Back when playing an Ivy League school was a really big deal (photo & flashback)
- By Brandon
- The Dungeon - Knights Only
- 20 Replies
A few months back, I acquired this vintage UCF t-shirt on eBay:
It wasn't the first time I've seen the shirt - @ProAttitude wore it to a game a couple seasons ago:
The t-shirt doesn't give a date, but the game was played on Oct. 2, 1993 and it seemed to be one of the "marquee" games of the pre-I-A/FBS era, all due to the name of the opponent (Yale Football was not good).
Original Sentinel recap from the game, written by Jerry Greene:
The University of Central Florida Knights would like to believe they are lucky and good. There was no doubt Saturday about how lucky they were to rally for a 42-28 victory Saturday over the tenacious Yale Bulldogs at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
"Look at it this way," said UCF receiver and game hero David Rhodes, "it turned out to be a great game to watch."
Indeed. Sloppy but thrilling with 11 turnovers (six by UCF, five by Yale). And in the end it took two players, Rhodes and Gerod Davis, to carry the ball on the winning touchdown.
Davis began, taking the handoff on a fullback draw at the Yale 13 with less than a minute to play and UCF trailing 28-27. He fought for 10 yards but had the ball knocked out of his hands and into the air. Rhodes grabbed the free-falling ball and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
Knights safety Richard Blake added some cushion a few seconds later by intercepting a Yale pass and running 42 yards for an additional touchdown to pump up the final score.
The Knights (3-1) may be ranked No. 16 and climbing in the NCAA's Division I-AA poll and Yale (0-3) may go home still without a victory, but anyone who played in or watched this game knows how fortunate the Knights were to overcome their own mistakes and the Bulldogs' courageous effort.
"Living right pays off," Knights coach Gene McDowell said. "I said all week that Yale plays hard and was not devoid of talent."
More:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-10-03-9310030044-story.html
And George Diaz wrote a gameday column:
The 1936 Heisman Trophy rests inconspicuously on a table, assigned no particular reverence among a stack of game programs, plaques and other mementos.
Above a fireplace in the coach's office is a portrait of 1937 Heisman winner Clint Frank. Scattered about are yearbooks and faded photographs chronicling the nation's most prestigious college football program.
Yale University proudly embraces its traditions, indifferent to the passage of time.
For the University of Central Florida, there are no traditions. UCF longs for change, for progress.
Today, the schools meet at the Florida Citrus Bowl - the fading bulldog vs. the eager puppy, offering conspicuously different views of what football has become.
This game is about change, a collision between new and old.
UCF dreams. Yale defiantly stands still. Both struggle to fill their stadiums.
While many of the nation's institutions develop their football programs into million-dollar industries, jostle for prime-time jocks and pander to network and cable programmers, Yale maintains its loyalty to academics.
Athletes are not offered grants-in-aid. No network television appearances are scheduled. Football practice is permitted in the spring, but for just one day. (UCF will have 15 days of spring practice.)
"They're not here to play football. They are here to get an education. Football is part of that education. I feel it should be that way every place in the country."
At UCF, there are no national titles, no Heismans in the coach's office.
More:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-10-02-9310021056-story.html
It wasn't the first time I've seen the shirt - @ProAttitude wore it to a game a couple seasons ago:
The t-shirt doesn't give a date, but the game was played on Oct. 2, 1993 and it seemed to be one of the "marquee" games of the pre-I-A/FBS era, all due to the name of the opponent (Yale Football was not good).
Original Sentinel recap from the game, written by Jerry Greene:
The University of Central Florida Knights would like to believe they are lucky and good. There was no doubt Saturday about how lucky they were to rally for a 42-28 victory Saturday over the tenacious Yale Bulldogs at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
"Look at it this way," said UCF receiver and game hero David Rhodes, "it turned out to be a great game to watch."
Indeed. Sloppy but thrilling with 11 turnovers (six by UCF, five by Yale). And in the end it took two players, Rhodes and Gerod Davis, to carry the ball on the winning touchdown.
Davis began, taking the handoff on a fullback draw at the Yale 13 with less than a minute to play and UCF trailing 28-27. He fought for 10 yards but had the ball knocked out of his hands and into the air. Rhodes grabbed the free-falling ball and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
Knights safety Richard Blake added some cushion a few seconds later by intercepting a Yale pass and running 42 yards for an additional touchdown to pump up the final score.
The Knights (3-1) may be ranked No. 16 and climbing in the NCAA's Division I-AA poll and Yale (0-3) may go home still without a victory, but anyone who played in or watched this game knows how fortunate the Knights were to overcome their own mistakes and the Bulldogs' courageous effort.
"Living right pays off," Knights coach Gene McDowell said. "I said all week that Yale plays hard and was not devoid of talent."
More:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-10-03-9310030044-story.html
And George Diaz wrote a gameday column:
The 1936 Heisman Trophy rests inconspicuously on a table, assigned no particular reverence among a stack of game programs, plaques and other mementos.
Above a fireplace in the coach's office is a portrait of 1937 Heisman winner Clint Frank. Scattered about are yearbooks and faded photographs chronicling the nation's most prestigious college football program.
Yale University proudly embraces its traditions, indifferent to the passage of time.
For the University of Central Florida, there are no traditions. UCF longs for change, for progress.
Today, the schools meet at the Florida Citrus Bowl - the fading bulldog vs. the eager puppy, offering conspicuously different views of what football has become.
This game is about change, a collision between new and old.
UCF dreams. Yale defiantly stands still. Both struggle to fill their stadiums.
While many of the nation's institutions develop their football programs into million-dollar industries, jostle for prime-time jocks and pander to network and cable programmers, Yale maintains its loyalty to academics.
Athletes are not offered grants-in-aid. No network television appearances are scheduled. Football practice is permitted in the spring, but for just one day. (UCF will have 15 days of spring practice.)
"They're not here to play football. They are here to get an education. Football is part of that education. I feel it should be that way every place in the country."
At UCF, there are no national titles, no Heismans in the coach's office.
More:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-10-02-9310021056-story.html
UCF Winspedia - All time opponents
- By LWR_Knight
- The Dungeon - Knights Only
- 18 Replies
Winsipedia - UCF Knights football all-time record, wins, and statistics - Big 12 Conference
Winsipedia - Database and infographics of UCF Knights (Big 12) football all-time record, national championships, conference championships, bowl games, wins, bowl record, All-Americans, Heisman winners, and NFL Draft picks
www.winsipedia.com
So I was looking at UCF’s all time football opponents and enjoyed seeing some of the random non FBS teams we have played over the years and noticed we played Yale at one point?
I googled and found no luck of the game. Did it happen? If so, did anyone attend?
I also imagine due to our early FBS beginnings and now being in our 4th FBS conference, we have to have some of the highest total different FBS opponents.
