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After 28 Seasons, UCF Has A Home

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By JOEY JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

It's not just another game. Kevin Smith, the University of Central Florida's junior running back, said he can anticipate the emotions Saturday afternoon when the No. 6-ranked Texas Longhorns visit the Knights to christen UCF's on-campus $65-million Bright House Networks Stadium.

'I think it's going to be overwhelming,' Smith said. 'I can't wait.'

In less than 18 months - with funding from private donations, naming-rights contributions, suite and club-seat leases and corporate sponsorships - the 45,000-seat facility has risen in east Orlando. Knights coach George O'Leary predicts it forever will change the profile of UCF football, which began in 1979 and played 28 seasons at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

'When I got hired in December 2003, it was just a concept, and from what I can gather, that concept had been around for a long time,' O'Leary said. 'But the president John Hitt asked me, 'Would an on-campus stadium help get the program moving?' And I was like, 'Are you kidding?' Then he started moving.

'There has never been a venue like this on UCF's campus. The Citrus Bowl was good, but even though it was a home site, it was really an away game. Now UCF will have college football in the appropriate setting, like everybody else.'

Well, almost everybody else.

There are nine programs in BCS conferences that play in off-campus facilities, including the University of South Florida Bulls, who recently extended their contract with Raymond James Stadium through 2016 (the Bucs retain the first $2 million in profits from parking and concessions at all of the stadium's non-Bucs events, a figure that has never been surpassed at USF games).

An on-campus stadium for USF? It never was under serious consideration when the program was formed in the 1990s. Bulls athletic director Doug Woolard calls it a back-burner issue for the moment, although he visualizes a day when it could happen.

'It's on the radar screen, just like new or improved facilities for several of our sports,' Woolard said. 'But to get it to fruition, there's the financial piece. Either a big booster or a combination of people gets something like that rolling. We're fortunate to have a beautiful place to play now.'

For now, USF accentuates the positives of playing in a comfortable, accessible NFL stadium. Recruits are told they can compete on the same turf that will host Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

'We play in a big-time place,' USF sophomore quarterback Matt Grothe said.

The only thing missing is a surrounding campus.

'I wish there was more green and not so much red Bucs' color in Raymond James, but what are you going to do?' USF senior communications major Brittany Link said. 'I don't think we're missing out. Honestly, I've seen UCF's stadium and it doesn't compare to Raymond James. We've got seatbacks.'

'I get a little frustrated when USF has a national TV game and there's that Bucs' flag logo at midfield,' said Brandon Faza, a USF graduate now in medical school at Miami. 'I commonly tell people if I ever make it big and become rich, I'd donate an on-campus facility to USF and I'd name the field after Coach Jim Leavitt. It would do wonders for school spirit. It's something I'm hoping for in the future.'

Susan Welsh, a prominent USF booster who served on the school's original football feasibility committee, said she doesn't foresee an on-campus facility for the Bulls - ever.

'We'd never have a better place to play than the one we have right now,' Welsh said. 'More and more students are coming to the games. There are too many logistical issues - Where's the money? Where's the land? - and we're already in a desirable place.'

It's not a bad argument, one based in financial practicality.

But at UCF, there's a different feeling.

Cue the slogan: 'The Knights Are Coming Home.'

The powerful Longhorns are headed to Orlando as part of an ESPN-brokered 2-for-1 scheduling deal. The game is sold out. UCF football has something to sell.

'My first job was at Notre Dame, and I still remember those Friday mornings when all the RVs poured into the parking lots, with all those people getting geared up for Saturday,' said Thomas Keon, dean of UCF's college of business administration. 'Football brings people back to campus. We're going to get alumni back on our campus who haven't been here in 15 years. I'm sure of that.'

What will they witness?

'We're going to be part of UCF history,' said Smith, the running back. 'This stadium is going to be the foundation of our recruiting. A lot more kids will be interested in this program, not only because of the stadium, but what we do in that stadium.'

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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