UCF Knights football

NCAAFootballSchool
TeamName = UCF Knights football

---

ImageSize = 200px
HeadCoachDisplay = George O'Leary
HeadCoachLink = George O'Leary
HeadCoachYear = 3rd
HCWins = 23
HCLosses = 27
HCTies =
Stadium = Bright House Networks Stadium
StadCapacity = 45,301
StadSurface = Grass
Location = Orlando, Florida
ConferenceDisplay= C-USA
ConferenceLink = Conference USA
ConfDivision = East
FirstYear = 1979
AthlDirectorDisp = Keith Tribble
AthlDirectorLink = Keith Tribble
WebsiteName = UCF Athletics
WebsiteURL = http://www.ucfathletics.com/
ATWins = 163
ATLosses = 149
ATTies = 1
ATPercentage = 0.522
BowlWins = 0
BowlLosses = 2
BowlTies =
NatlTitles =
ConfTitles = 1
Heismans =
AllAmericans = 2
Color1 = Black
Color1Hex = 000000
Color2 = Gold
Color2Hex = CC9900
FightSong = UCF Fight Song
MascotDisplay = Knightro
MascotLink = Knightro
MarchingBand = Marching Knights
PagFreeLabel =
PagFreeValue =

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

Home field

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

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

Program history

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

Gene McDowell took over as head coach and athletic director in 1985. During his tenure, the program moved up to Division I-AA in 1990 and was a playoff team in 1990 and 1993. [ [http://www.i-aa.org/section_front.asp?arttypeid=568 Division I-AA Playoffs and Facts] ] . In 1996, the program made its foray into Division I-A. In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E1DB1E38F932A15752C0A96E958260 PLUS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL - CENTRAL FLORIDA; Coach Quits After Guilty Plea - New York Times ] ] , McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998 and was replaced by Mike Kruczek on an interim basis. He would receive the position permanently later in 1998.

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

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

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

In 2005, UCF started their first season as a member of Conference USA. Not expected to improve much over 2004, they surprisingly won their first conference game against Marshall, 23-13, and finished 7-1 in C-USA games, winning the East Division and hosting the first ever C-USA Championship game, which they lost, 44-27, to Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, UCF was invited to play in their first ever bowl game, the Hawaii Bowl, losing to Nevada 49-48 in overtime.

After an anemic 2006 which saw the Golden Knights go a mere 4-8, the team rebranded in 2007 in preparation for its move to its new on-campus venue, Bright House Networks Stadium. They dropped the "Golden" from their name, becoming the "UCF Knights". After defeating a BCS school for the second time ever, the NC State Wolfpack, they inaugurated their new stadium by hosting — and almost beating — the No. 6 ranked Texas Longhorns. Although embarrassed by regional rival South Florida 64-12 in Tampa, the Knights went on to a 5-1 regular season at home and won the C-USA East again, hosting the Championship game against Tulsa once more. This time, the Knights won, 44-25, and clinched their first Conference USA football title and a berth in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.The Knights lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis,TN; 10-3 to Mississippi State.

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

Rivals

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

Additionally, UCF has played USF (University of South Florida) for the past four years, from 2005 to 2008. UCF has been defeated at 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. UCF is now 0 for 4 in the series, including a lopsided loss (64-12) at the hands of the then #5 ranked USF Bulls in 2007. 2008 saw USF hand UCF yet another loss (only their 2nd loss in the short history of BrightHouse Networks Stadium).

Division History

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

Conference Championship appearances

* 2005 Conference USA Football Championship
* 2007 Conference USA Football Championship

Conference Championships

* 2007 Conference USA Conference Champions

Bowl appearances

* 2005 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl
* 2007 AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Retired numbers

* 8 Daunte Culpepper - Quarterback, 1995-1998

Knights in the NFL

* Atari Bigby - Safety, Green Bay Packers
* Paul Carrington - Defensive End, Denver Broncos [ [http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Players/Active/Paul_Carrington.aspx] ]
* Daunte Culpepper - Quarterback, Free-Agent
* Steve Edwards - Offensive Tackle, New York Giants
* Travis Fisher - Cornerback, Detroit Lions
* Ryan Flinn - Punter, Miami Dolphins
* Doug Gabriel - Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
* Michael Gaines - Tight End, Detroit Lions
* Cornell Green - Offensive Tackle, Oakland Raiders
* Alex Haynes - Running Back, Carolina Panthers
* Darcy Johnson - Tight End, New York Giants
* Brandon Marshall - Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
* Mike Merritt - Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs
* Elton Patterson - Defensive End, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Matt Prater - Placekicker, Denver Broncos
* Asante Samuel - Cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/college?letter=u Current NFL Players] ]
* Josh Sitton - Offensive Guard, Green Bay Packers
* Kevin Smith - Running Back, Detroit Lions
* Mike Walker - Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars

Knights in the Super Bowl

* Cornell Green - Offensive Tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Super Bowl XXXVII
* Mike Gruttadauria- Center, St. Louis Rams - Super Bowl XXXIV
* Shawn Jefferson - Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers - Super Bowl XXIX & New England Patriots - Super Bowl XXXI
* Darcy Johnson - Tight End, New York Giants - Super Bowl XLII
* Charles Lee - Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Super Bowl XXXVII
* Asante Samuel - Cornerback, New England Patriots - Super Bowl XXXVIII, Super Bowl XXXIX, Super Bowl XLII

External links

* [http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/facilities/ucf-brighthouse.html Official Bright House Networks Stadium website]

Notes

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

References