UCF Football: More than just football
What comes to your mind when you hear the words “UCF Football?” Is it the bounce house full of energy on a Saturday night? Is it the words “CHARGE ON” that send chills down your back? Do you think about the players that have come and gone, but left their mark on UCF history with their stories and success? So what is it for you? For me, it is the inspiring story from the history of the team that has gotten them to where they are today.
The UCF football team has made their mark on not only campus, not only the city of Orlando, but the country. The team has attracted the eye of so many over the last few years, with their high energy, their motivation to go 1–0 every week, and their strive to win as a team, as “1OHANA.” But it has not been an easy battle to get to where they are today, they have gone through so many struggles, and so many losses, but all the roads led them to success.
So, what has happened to lead them to today? What is the story that made the fans so committed? Let’s rewind a bit and look at the history.
In 2015 the football team went defeated. The stands were scattered with just a few people, with signs like “beat somebody.” Needless to say the bounce house was not bouncing in 2015, it was not a football school, honestly no one really cared about the team that year. But things took a turn in 2016, with a new coach Scott Frost coming in and with the help of the athletic director Danny White, the team started to get into a groove that no one knew would turn them into such a memorable team.
Coach Frost lead the team to some great wins, and with quarterback McKenzie Milton under his wing, the wins just kept happening. In 2016 the team went 6–7, which may not be perfect, but it was the turning point.
In 2017 UCF had a year that no one will ever forget. The team went undefeated. Coach Frost will forever be the coach that turned the team around and beat everyone they went up against, ranked 6th in the final AP poll, and won the Peach Bowl game against Auburn. Who knew? Who knew that the recent defeated team could have such an inspiring turn around story in such little time?
But this was not all that made the school and fans care so much and come together…
With such victory, the road since then has not been smooth for UCF. Scott Frost announced on December 2, 2017 that he would be accepting the head coaching job in his home of Nebraska. White then hired new coach Josh Heupel who had the difficult job of continuing Frosts’ work and success. Students and fans were upset, but were thankful for Frost and hopeful for Heupel.
Unfortunately, it did not begin easy for Heupel. On November 23, 2018, our loved quarterback Mckenzie Milton made the stands go silent with a season ending injury, that he still has not recovered from. This injury has had a big impact on how the team has transformed to what they are today. Milton suffered from a dislocated knee, and ruptured an artery, which has him out of playing for over a year. The love and support for him is never ending for not only the team, but the fans. It has played a huge part in how close the city of Orlando has come to bond over the love for him and the team, and how they have reformed the team to work around it. With this love and support from his fellow Knights, there has been nothing but encouragement for him, and our back up quarterback Darrell Mack Jr. for saving the game. Milton is recovering strong and is doing the work to get back on the field for his team.
In 2018 the team went 12–1with the unfortunate loss in the Fiesta Bowl, but that does not say anything about not only the skill of this team, but what they have done for their fans.
So where did these successes and struggles lead to?
With all of that occurring, a fan base was quickly growing. Since then, the students, the alumni, people out of state, they are all cheering for the Knights.
Since these events that happened over the past few years, it has made the campus, community, and country take a 180 turn with their view of the team. This football team is not just a team anymore; it is a family. With their slogan “1OHANA” since the injury of Milton, this and other sayings have helped bring the team, the school, and the Orlando area together as “Orlando’s hometown team.”
Not only is Orlando affected, but there are other college football teams that do not want to play UCF. With their high energy on the field, the stands colored in black and gold, and their feet pounding the house and losing their voices, there is no surprise of a team being a bit nervous to face those boys.
I sat down with Danny White to talk to him about this team, and he had a lot to say. I asked him how the success of the team has contributed to the growth and reputation of the school, this is what he had to say,
“Over the last couple years UCF brand has become a national house hold name. Football is our highest profile sport, all of our games are on national television. It has done a lot for the university, the applications are at an all time high, but what is exciting is we are still so young, it is only getting started.”
White said it well, it is only getting started. The team has made their mark on the school, and future students, as they have attracted so many to attend the school to be apart of something great. With sold out games, this team has not just created a story for themselves, but everyone around them as well.
White told me that his long term five- year goal for the football team is, “sustaining this level of success. It is hard to be more successful than we have been, being 30–3 in the last three years. Sustaining it is sometimes harder than building it, as our team is finding out… we kind of have a bullseye on our back every time we play.”
How will the team stay at the success level they are at now? Can they keep the bounce house bouncing on Saturdays?
This team has had so much effect, and the only thing that will change is more fans, more talk about them, and more wins. Milton is coaching and hopes to play again soon, the football team has turned into a group that no one will forget, and the students have never been more hyped to watch some football. This team Orlando’s hometown team, and they do not plan on changing that anytime soon. So, whether you have been a lifelong fan, or recently hopping on the UCF football train, what comes to your mind when you hear “UCF Football?” I think there are some goosebumps down everyone’s back, the sight of the bounce house in full swing on a Saturday night, and thinking about all the players who have made this team who they are today. I think there is a bit of all of that when we hear those words, and I think that is because of the inspiring story. Go Knights!