List of UCF Knights football seasons

Last updated

Bright House Networks Stadium from Student Section, Sept. 15.jpg
FBC Mortgage Stadium, the Knights' home field
UCF at the Texas goal line.jpg
UCF playing Texas at FBC Mortgage Stadium, then Bright House Networks Stadium, in 2007

The UCF Knights college football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), representing the University of Central Florida in the Big 12 Conference. Since the program's first season in 1979 under Don Jonas, the Knights have played more than 517 games, with over 290 victories. UCF has won six division titles (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018), six conference championships (2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), and has made ten postseason appearances since joining FBS, including three BCS/NY6 bowl games. [1] The Knights also claim a National Championship for the 2017 season, as recognized by the Colley Matrix. The Knights' current head coach is Gus Malzahn. The Knights have played their home games at FBC Mortgage Stadium, located on the main campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida, since 2007.

Contents

UCF began as a Division III program, moving in succession to Division II, Division I-AA (FCS), and subsequently completed their ascension to Division I-A (FBS) in 1996. Initially a Division I-A Independent the Knights first moved into a "Group of Five" conference in 2002, and then into a "Power Five" conference in 2023. [2] In doing so, the Knights became the first NCAA football program to play at all four sanctioned levels. As a Division I–AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs. [3]

After George O'Leary took over the program, the Knights gained national prominence as members of C-USA and later the AAC. O'Leary guided UCF to their first division title (2005), first conference championship (2007), first bowl game (2005), first bowl victory (2010), first appearance/victory in a New Year's Six game (2014), first national rankings, [4] [5] and numerous other milestones and superlatives.

The Knights' main rivals are the South Florida Bulls; other historic rivals include East Carolina and Marshall. UCF has played one Consensus All-American, Kevin Smith in 2007, and produced three Heisman Trophy candidates, Daunte Culpepper in 1998, Kevin Smith in 2007, and McKenzie Milton in 2017 and 2018. The program has also produced a long-line of NFL players. [6] Playing in fourteen Super Bowls and including four pro-bowlers, the list most notably includes Blake Bortles, Brandon Marshall, Bruce Miller, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Prater, Asante Samuel, and Josh Sitton.

Seasons

YearCoachOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs Coaches#AP°
Don Jonas (Division III Independent)(1979–1981)
1979 Don Jonas6–2
1980 Don Jonas4–4–1
1981 Don Jonas4–6
Sam Weir (Division II Independent)(1982)
1982 Sam Weir0–10
Lou Saban (Division II Independent)(1983–1984)
1983 Lou Saban5–6
1984 Lou Saban [7] 1-6Fired
Jerry Anderson (Interim)(Division II Independent)(1984)
1984 Jerry Anderson1-3
Gene McDowell (Division II Independent)(1985–1989)
1985 Gene McDowell4–7
1986 Gene McDowell6–5
1987 Gene McDowell9–4L NCAA Division II Semifinal
1988 Gene McDowell6–5
1989 Gene McDowell7–3
Gene McDowell (FCS Independent)(1990–1995)
1990 Gene McDowell10–4L NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal
1991 Gene McDowell6–5
1992 Gene McDowell6–4
1993 Gene McDowell9–3L NCAA Division I-AA First Round
1994 Gene McDowell7–4
1995 Gene McDowell6–5
Gene McDowell (FBS Independent)(1996–1997)
1996 Gene McDowell5–6
1997 Gene McDowell5–6
Mike Kruczek (FBS Independent)(1998–2001)
1998 Mike Kruczek9–2
1999 Mike Kruczek4–7
2000 Mike Kruczek7–4
2001 Mike Kruczek6–5
Mike Kruczek (Mid-American Conference)(2002–2003)
2002 Mike Kruczek7–56–22nd (East)
2003 Mike Kruczek [8] 3–72–4Fired
Alan Gooch (Interim)(Mid-American Conference)(2003)
2003 Alan Gooch0–20–25th (East)
George O'Leary (Mid-American Conference)(2004)
2004 George O'Leary0–110–87th (East)
George O'Leary (Conference USA)(2005–2012)
2005 George O'Leary8–57–11st (East)L Hawai'i
2006 George O'Leary4–83–54th (East)
2007 George O'Leary10–47–11st (East)L Liberty
2008 George O'Leary4–83–5T-4th (East)
2009 George O'Leary8–56–22nd (East)L St. Petersburg
2010 George O'Leary11–37–11st (East)W Liberty 2021
2011 George O'Leary5–73–55th (East)
2012 George O'Leary10–47–11st (East)W Beef 'O' Brady's
George O'Leary (American Athletic Conference)(2013–2015)
2013 George O'Leary12–18–01stW Fiesta †1210
2014 George O'Leary9–47–1T–1stL St. Petersburg
2015 George O'Leary [9] 0–80–4Resigned
Danny Barrett (Interim)(American Athletic Conference)(2015)
2015 Danny Barrett0–40–46th (East)
Scott Frost (American Athletic Conference)(2016–2017)
2016 Scott Frost6–74–43rd (East)L Cure
2017 Scott Frost13–08–01st (East)W Peach †76
Josh Heupel (American Athletic Conference)(2018–2020)
2018 Josh Heupel12–18–01st (East)L Fiesta †1211
2019 Josh Heupel10–36–22nd (East)W Gasparilla 2424
2020 Josh Heupel6–45–3T–3rdL Boca Raton
Gus Malzahn (American Athletic Conference)(2021–2022)
2021 Gus Malzahn9–45–33rdW Gasparilla
2022 Gus Malzahn9–56–2T–2ndL Military
Gus Malzahn (Big 12 Conference)(2023–present)
2023 Gus Malzahn6–73–6T–9thL Gasparilla
Total:293-234-1
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Daunte Culpepper</span> American football player (born 1977)

    Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft.

    Michael Francis Kruczek is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the Offensive Coordinator, under his son Garrett Kruczek, the head football coach for The Master’s Academy of Florida.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">UCF Knights football</span> Football team representing the University of Central Florida

    The UCF Knights football team represents the University of Central Florida (UCF) 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, making UCF the youngest school among the Power Five conferences. Their head coach is Gus Malzahn. The Knights play their home games at the 45,000-seat FBC Mortgage Stadium, which is located on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">UCF Knights</span> Athletic program of the University of Central Florida

    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.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 UCF Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 2007 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his fourth season with the school. The season was highlighted by the completion of their new on-campus stadium. The Knights moved out of the aging Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando, and began playing their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium, located on the main campus of UCF in east Orlando, Florida. In addition, the team changed its nickname from "Golden Knights" back to simply "Knights." From its inception in 1979 to 1992, the football team had been known as the Knights, then used the name "Golden Knights" from 1993 until 2006.

    Alan Gooch is an American sports executive and former college football coach. He is the executive director of the Orlando Sports Foundation (OSF), which raises funds and awareness for cancer research and sponsors the Cure Bowl, a bowl game played each December in Orlando, Florida. Gooch spent most of this coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Central Florida (UCF). In 1997, he was the inaugural recipient of the AFCA NCAA Division I-A Assistant Football Coach of the Year. Gooch served as the interim head coach for the final two games of UCF's 2003 season following the dismissal of Mike Kruczek.

    The 2009 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach was George O'Leary, in his sixth season with the team. Coaching changes included new offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe. For the third season, the UCF Knights played all of their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium on the school's main campus in Orlando, Florida.

    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 nationally televised rout of Houston on November 5. For the third time in six years, UCF won the Conference USA Eastern Division and later, became Conference USA champions for the second time in four seasons. As a result, the Knights appeared in the Liberty Bowl, in which they defeated Georgia 10–6, for the first bowl victory in program history. UCF finished the season ranked in both final national polls, 20th in the Coaches Poll, and 21st in the AP Poll.

    Jeffrey Godfrey IV is a former American football Slotback. Godfrey played for the University of Central Florida Knights. He led the Knights to the Conference USA Championship in his freshman year (2010), becoming the first true freshman quarterback to win an FBS conference championship game.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">George O'Leary</span> American football coach and college athletics administrator

    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.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 2001 UCF Golden Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Their head coach was Mike Kruczek, who was in his fourth season with the team. The season marked the Golden Knights last season as an independent. In 2002, UCF joined the Mid-American Conference in the East Division, the first conference for the Golden Knights since ascending to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996.

    The 2012 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2012 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. The Knights were led by head coach George O'Leary, who was in his ninth season with the team.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 1995 UCF Golden Knights football season was the seventeenth season for the team and eleventh for Gene McDowell as the head coach of the Golden Knights. The team finished with a 6–5 overall record. The season marked UCF's last in Division I-AA, as the Golden Knights moved to Division I-A in 1996. The 1995 season also featured the debut of UCF's new freshman quarterback, Daunte Culpepper.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 1996 UCF Golden Knights football season was the eighteenth season for the team and Gene McDowell's twelfth as the head coach of the Golden Knights. McDowell's 1996 team compiled a 5–6 overall record. The season marked UCF's first as a member of Division I-A, officially joining on September 1, 1996. At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 1997 UCF Golden Knights football season was the nineteenth overall season for the team, and second season as an NCAA Division I-A Independent. It would be the thirteenth and final season for head coach Gene McDowell. McDowell's 1997 team finished with a 5–6 overall record, matching the record from the previous season. McDowell would resign at season's end in the wake of a cell phone fraud scandal. His tenure as head coach came to a close after compiling an 86–61 record. To-date, McDowell still has the most wins as head coach in program history.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 1998 UCF Golden Knights football season was the twentieth season overall for the team, and third season as an NCAA Division I-A Independent. After the resignation of Gene McDowell, Mike Kruczek became the new head coach of the Golden Knights. Kruczek led UCF to a 9–2 record in 1998, the program's best season at the time. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting and set a then-NCAA record for completion percentage (73.4%). UCF received a tentative verbal agreement to play in the Oahu Bowl. However, the arrangement fell through in the final week of the season.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 UCF Golden Knights football team</span> American college football season

    The 1999 UCF Golden Knights football season was Mike Kruczek's second year as the head coach of the Golden Knights. Looking to build on the success of a nine-win season the year before, the Knights visited five high-profile opponents. Kruczek led UCF to an overall record of 4–7. With the departure of Daunte Culpepper to the NFL Draft, the quarterback duties were taken over by college journeyman Vic Penn. On two occasions, the Golden Knights nearly upset a major SEC opponent on the road.

    The 1992 UCF Knights football season was the fourteenth season for the team and eighth for Gene McDowell as the head coach of the Knights. McDowell's 1992 team posted 6–4 overall record. During the 1992 season, Dr. John Hitt, UCF's fourth president, announced that the program would make the move to Division I-A (FBS) in 1996.

    The 2015 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Knights were members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference, defending conference co-champions, and played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida. The Knights were led by head coach George O'Leary, who was in his 12th and final season with the team. After starting the season 0–6, O'Leary resigned as UCF's interim athletic director, a position he had held since June when Todd Stansbury left for the same position at Oregon State. Following UCF's 59–10 defeat by Houston on homecoming, dropping the Knights to an 0–8 record, O'Leary resigned as head football coach. Quarterbacks coach Danny Barrett served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

    References

    General:

    In-text:

    1. ↑ "UCF Football History". University of Central Florida Athletics. 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
    2. ↑ Vannini, Chris (July 12, 2023). "Inside UCF's rise from D-III to Big 12 and what's next: 'This could be the premier place'". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
    3. ↑ "Division I–AA Football Comes to Orlando". University of Central Florida Athletic Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
    4. ↑ "UCF ranked No. 23 in coaches poll and No. 25 in AP, vaulting into Top 25 for first time in school history". Orlando Sentinel. November 7, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
    5. ↑ "UCF ranked No. 25 in latest USA Today coaches poll". Orlando Sentinel. November 28, 2010. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
    6. ↑ "UCF Knights Football Record by Year".
    7. ↑ After a 1–6 start to the season, Saban stepped away from the program and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry Anderson.
    8. ↑ Head Coach Mike Kruczek was fired following a 3–7 start. Kruczek was replaced by assistant coach and former player Alan Gooch who finished out the season.
    9. ↑ Following UCF's 59–10 defeat to Houston on homecoming, this dropped the Knights to an 0–8 record. As a result, O'Leary resigned as head coach. Quarterbacks coach Danny Barrett served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.