The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university with its main campus in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida. With 68,442 students as of the fall 2022 semester, UCF has the fourth-largest on-campus student body of any public university in the United States. UCF is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products.
The UCF Knights football team represents the University of Central Florida in the sport of American football. The Knights compete in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are a member of the Big 12 Conference. Their head coach is Gus Malzahn. The Knights play their home games at the 48,000-seat FBC Mortgage Stadium, which is located on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States.
Addition Financial Arena is a sports and entertainment arena located near Orlando in Orange County, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It was constructed beginning in 2006 as a replacement for the original UCF arena, and as a part of Knights Plaza. The arena is home to the UCF Knights men's and women's basketball teams. The arena also hosted the annual Science Olympiad in 2012 and 2014.
The Marching Knights are the official marching band of The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, USA. The Marching Knights are the largest and the most visible student organization at the University of Central Florida. They are known for their high-energy performances and unique drill designs. Their musical selections are also notable for including a variety of genres.
FBC Mortgage Stadium is an American football stadium located near Orlando in Orange County, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It is the home field of the UCF Knights of NCAA Division I FBS college football; also it was home of the now defunct Orlando Apollos during the first and only 2019 season of the Alliance of American Football.
Sebastian the Ibis is the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes of University of Miami. He is an anthropomorphic white ibis with a Miami Hurricanes football jersey, number 0.
Lake–Sumter State College is a public college with multiple campuses in Central Florida: three campuses in Lake and Sumter Counties; the original campus in Leesburg; the South Lake Campus in Clermont; and the Sumter Campus in Sumterville. It is a member of the Florida College System. The college also partners with The Villages Charter High School as a dual enrollment site.
The UCF Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I as a member of the Big 12 Conference. Since men's soccer is not sponsored by the Big 12, they play in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Nova Southeastern Sharks are the athletic teams that represent Nova Southeastern University, located in Davie, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) since the 2002–03 academic year. The Sharks previously competed in the Florida Sun Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1990–91 to 2001–02.
The Central Florida Future was the independent weekly student newspaper of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. The Future was one of the largest student-run newspapers in the United States, with a circulation of 14,000 and readership of over 30,000. It was a member of the USA Today network.
The War on I-4 is a college rivalry between the University of Central Florida Knights and University of South Florida Bulls. The rivalry is best known for its college football matchup which originated in a series of football games played from 2005 to 2008 and now takes place on Thanksgiving weekend, the de facto "rivalry weekend" for FBS football. From 2013 to 2023, when both schools were part of the American Athletic Conference, the schools began competing annually in all sports both schools sponsored. In 2016, the schools officially adopted the "War on I-4" as an official competition series. Each year, the team with the most wins across all sports receives a gold trophy styled after an Interstate 4 (I-4) road sign with the logos of each school. The winner of the annual football game also receives a similar trophy.
Knights Plaza at University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as Knights Plaza, is an athletic village and shopping center on the main campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, United States. The plaza consists of housing for more than 2,000 students in four towers, 183,000 square feet (17,000 m2) of commercial space, the 10,000-seat Addition Financial Arena, and the 2,300-seat Venue at UCF Arena. The design of the plaza and its mixed use appeal to students, faculty, and surrounding residents, making it a popular community destination.
Marco the Bison is the official costumed mascot of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He is an American Bison dressed in the home uniform of the school. Marco's name developed from a mix of the university's name at the time, Marshall College. Marshall became a University in 1961, but the name for Marco stuck.
Pegasus is the official academic logo, symbol and mascot of the University of Central Florida (UCF) a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States.
George Joseph O'Leary is a former American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1994 to 2001 and the UCF Knights from 2004 to 2015. He was famously hired in 2001 to be the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish but resigned after five days for lying on his resume. O'Leary was an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2002 to 2004, and an assistant coach for the Syracuse Orange and San Diego Chargers.
Todd Stansbury is a Canadian–American university sports administrator and former college athlete. Stansbury is the former athletic director for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets sports program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He previously served as executive associate athletic director at Oregon State, assistant athletic director for academics at Georgia Tech, associate athletic director at the University of Houston, and athletic director at East Tennessee State University, the University of Central Florida, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The Citronaut was the first mascot of Florida Technological University (FTU), which later became the University of Central Florida (UCF). The mascot appeared on the first student handbook in 1968–1969. The Citronaut is a legacy mascot that is still in use today.
The 2017 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights played their home games at the newly renamed Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and competed in the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by second year head coach Scott Frost.
