1993 UCF Golden Knights football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 12
Record9–3
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Kruczek (9th season)
Defensive coordinatorRon McCrone (2nd season)
Home stadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
Seasons
← 1992
1994 →
1993 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Troy State ^   –   11 – 0 – 1
Youngstown State ^   –   10 – 2 – 0
UAB   –   9 – 2 – 0
Wagner   –   9 – 2 – 0
No. 12 UCF ^   –   9 – 3 – 0
No. 24 Towson   –   8 – 2 – 0
No. 19 Western Kentucky   –   8 – 3 – 0
Hofstra   –   6 – 3 – 1
Saint Mary's   –   6 – 3 – 1
Davidson   –   6 – 4 – 0
Central Connecticut   –   5 – 5 – 0
Liberty   –   5 – 5 – 0
Marist   –   5 – 5 – 0
Samford   –   5 – 6 – 0
Duquesne   –   4 – 6 – 0
Saint Francis   –   3 – 7 – 0
Charleston Southern   –   3 – 8 – 0
Monmouth   –   2 – 5 – 0
Buffalo   –   1 – 10 – 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1993 UCF Golden Knights football season was the fifteenth season for the team and Gene McDowell's ninth as the head coach of the Golden Knights. Earning their eighth winning season in 1993, with a 9–3 overall record, UCF made the playoffs for the second time in four years.[1] Also during the season, the Golden Knights won their first game over a Division I-A team, a 38–16 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Starting in 1993 (and continuing through the 2006 season), the program was nicknamed the "Golden Knights." Before 1993 (and since 2007), UCF's sports programs were simply known as the "Knights." The name change was proposed in 1993 by then athletic director Steve Sloan as a way to boost the popularity of the program and to boost merchandise sales.[2]

At 6-1 by late October, it was the best start in school history. Their only loss early on was to East Carolina, a Division I-A team. The Golden Knights won three of their last four regular season games, finished 9-2-0 and advanced to the Division I-AA Playoffs. The Golden Knights were defeated in the first round by Jim Tressel's Youngstown State Penguins by the score of 56-30. The Penguins would go on to win the 1993 Division I-AA championship.

Schedule

The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 11No. 12 (D-II) Valdosta StateNo. 23
W 35–3011,033
September 18at East CarolinaNo. 20
L 17–4130,867[3]
September 25No. 10 McNeese StateNo. 22
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 22–310,759[4]
October 2YaleNo. 16
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 42–2823,489[5]
October 9No. 9 SamfordNo. 16
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 48–178,081
October 16Western IllinoisNo. 11
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 35–1712,857
October 23at Bethune–CookmanNo. 11
W 34–145,500
October 30at No. 5 Troy StateNo. 6
L 15–295,100
November 6LibertyNo. 13
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 55–198,688
November 13BuffaloNo. 12
  • Florida Citrus Bowl
  • Orlando, FL
W 42–77,609
November 20at Louisiana TechNo. 12
W 38–164,000[6]
November 27at No. 7 Youngstown StateNo. 12
L 30–567,408

References

  1. ^ "Division I-AA Football Comes to Orlando: Part 5 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  2. ^ "Central Florida to drop 'Golden' from Knights nickname". USA Today. April 15, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "East Carolina ruins UCF's road show". The Orlando Sentinel. September 19, 1993. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Knights bank on defense". The Orlando Sentinel. September 26, 1993. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Greene, Jerry (October 3, 1993). "UCF yanks victory from Yale". The Orlando Sentinel. p. C-1. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "UCF rips first I-A foe, awaits playoff berth". The Orlando Sentinel. November 21, 1993. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.


Categories