been designated a "B" High School by the Florida Department of Education in 2009. It was previously an "A+" high school in 2008...
, became UCF's new head coach and led the Knights in their move up to Division II in 1982. Another change to the university's athletic programs in 1982 was the departure of O'Leary as athletic director, and the hiring of Bill Peterson
Bill Peterson
William E. "Bill" Peterson was an American football coach. His career included head coaching stops at Florida State, Rice University and with the Houston Oilers. Considered one of the unique characters in college sports, Peterson is credited with bringing the pro passing game to college football...
, who was the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
head coach from 1960–70. In their first season playing Division II ball, the Knights went 0–10, and Weir decided not to return for the 1983 season. One bright spot of the season was that Mike Carter became the first Knight to sign with an NFL team, the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Lou Saban
Lou Saban
Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. Saban played for Indiana University in college and as a pro for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference...
replaced Weir as the Knights head coach in 1983. Saban had previously coached at Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
, Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
, Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, and in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Boston Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, to name just a few. In UCF's first Black and Gold Spring game held in 1983, the defense won 14–6. The Knights finished the 1983 season 5–6, including the team's first win over a Division I-AA opponent. Starting the 1984 season filled with optimism, the Knights were shaken by a 1–6 start. Following the disappointing beginning to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry Anderson. Saban had a 6–12 (.333) record during his tenure as the Knights head coach. Anderson finished out the year with the team in an interim position, with a 1–3 (.250) record. UCF finished the season with a 2–9 mark.
In the course of the three seasons following Jonas' departure, the Knights went through three head coaches, and amassed a 7–25 record.
McDowell era: 1985–1997
Reeling after a disappointing string of seasons, there were discussions within the community about the possibility of dismantling the program, and Peterson announced his retirement as the university's athletic director. In addition, due to financial troubles, the team had to postpone plans to move up to Division I-AA. Without a head coach or athletic director, President Colbourn hired Florida State assistant coach Gene McDowellGene McDowell
-References:...
to fill both positions. McDowell took the helm in 1985, and hired his eventual successor and former Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
quarterback Mike Kruczek
Mike Kruczek
-External links:*...
as his offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. The Knights would finish with a 4–7 mark in McDowell's first year, including a 21–42 loss to UCF's first-ever Division I-A opponent, Louisville
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship...
. Due to financial hardships, McDowell waived half of his annual salary, and FSU head coach Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
donated uniforms and cleats to the program.
McDowell would the lead the Knights to their first winning season since 1979, with a 6–5 record in 1986. Also that year, Ted Wilson
Ted Wilson (American football)
Ted Wilson is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Central Florida....
became the first UCF player to be selected in the NFL draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
, being picked by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in the 10th round. Following an 8–3 regular season record in 1987, the Knights earned their first trip to the Division II
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
playoffs, where they earned a 1–1 record. After starting the 1988 season with five straight wins, UCF would be ranked #2 in Division II. During a game against the defending D-II national champions Troy
Troy University
Troy University is a public university that is located in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was originally founded in 1887 as Troy Normal School. Its main campus enrollment is 7,194 students. The total enrollment of all Troy University campuses is 29,689...
at the Citrus Bowl, UCF fans were so loud at one point that the Trojans quarterback Bob Godsey couldn't call plays. Godsey complained to the referee about the crowd noise, but instead of helping Troy, the referee called a delay of game penalty on the Trojans. The "noise penalty" is infamous at UCF, and the win over Troy thrust the Knights into the position as the #1 ranked team in D-II. Between 1986 and 1990 under the leadership of McDowell, the Knights held a 24–6 record at the Citrus Bowl.
During McDowell's tenure, the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1990. In their first year in the division, the Knights earned a 10–4 record, a program best, and a trip to the I-AA playoffs. UCF would make it to the semifinals, and became the first school in history to qualify for the I-AA playoffs in its first season of eligibility. The Knights would finish the 1991 and 1992 with winning seasons as well. In 1992, Dr. John Hitt, UCF's fourth president, announced that the program would make the move to Division I-A in 1996, and he hired Steve Sloan
Steve Sloan
Stephen Charles Sloan is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965 and then played for two seasons in the National Football League with the Atlanta Falcons...
as the university's new athletic director. Earning their eighth winning season in 1993, the Knights would again make the playoffs. During the season, the team won their first game over a Division I-A team, a 38–16 victory at Louisiana Tech. After another impressive season, UCF was selected as the preseason #1 to start the 1994 season. The 1994 season would prove disappointing however, as the Knights would finish the season ranked #20 with a 7–4 record. During the teams final season in Division I-AA, the Knights were reinvigorated by freshman sensation Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
. The quarterback would lead the Knights to a 6–5 record, and their tenth straight winning season in 1995.
On September 1, 1996, UCF officially made its foray into Division I-A. At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions (III, II, I-AA and I-A). In their first two seasons in Division I-A, the Knights posted identical 5–6 records behind Culpepper. In 1997, assistant coach Alan Gooch
Alan Gooch
Alan Gooch is a former head coach of the University of Central Florida college football program from 2003. He coached the final two games of the 2003 season against Marshall and Miami University. Before that he was the assistant head coach from 1998 to 2003...
was named the national assistant coach of the year, due to his work with deaf tailback Dwight Collins. In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use, McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998. Over his 13–year tenure at UCF, McDowell earned a 87–61 (.587) record.
Kruczek era: 1998–2003
Mike Kruczek
-External links:*...
was named UCF's new head coach on an interim basis. He would receive the position permanently later in 1998. Daunte Culpepper led UCF to its best season ever with a 9-2 record in 1998 (with losses only coming to Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
and Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
). Culpepper finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting and set the NCAA record for completion percentage that year (73.4%). Following the season, Culpepper was drafted
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
with the 11th pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, marking the highest ever draft pick of a UCF player.
The Knights proved to be a scary team on the road, with close losses including a 6–10 loss at Auburn
2001 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2001 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.They posted a 7–5 record, including a record of 5–3 in the Southeastern Conference...
in 1998, a 23–24 loss at Georgia in 1999
1999 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State named national champions, defeating Virginia Tech in the BCS Sugar Bowl.Florida State became the first team in history to start out preseason #1 and remain there through the entire season. Their 12-0 season gave them 109 victories in the...
, and a 17–21 loss at Georgia Tech in 2000
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
. Kruczek's biggest victory would come in 2000 against Alabama
2000 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2000 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2000 college football season. The team was led by head coach Mike DuBose, who was coaching his final season at the program...
in Tuscaloosa
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant–Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team. The stadium opened in 1929, and was originally named Denny Stadium, in honor of former Alabama president George Hutchenson Denny...
, when the Knights won 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
Oahu Bowl
The Oahu Bowl is a now defunct National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. Played on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, the Oahu Bowl was sponsored by Jeep motor company...
. However, the arrangement fell through in the final week of the season, when Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
upset undefeated UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
. The unexpected result stole UCF's hopes for their first bowl appearance.
Kruczek guided the team as a Division I-A independent until 2001
2001 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time.The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his first year as head coach after five years as Miami's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis...
. After six difficult years as an independent, UCF played its much-anticipated first season as a member of the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
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, would be short-lived. After signing a three-year contract extension to begin the 2003 season, Kruczek was fired following a 3–7 start. Kruczek was replaced on an interim basis by Assistant coach and former player Alan Gooch
Alan Gooch
Alan Gooch is a former head coach of the University of Central Florida college football program from 2003. He coached the final two games of the 2003 season against Marshall and Miami University. Before that he was the assistant head coach from 1998 to 2003...
who finished out the dismal 3-9 season with losses to Mid-American Conference rivals Marshall
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
and Miami (OH)
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...
. The Marshall game marked UCF's first nationally televised home football game as it was aired on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. Kruczek ended his 6–year stewardship of UCF with a 36–30 (.545) record.
An increasing travel burden, and lack of natural rivals within the midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
-based MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
saw UCF begin to explore the possibility of a different conference affiliation after just a couple years in the conference. In 2003, UCF was invited as an all-sports member to Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
for the 2005 season.
O'Leary era: 2004–present
Following the disappointing 2003 season, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinatorDefensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
George O'Leary
George O'Leary
George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota...
was named UCF's new head coach in 2004. This was a controversial hire on several fronts because O'Leary had previously been named head coach at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, but was relieved of his duties five days into his tenure after inconsistencies were found on his resume. The difficult coaching transition for 2004, the Knight's final year in the Mid-American Conference, saw the team hit rock bottom, going 0–11.
In 2005, UCF started their first season
2005 UCF Golden Knights football team
The 2005 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his second season with the team...
as a member of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
. Not expected to improve much over 2004, they surprisingly won their first conference game against Marshall
Marshall Thundering Herd football
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision...
, 23–13, ending the school's 17 game losing steak, then the nations longest streak. UCF fans celebrated by storming the field and tearing down the goal posts. Students came back to the campus and celebrated further by jumping into UCF's Reflection Pond (a practice normally reserved for Spirit Splash). UCF then went on to win eight out of the remaining nine games on their schedule, finishing 7–1 in C-USA games, winning the East Division and hosting the first ever C-USA Championship game
Conference USA Football Championship
The Conference USA Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of Conference USA. From 1996–2004, the champion of Conference USA was determined by regular season record...
, which they lost, 27–44, to Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, UCF was invited to play in their first ever bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, the Hawaii Bowl
2005 Hawaii Bowl
The 2005 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl matched the UCF Knights against the . The fourth edition of the Hawaii Bowl was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and featured the WAC champions versus the Conference USA runner-ups. UCF was one of the nation's best stories of the season...
, losing to Nevada
Nevada Wolf Pack football
The Nevada Wolf Pack Football program represents the University of Nevada, Reno in college football. The Wolf Pack competes in the Western Athletic Conference at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of the NCAA...
49–48 in overtime due to a missed PAT that would have tied the game. In 2005 O'Leary was chosen by SportsIllustrated.com
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
for the coach of the year award and received votes for the larger Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award. In May 2006, UCF extended O'Leary's contract for 10 years and increased his pay to $1 million plus incentives per year after he engineered the fourth-best turnaround in college football history.
2006 UCF Golden Knights football team
The 2006 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his third season with the team...
go a mere 4–8, the team rebranded in 2007
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
in preparation for its move to its new on-campus venue, Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
. They dropped the "Golden" from their name, becoming the "UCF Knights". Fortunes seemed to have changed as the Knights moved into new facilities. After defeating a BCS school for just the second time ever, the NC State Wolfpack
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
, they inaugurated their new stadium by hosting and losing to the No. 6 ranked Texas Longhorns 32–35. The Knights lost to regional rival South Florida
2007 South Florida Bulls football team
The 2007 University of South Florida Bulls football team represented the University of South Florida in the 2007 college football season. Their head coach was Jim Leavitt, and the USF Bulls will played all of their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL...
64–12 in Tampa, but went on to have a 5–1 regular season at home and won the C-USA East again, hosting the Championship game against Tulsa once more. UCF defeated Tulsa in a near-reversal of the 2005 Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
Championship Game 44-25, thereby gaining UCF's first ever Conference Championship title. And a berth in the 2007 Liberty Bowl
2007 Liberty Bowl
The 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 29, 2007 at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee....
. Following UCF's victory, the Knights received 35 votes in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, but did not reach the top 25, ranking 27th. The Knights lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...
; 3–10 to Mississippi State
2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team
The 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2007 college football season. The team's head coach was Sylvester Croom, who served his fourth season in the position...
. The Knights went on to finish the year with its first 10 win season in the FBS. In 2007, Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith (running back)
Kevin Smith is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Central Florida.-Early years:Smith attended Southridge High School...
rushed for 2,567 yards, placing him 2nd on the NCAA's all-time single season rushing list behind Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
. Despite this, he was not selected even as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
or the Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
. He also was the only running back in the 2007 season to rush for more than 100 yards against the Texas Longhorns. He was a fan favorite, especially with student section at Brighthouse Networks Stadium. Smith originally stated that he would return for his senior season at UCF, however, he later changed his mind, announcing on January 6, 2008 that he would declare for the NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He went with the first pick in the third round, to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
After a lackluster 4-8 season in 2008, UCF bounced back with an 8-4 record in 2009, including winning their last six straight C-USA games. Among those wins was their first victory over a nationally-ranked team, beating then #12 Houston
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
on November 14, 37–32 at Bright House Networks Stadium. UCF finished the 2009 season 8–5, with a 45–24 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
in the St. Petersburg Bowl
2009 St. Petersburg Bowl
The 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's, formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, was the second edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game began at 8:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009, was...
, their third bowl appearance in five years.
Death of Ereck Plancher
On March 18, 2008, running back Ereck Plancher collapsed shortly after a conditioning drill and was immediately attended to by UCF athletic trainers. He was then transported to a nearby hospital where he died approximately one hour later. According to four UCF football players interviewed by the Orlando SentinelOrlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
, Coach O'Leary verbally abused Plancher throughout the workout, and continued to push the young man to perform despite what they reported to be obvious physical signs that Plancher was in no shape to continue. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's "Outside The Lines
Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines, or also referred to as OTL, is an American television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" and examines critical issues in American sports on and off the field of play....
" program on November 2, 2008 interviewed players who were at the training session at which Plancher became ill, and which after he died, and stated that the session was longer and far more rigorous than O'Leary and other UCF Athletics officials have admitted to publicly. They also alleged that O'Leary and other coaches had initially warned players off from providing assistance to Plancher when he became visibly distressed. UCF medical records appear to indicate that UCF coaches and trainers knew that Plancher had sickle-cell trait
Sickle cell trait
Sickle cell trait describes a condition in which a person has one abnormal allele of the hemoglobin beta gene , but does not display the severe symptoms of sickle cell disease that occur in a person who has two copies of that allele...
which could lead to problems, and even death, during high-intensity workouts.
After a 14–day trial in 2011, a jury found the UCF Athletics Association guilty of negligence in the death of Plancher. The jury awarded each of his parents $5 million.
Godfrey: 2010–present
Entering the 2010 season, with the recruitment of Jeffrey Godfrey and return of key seniors, including Bruce MillerBruce Miller (American football)
Bruce Miller is an American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Bruce has been playing football since he was 3 feet tall on the SCRA Redskins. His high school coach was the legendary Mike O'Brien, who holds 6 state titles and 2 national titles...
, there were high hopes for the Knights. After winning 5 straight games, and posting an 11-game conference winning streak, the Knights were ranked for the first time in school history following their nationally televised 40–33 victory over the Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
on the road. For the polls released on November 7, 2010, UCF was ranked in all three major college polls. The Knights were ranked 25 in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 25 in the Harris Poll. In their first game as a nationally ranked squad, the Knights fell 21–31 to Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles represent The University of Southern Mississippi in Division I athletics. The teams compete in Conference USA....
in Orlando. UCF would bounce back and defeat Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
61–14 and Memphis
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
37–17. With the wins, the Knights secured the Eastern Division championship and reentered the polls.
The Knights would go on to win the 2010 Conference USA championship game
2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game
The 2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game presented by HotelPlanner.com was played on December 4, 2010 at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, FL. The game was played between the UCF Knights, winner of Conference USA's East Division, and the SMU Mustangs, the winner the West...
, defeating SMU
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
17–7. Following the win, UCF entered the BCS Standings
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
for the first time in program history, ranking #25. The Knights ended the 2010 season with a 10–6 victory over Georgia
2010 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2010 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in 2010. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' tenth season for head coach Mark Richt...
in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2010 Liberty Bowl (December)
The 2010 Liberty Bowl, also known as Autozone Liberty Bowl, was the fifty-second edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game started at 3:30 PM US EST on December 31, 2010...
, marking the teams first-ever bowl victory. UCF would end the season ranked 20th in the final coaches poll and 21st in the final AP rankings.
2011
2011 UCF Knights football team
The 2011 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights played in the Eastern Division of Conference USA, and played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida...
proved to be a disappointing season as UCF finished with a losing record, and were not bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. The season included out-of-conference losses to FIU
FIU Golden Panthers football
The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
and BYU, as well as conference losses to then-winless UAB, a 1–point loss to then-ranked #23 Southern Miss and the continuation of the Knights woes at quarterback, as Jeff Godfrey and Blake Bortles battled for playing time.
Coaches
| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%" class="wikitable"> | Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1981 | Don Jonas Don Jonas -Sources:* Bob Gill, “The Best Little Quarterback You Never Heard Of” on the Professional Football Researchers Association website.-References:... |
3 | 14–12–1 | .518 |
| 1982 | Sam Weir Sam Weir (football coach) Sam Weir is a former head coach of the Central Florida Knights college football program .-Head coaching record:-References:... |
1 | 0–10 | .000 |
| 1983–1984 | Lou Saban Lou Saban Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. Saban played for Indiana University in college and as a pro for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference... |
2 | 6–12 | .333 |
| 1984 | Jerry Anderson | Interim | 1–3 | .250 |
| 1985–1997 | Gene McDowell Gene McDowell -References:... |
13 | 87–61 | .587 |
| 1998–2003 | Mike Kruczek Mike Kruczek -External links:*... |
6 | 36–30 | .545 |
| 2003 | Alan Gooch Alan Gooch Alan Gooch is a former head coach of the University of Central Florida college football program from 2003. He coached the final two games of the 2003 season against Marshall and Miami University. Before that he was the assistant head coach from 1998 to 2003... |
Interim | 0–2 | .000 |
| 2004–Present | George O'Leary George O'Leary George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota... |
8 | 50–51 | .495 |
| Totals | 8 coaches | 33 seasons | 194–183–1 | .515 |
| Records are through the conclusion of the 2011 NCAA Season. | ||||
Stadium
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
, the Knights had played all of their home games at the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in downtown Orlando. While UCF was the primary leasing tenant for the facility, they received minimal revenue from football games, and the stadium's 70,000 seat capacity was seen as too large for UCF. With an average attendance of 30,000–40,000 people per game, the stadium was left with the appearance of being largely empty. In addition, the stadium was also located more than 10 miles (16 km) from UCF's main campus.
In 2005, the university proposed building a stadium on campus for the first time. Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium
Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I...
was originally planned to open in time for the 2006 football season, but neighborhood opposition delayed the time frame over a year. Stadium construction began in 2006 and was finished in time for the first 2007 UCF Knights football team
2007 UCF Knights football team
The 2007 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach is George O'Leary...
home game on September 15, 2007 against the Texas Longhorns. The seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of the stadium is 45,301 with plans for an expansion to 65,000 seats in the coming years. Although the Knights lost their first on-campus home game, they finished the remainder of the stadium's inaugural season undefeated, including the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
home opener against Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
. They hosted and won the 2007 C-USA Championship
Conference USA Football Championship
The Conference USA Football Championship Game is an annual postseason college football game played to determine the champion of Conference USA. From 1996–2004, the champion of Conference USA was determined by regular season record...
, defeating Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports team of the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane...
.
Rivalries
UCF, being a relatively young Bowl Subdivision team, has yet to establish any major long-term rivals. South Florida had a rivalry with UCF from 2005–2008, called The War on I-4The War on I-4 (college football)
The War on I-4 is an intercollegiate American football rivalry game between the University of South Florida Bulls and the University of Central Florida Knights...
. UCF hopes to continue a rivalry within the state seeking short-term contracts with the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
and the FIU Golden Panthers
FIU Golden Panthers football
The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
.
South Florida
UCF played the South Florida BullsSouth Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
in a four year home-and-home series, from 2005 to 2008. UCF was defeated in each game, including two home heart breakers in which UCF tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to watch South Florida secure the win. USF declined to continue the series, however, fans of the series look to the Bowl Season to see a future match up between the two schools (The St. Petersburg Bowl has both Big East and C-USA as tie-ins).
| Date Played | USF | UCF | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2005 | USF University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
31 | UCF | 14 | Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
| September 16, 2006 | USF University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
24 | UCF | 17 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
| October 13, 2007 | USF University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
64 | UCF | 12 | Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
| September 6, 2008 | USF University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
31 | UCF | 24 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
Marshall
The Marshall Thundering HerdMarshall Thundering Herd football
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision...
has been considered UCF's main rival due to the amount of meetings and the comparable size of the programs. Both teams joined the FBS a year apart and made the switch to C-USA from the MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
in 2005. The similarities and histories between the two programs fuel the fire in this rivalry. UCF's first football victory over Marshall in 2005, ended the then Golden Knights' 17-game losing streak. In 2008, UCF played spoiler to Marshall, beating them to allow East Carolina to jump the Herd for the C-USA Eastern Division lead. Further aggravating the rivalry in 2009, not only did UCF win its game against the Herd in Orlando with 23 seconds on the clock, but in the summer of 2010 the Knights hired then Marshall head basketball coach Donnie Jones
Donnie Jones
Donald Scott Jones, Jr. is an American football punter for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Louisiana State University.-High school career:...
.
Since 2002 the two teams have faced off 10 times and UCF currently leads the series 7–3. UCF has not lost to Marshall as C-USA opponents, with the Knights winning the last seven meetings.
| Date Played | Marshall | UCF | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-American Conference from 2002–2004 | |||||
| September 20, 2002 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
26 | UCF | 21 | Joan C. Edwards Stadium Joan C. Edwards Stadium The Joan C. Edwards Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. It can hold 38,019 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, fourteen concession areas, and... |
| November 19, 2003 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
21 | UCF | 7 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
| October 30, 2004 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
20 | UCF | 3 | Joan C. Edwards Stadium Joan C. Edwards Stadium The Joan C. Edwards Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. It can hold 38,019 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, fourteen concession areas, and... |
| Both teams join Conference USA East Division in 2005 | |||||
| September 24, 2005 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
13 | UCF | 23 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
| October 4, 2006 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
22 | UCF | 23 | Joan C. Edwards Stadium Joan C. Edwards Stadium The Joan C. Edwards Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. It can hold 38,019 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, fourteen concession areas, and... |
| November 3, 2007 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
13 | UCF | 47 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| November 15, 2008 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
14 | UCF | 30 | Joan C. Edwards Stadium Joan C. Edwards Stadium The Joan C. Edwards Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. It can hold 38,019 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, fourteen concession areas, and... |
| November 1, 2009 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
20 | UCF | 21 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| October 13, 2010 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
14 | UCF | 35 | Joan C. Edwards Stadium Joan C. Edwards Stadium The Joan C. Edwards Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. It can hold 38,019 spectators and includes twenty deluxe, indoor suites, 300 wheelchair-accessible seating, a state-of-the-art press-box, fourteen concession areas, and... |
| October 8, 2011 | Marshall Marshall University Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.... |
6 | UCF | 16 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
Tulsa
The Knights and Tulsa Golden HurricaneTulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports team of the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane...
's played each other twice in Conference USA title games and split, in 2005 and 2007. Tulsa leads the series 3–2, with the Golden Hurricane winning twice in the regular season and once in the conference championship game.
| Date Played | Tulsa | UCF | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 3, 2005 | Tulsa University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by... |
44 | UCF | 27 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
| October 20, 2007 | Tulsa University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by... |
23 | UCF | 44 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| December 1, 2007 | Tulsa University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by... |
25 | UCF | 44 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| October 26, 2008 | Tulsa University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by... |
49 | UCF | 19 | H.A. Chapman Stadium |
| November 3, 2011 | Tulsa University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by... |
24 | UCF | 17 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
East Carolina
Another possible rivalry lies with a division rival, the East Carolina PiratesEast Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
. In several of the recent years, the match between UCF and ECU has determined the winner of the Eastern Division. In 2007, UCF's only conference loss came at the hands of the Pirates. UCF won the division anyway, and ultimately took the conference title.
In 2008, UCF was looking like they were going to ruin East Carolina's dreams of the Eastern Division title like they did to Marshall, but with a late rally, the Pirates won in overtime making the Pirates the first C-USA team to beat UCF in Bright House Networks Stadium. A loss at ECU also determined them as the Eastern Division champions in 2009, while a UCF win at home was the difference in 2010.
| Date Played | East Carolina | UCF | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2005 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
20 | UCF | 30 | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October... |
| November 4, 2006 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
23 | UCF | 10 | Citrus Bowl Citrus Bowl The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people.... |
| October 6, 2007 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
52 | UCF | 38 | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October... |
| November 2, 2008 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
13 | UCF | 10 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| September 26, 2009 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
19 | UCF | 14 | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October... |
| October 30, 2010 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
35 | UCF | 49 | Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium Bright House Networks Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Central Florida’s football team, nicknamed the Knights. Located in Knights Plaza on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, the stadium was the first on-campus stadium in NCAA Division I... |
| November 19, 2011 | East Carolina East Carolina University East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in... |
38 | UCF | 31 | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October... |
Conference championships
| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%" class="wikitable"> | Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | C-USA | 10–4 | 7–1 |
| 2010 | C-USA | 11–3 | 7–1 |
| Total Conference Titles | 2 |
Divisional championships
| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%" class="wikitable"> | Year | Division | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | C-USA East | 8–5 | 7–1 |
| 2007 | C-USA East | 10–4 | 7–1 |
| 2010 | C-USA East | 11–3 | 7–1 |
| Total Division Titles | 3 |
Conference championship games
UCF has appeared in the Conference USA Championship Game as the winner of the East three times, two of them playing Tulsa of the Western Division.| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="80%" class="wikitable"> | Year | Division Championship | C-USA CG Result | Opponent | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | C-USA East | L | Tulsa | 27 | 44 |
| 2007 | C-USA East | W | Tulsa | 44 | 25 |
| 2010 | C-USA East | W | SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
17 | 7 |
| Totals | 3 | 2–1 | 88 | 76 |
Bowl games
UCF has played in 4 bowl games in its history and owns a 1–3 record in those games. UCF has been bowl eligible for 4 of the past 7 seasons (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010).| Date | Bowl | Win/Loss | Opponent | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 24, 2005 | Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl 2005 Hawaii Bowl The 2005 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl matched the UCF Knights against the . The fourth edition of the Hawaii Bowl was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and featured the WAC champions versus the Conference USA runner-ups. UCF was one of the nation's best stories of the season... |
L | Nevada Nevada Wolf Pack football The Nevada Wolf Pack Football program represents the University of Nevada, Reno in college football. The Wolf Pack competes in the Western Athletic Conference at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of the NCAA... |
48 | 49 |
| December 29, 2007 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2007 Liberty Bowl The 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 29, 2007 at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.... |
L | Mississippi State 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team The 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2007 college football season. The team's head coach was Sylvester Croom, who served his fourth season in the position... |
3 | 10 |
| December 19, 2009 | St. Petersburg Bowl 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl The 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's, formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl, was the second edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game began at 8:00 PM US EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009, was... |
L | Rutgers 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team The 2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2009 college football season. Their head coach was Greg Schiano and they played their home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 9–4, 3–4 in Big East play and... |
24 | 45 |
| December 31, 2010 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2010 Liberty Bowl (December) The 2010 Liberty Bowl, also known as Autozone Liberty Bowl, was the fifty-second edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game started at 3:30 PM US EST on December 31, 2010... |
W | Georgia 2010 Georgia Bulldogs football team The 2010 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in 2010. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' tenth season for head coach Mark Richt... |
10 | 6 |
| Total | 4 bowl games | 1–3 | 85 | 110 |
Honored players
UCF retires a student-athlete's jersey but does not retire the respective jersey numbers. The Knights coaching staff can choose to reissue a given number, as the retirement of the jersey does not require that the number not be worn again.- 1 Wayne Densch
- 8 Daunte CulpepperDaunte CulpepperDaunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
- QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, 1995–1998 - 19 Joe BurnettJoe BurnettJoe Burnett is a CFL cornerback who currently plays for the Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football for the UCF Knights and high school football at Eustis High School in Eustis...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, 2005–2008 - 24 Kevin SmithKevin Smith (running back)Kevin Smith is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Central Florida.-Early years:Smith attended Southridge High School...
- Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, 2005–2007
Knights in the NFL
- Kamar AikenKamar AikenKamar Aiken is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Central Florida....
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Atari BigbyAtari BigbyAtari David Bigby is an American football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
- SafetyDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... - Joe BurnettJoe BurnettJoe Burnett is a CFL cornerback who currently plays for the Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football for the UCF Knights and high school football at Eustis High School in Eustis...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... - Paul CarringtonPaul Carrington (American football)Paul Carrington is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
- Defensive EndDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Daunte CulpepperDaunte CulpepperDaunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
- QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - Steve EdwardsSteve Edwards (football player)Steve Edwards is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Arizona Rattlers. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
- Offensive Tackle, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Travis FisherTravis FisherTravis Lamon Fisher is an American football cornerback who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Ryan FlinnRyan FlinnRyan Patric Flinn is a former American football punter. He played college football at the Central Florida.-College career:...
- Punter, Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Doug GabrielDoug GabrielDouglas Gabriel is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the Orlando Predators an Arena Football League team in Orlando Florida. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... - Michael GainesMichael GainesMichael J. Gaines is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
- Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - Michael GrecoMichael Greco (American football)Michael Greco is a professional American football safety for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Greco began his NFL career as a non-drafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2010....
- SafetyDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... - Cornell GreenCornell Green (offensive tackle)Cornell Duane Green is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1999...
- Offensive Tackle, Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Alex HaynesAlex HaynesAlex Haynes is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
- Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Darcy JohnsonDarcy JohnsonDarcy Johnson is an American football tight end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at UCF....
- Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Brandon MarshallBrandon Marshall-2006:Before the regular season even began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his PCL in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions. Although the injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks, he was able to return and play 15 games during the regular season. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309...
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Mike Merritt - Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... - Bruce MillerBruce Miller (American football)Bruce Miller is an American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Bruce has been playing football since he was 3 feet tall on the SCRA Redskins. His high school coach was the legendary Mike O'Brien, who holds 6 state titles and 2 national titles...
- FullbackFullback (American football)A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... - Jamar NewsomeJamar NewsomeJamar Newsome is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent in the NFL. He was signed by the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Central Florida.-Jacksonville Jaguars:...
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Elton PattersonElton PattersonElton Patterson is a professional American and Canadian football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- Defensive EndDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Matt PraterMatt PraterMatt Prater is an American football placekicker who plays for the Denver Broncos. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at the University of Central Florida, where he majored in psychology.-High school career:Prater attended...
- PlacekickerPlacekickerPlacekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Jah ReidJah ReidJah Reid is an American football offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCF.-Early years:...
- Offensive Tackle, Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his... - Asante SamuelAsante SamuelAsante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Mike Sims-Walker - Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Jacksonville JaguarsJacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Josh SittonJosh Sitton-Green Bay Packers:In 2010, he was named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate.On September 2nd, 2011, the Packers signed Sitton to a five-year contract extension.-External links:**...
- Offensive GuardGuard (American football)In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... - Kevin SmithKevin Smith (running back)Kevin Smith is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Central Florida.-Early years:Smith attended Southridge High School...
- Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - Torrell TroupTorrell Troup-Personal:Troup is the son of Tory Troup and Lashana Johnson. He played under the name Torell Johnson during his high school career and his first two seasons at Central Florida.-External links:**...
- Defensive Tackle, Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Knights in the Pro Bowl
- Daunte CulpepperDaunte CulpepperDaunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
- QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
: 2001, 2004, 2005 - Asante SamuelAsante SamuelAsante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
/Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 - Brandon MarshallBrandon Marshall-2006:Before the regular season even began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his PCL in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions. Although the injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks, he was able to return and play 15 games during the regular season. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309...
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
/Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
: 2009, 2010
Knights in the Super Bowl
- Atari BigbyAtari BigbyAtari David Bigby is an American football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
- SafetyDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
- XLVSuper Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in... - Michael GrecoMichael Greco (American football)Michael Greco is a professional American football safety for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Greco began his NFL career as a non-drafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2010....
- SafetyDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
- XLVSuper Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in... - Cornell GreenCornell Green (offensive tackle)Cornell Duane Green is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1999...
- Offensive Tackle, Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
- XXXVIISuper Bowl XXXVIISuper Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season... - Mike GruttadauriaMike GruttadauriaMichael Jason Gruttadauria is a former center who played eight seasons in the National Football League with the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals.-NFL center:...
- CenterCenter (American football)Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, St. Louis RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
- XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season... - Shawn JeffersonShawn JeffersonShawn Jefferson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 9th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
- XXIXSuper Bowl XXIXSuper Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
& New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
- XXXISuper Bowl XXXISuper Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American... - Darcy JohnsonDarcy JohnsonDarcy Johnson is an American football tight end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at UCF....
- Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
- XLIISuper Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season... - Charles LeeCharles Lee (American football)Charles Lee is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He has played for the Green Bay Packers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals....
- Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
- XXXVIISuper Bowl XXXVIISuper Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season... - Asante SamuelAsante SamuelAsante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
- CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
- XXXVIIISuper Bowl XXXVIIISuper Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
, XXXIXSuper Bowl XXXIXSuper Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
, XLIISuper Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season... - Josh SittonJosh Sitton-Green Bay Packers:In 2010, he was named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate.On September 2nd, 2011, the Packers signed Sitton to a five-year contract extension.-External links:**...
- Offensive GuardGuard (American football)In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
- XLVSuper Bowl XLVSuper Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
All-Americans
- Kevin SmithKevin Smith (running back)Kevin Smith is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Central Florida.-Early years:Smith attended Southridge High School...
- Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
: 2007 - Joe BurnettJoe BurnettJoe Burnett is a CFL cornerback who currently plays for the Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football for the UCF Knights and high school football at Eustis High School in Eustis...
- Kickoff returner: 2008
Schedule
On September 4, 2010, UCF announced that it had finalized its non-conference football schedule through 2013, and had games scheduled through 2017.Among the games scheduled are home-and-away series with BYU (2011 away, 2014 home), Akron
Akron Zips football
The University of Akron Zips are a college football program representing the University of Akron that competes in NCAA Division I FBS Mid-American Conference football...
(2012 away, 2013 home), South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
(2013 home, 2015 away) and UConn
Connecticut Huskies football
The Connecticut Huskies football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big East Conference. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and...
(2014 away, 2015 home). They also have home games against Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
(2011) and Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
(2012), and away games against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
(2012) and Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
(2017). Of note is that all of UCF's non-conference games in 2012 will be against FBS opponents.
The Knights will also participate in a 4-game series with FIU
FIU Golden Panthers football
The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
from 2011–2014, starting with an away game at FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
in Miami. The profile of this series was increased when FIU won the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
championship in 2010.
See also
- Marching KnightsMarching KnightsThe Marching Knights is the official marching band of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, USA....
- University of Central FloridaUniversity of Central FloridaThe University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
- University of Central Florida Alumni
- List of UCF Knights football seasons
- University of Central Florida Faculty and Administrators