UCF Athletics Historical Research - A Rich History

A CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETICS PROGRAM TAKES OFF IN 2010-11

UCF Athletics, founded during 1969-70, has been a program of tremendous growth since its inception over 40 years ago. UCF competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level, and is a proud member of Conference USA for all sports. UCF's intercollegiate sports programs for men include baseball, basketball, golf, football, soccer, tennis. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, outdoor and indoor track and field, tennis, and volleyball.

• Since joining Conference USA in 2005, UCF Athletics has quickly been able to shed the tag of a program in transition to one of championship competition in all sports.
• Several programs, including football, women's basketball, softball, women's indoor and outdoor track and field, women's soccer, women's rowing and men's golf, have all won team titles in recent seasons, while countless other student-athletes have garnered individual scholastic and athletic acclaim.
• Most recently, UCF placed 219 student-athletes on the 2010-11 Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll, the most student-athletes of any public school in the league for the fifth-straight year, and only behind private school Rice (220).
• Through new facilities, such as Bright House Networks Stadium, the UCF Arena, the Venue at UCF Arena, UCF Basketball Practice Center, Nicholson Fieldhouse, UCF Golf Practice Facility, UCF Softball Complex, UCF Intercollegiate Rowing Center and the new UCF Soccer and Track Stadium, the program now possesses many of the top venues in Conference USA and the Southeast.
• The UCF fan base will show up and 2010-11 was a clear indicator of such. Both football and men's basketball saw increases in their overall and per-game attendance averages from the previous season.  Men's basketball, which averaged 6,340 at the UCF Arena in 2010-11, continues to pace just behind Florida and Florida State in the state, while staying ahead of Miami and South Florida.
• It was estimated that UCF had over 20,000 fans in attendance for the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl, helping establish an attendance record for the sold-out game. Two years earlier, in 2007, UCF also helped the AutoZone Liberty Bowl establish an attendance record of 63,816 by selling its entire school ticket allotment.  This past season, UCF estimated to have approximately 10,000 fans attend the 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
• In four years since Bright House Networks Stadium opened, over one million fans have attended UCF home football games.
• Since 2005, and through the completion of the 2010-11 academic year, UCF Athletics will have been host for over at least 20 major tournaments or championship events, including the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship at LPGA International, three Conference USA Football Championship Games and the 2008 C-USA Women's Basketball Championship.
• When the Knights suited up for the 2010-11 year, they were wearing one of the world's most prestigious sports logos - the NIKE "Swoosh." The new agreement outfits each of the Knights' 16 intercollegiate sports teams and more than 450 student-athletes in NIKE footwear, uniforms, practice gear and equipment.
• The 2010 December holiday season was extra special for the UCF fan base. For the first time in program history the football and men's basketball programs were nationally-ranked in the nation's top 25 at the very same time. Through mid-spring, UCF is the only school in the country to have had football, men's basketball, baseball, men's and women's soccer, and women's indoor and outdoor track and field ranked this season. 

UCF Athletics

• 86 NCAA Division I Team Tournament Appearances
• 113 All-Time Postseason Tournament Team Appearances
• 92 NCAA Division I Individual Tournament Appearances
• 108 All-Americans
• 67 Division I All-Americans
• 110 National Academic Honors
• 817 All-Conference Selections
• 130 Freshmen All-Conference Selections
• 89 Conference Player of the Year Awards
• 51 Conference Coach of the Year Awards
• 85 Conference Champions (Team)
• 76 Conference Champions (Individual)

UCF Athletics since joining Conference USA

• 24 NCAA Division I Team Tournament Appearances
• 67 NCAA Division I Individual Tournament Appearances
• 28 All-Americans
• 33 National Academic Honors
• 167 All-Conference Selections
• 44 Freshmen All-Conference Selections
• 23 Conference Player of the Year Awards
• 11 Conference Coach of the Year Awards
• 14 Conference Champions (Team)
• 20 Conference Champions (Individual)

Football

• 2010 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Champions
• Top 20 ranking and progam-best 11 wins in 2010
• Two-time Conference USA Championships in 2007 and 2010
• Three-time Conference USA East Division Championships in 2005, 2007 and 2010
• Four bowl appearances since 2005
• Led by three-time C-USA Coach of the Year George O'Leary
• Six Conference USA Players of the Year since joining the league in 2005
• 220 Commissioner's Honor Roll selections since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 10 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining Conference USA
• One of 39 football programs in 2009-10 to be recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for graduating 75-percent or more of its student-athletes
• Eight NFL Draft picks under Coach O'Leary (as of 2010)
• 12 former Knights in the NFL in 2010, including Pro Bowler Asante Samuel and Brandon Marshall
• Former Knights have played in seven Super Bowls, winning four

Men's Basketball

• Four NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2005
• Went undefeated in 2010 non-conference action with major victories over No. 16 Florida, Miami and South Florida
• Earned first national ranking in program history in December 2010
• Ranked as high as No. 18 in the Associated Press poll in 2010 and spent a total of four weeks in the polls
• Five All-Conference USA selections since joining the league in 2005
• Three Conference USA All-Freshman Team selections the past two seasons
• Sacramento Kings guard Jermaine Taylor earned All-America and Conference USA Player of the Year honors during senior season in 2008-09
• Plays in the brand-new state-of-the-art, 10,000-seat UCF Arena
• Twenty Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• Earned the Conference USA Institutional Academic Excellence Award winner in 2009-10 for the highest team GPA of all men's basketball teams that season
• Averaged a school-record 5,411 fans in 2009-10, the third-highest attendance ranking in the state behind Florida and Florida State, and posted better marks than USF and Miami

Women's Basketball

• 2009 and 2011 Conference USA Champions
• Joi Williams, 2008-09 Conference USA Coach of the Year
• Four (4) NCAA Tournament Appearances (1996, 1999, 2009, 2011)
• Seven Division I Conference Championships in Program History
• 32 all-time All-Conference Selections
• Two (2) C-USA Championship MVPs
• Program boasts former student-athlete Tari Phillips, who since starred in the WNBA
• Represented Conference USA in the 2010 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament
• 26 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• Three recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining Conference USA
• Named Conference USA's Institutional Academic Excellence Award winner in 2005-06, for the highest team GPA of all women's basketball teams that season

Baseball

• 10 NCAA Regional Appearances
• 10 Conference Championships at the Division I Level
• 80 Major League Baseball draft picks since 1979
• Six Major League Baseball Players, including Mike Maroth, Esix Snead, Chad Mottola, Clay Timpner, Drew Butera and Matt Fox
• 12 All-Americans
• Terry Rooney's recruiting classes in 2009-2011 were all ranked in the top-25 in the country
• Ranked as high as No. 7 in the country in 2001
• Have defeated at least one ranked team every season since 2007
• Four Conference Players of the Year and Three Coach of the Year honors
• Two Golden Spikes Award finalists, Tim Barker (1985) and Chris Duffy (2010)
• Baseball attendance has averaged over 1,000 patrons per game the past three seasons, including at least one crowd of over 2,000 at the ballpark
• 117 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 12 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA
• Named Conference USA's Institutional Academic Excellence Award winner in 2008-09, for the highest team GPA of all baseball teams that season

Softball

• Three NCAA Regional appearances
• Defeated No. 1 ranked Florida in the 2008 NCAA Tournament
• Program started by current head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie in 2002
• 2008 Conference USA Champions
• Two C-USA Championship Game appearances
• 15 all-conference selections since joining the league in 2006
• Six C-USA All-Freshman Team selections
• 13 C-USA Championship All-Tournament Team selections and one MVP selection
• 10 All-Region selections under Renee Luers-Gillispie
• Eight Academic All-District selections all-time
• Six C-USA All-Academic Team picks since 2006
• 14 Player of the Week honorees since joining C-USA
• Garnered a program-record 14 votes in the USA Today/NFCA Poll on May 13, 2008
• Won a program-record 49 games and secured the C-USA Championship crown in 2008
• Three Knights have gone on to play in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league
• All three former Knights played in the NPF Championship, with two winning titles
• Moved to the UCF Softball Complex in Spring 2006
• Had two C-USA Spirit of Service honorees since 2006
• 52 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selections since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 16 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

Men's Soccer

• Earned program's first national ranking in 2010
• Posted an improvement of six wins from 2009 to 2010, one of the largest in Division I.
• Earned the No. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament; the highest since joining the league in 2005.
• Eight home wins in 2010 were the most by any team in the state of Florida.
• In 2010, junior Warren Creavalle earned the program's first All-American since 1997
• Set a program record in 2010 and tied Tulsa with three players on the All-Conference USA First Team.
• Defeated USF, 3-0, in it's first-ever NCAA Tournament home game to advance to play in the Second Round for just the second time in program history
• 70 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 13 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

Women's Soccer

• Leads all Florida schools with 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including Second Round appearances in each of the last four seasons and two trips to the NCAA College Cup
• Posted nine seasons of 15 wins or more in 12 years under head coach Amanda Cromwell
• Has won conference championships in 13 of the previous 18 seasons
• Earned a national seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and in 2010
• Boasts three U.S. National Team players in its history in Michelle Akers, Amy Allmann and Kim Wyant, while Andrea Rodrigues earned a CAP for the Portugal National Team in 2010
• Cromwell also was a U.S. National Team player from 1991-98 and was an assistant coach for the National Team in January 2009 and the U-20 National Team that won the World Cup in 2008
• Has one Hermann Award winner and 16 NSCAA All-Americans
• Nine student-athletes have received NSCAA Collegiate Scholar All-America accolades since 1989
• Eight Knights have been voted as conference players of the year
• Former student-athlete Michelle Akers was named one of the top 100 soccer players in the world, male or female, by legendary sport figure, Pele, in 2002
• 92 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 16 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

Men's Tennis

• Has made three trips to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bobby Cashman
• Six student-athletes have garnered All-Conference USA honors
• Twenty-six Knights have earned spots on the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll
• Hosted the 2009 Conference USA Championship at the UCF Tennis Complex, and will host the event again in 2012

Men's Golf

• Has claimed three-consecutive Conference USA Championship titles
• Has played in five-straight NCAA Regional tournaments
• In two campaigns under head coach Bryce Wallor, has won six tournament titles
• Since joining Conference USA, the Knights boast nine all-league selections
• Seven student-athletes have earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors
• Three Knights have received Golf Coaches Association of America All-District honors since 2005

• Eight NCAA Regional appearances, including back-to-back trips in 2008 and 2009
• UCF has finished in the top four at the C-USA Championship in four of the school's five years in the conference.
• Three former student-athletes have competed in the U.S. Open
• Senior Katie Detlefsen won the LPGA's Dinah Shore Trophy and was named the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2010
• 48 All-Conference selections, including 13 during the current Conference USA era
• 2009 Hurricane Invitational Champions, the program's first tournament title since 2002
• Five-time conference champions
• Six individual participants in the prestigious NCAA Championship
• 23 Commissioner's Honor Roll selections since joining Conference USA in 2005
• Five recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

• Seven NCAA Tournament Appearances (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003)
• Setter Jenny Frank earned the program's first All-America honor in 2003
• Eight AVCA All-District Team selections all-time
• Jenny Heppert earned the program's first Academic All-America honor in 2008
• Five Academic All-District selections all-time, including two under Todd Dagenais
• Three All-Conference selections since joining C-USA, all under Todd Dagenais
• Four C-USA All-Academic Team honorees since 2005, including three under Todd Dagenais
• Earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the first time in program history after posting a 3.384 team GPA during the 2009-10 school year
• Former Knight Tyra (Harper) Turner was one of the top money-earning women on the AVP Tour before it folded in 2010
• Historically, UCF posted a 36-0 conference record from 1993-97, won five-consecutive conference titles and made four-straight NCAA appearances
• 38 Commissioner's Honor Roll selections since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 10 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

• Joined Conference USA for rowing in 2009-10
• Opened the UCF Intercollegiate Rowing Center in 2009
• NCAA Championship Regatta participant in 2007
• Two All-Conference Selections in First Year of New League
• 27 National Scholar-Athletes
• Former student-athlete, Krystina Sarff, was a three-time All-American in 2006, 2007 and 2008
• 172 Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll selections since 2006
• 27 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

• 2010 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Champions
• 2010 Conference USA Coach of the Year Caryl Smith Gilbert
• 58 Individual Conference Champions in Program History
• Five NCAA All-Americans, all under Caryl Smith Gilbert
• 14 NCAA Championship Participants since Joining Conference USA
• Sophomore Jackie Coward became the first Outdoor All-American in program history
• 60 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005
• 13 recipients of the Commissioner's Academic Medal for a 3.75 GPA or higher since joining C-USA

• 30 All-Conference Selections
• Two Academic All-Americans
• NCAA South Regional participant
• Annual hosts of the Black & Gold Challenge and the Knight Attack Challenge, held on the new home course for UCF Cross Country
• 50 Commissioner's Honor Roll Selection since joining Conference USA in 2005