Saw @knightswhosayNI post his old ticket snub on Twitter. This was actually the first UCF game I attended, though I think I had a Ticketmaster type stub.
I found this Orlando Sentinel story published prior to the game. Did Dr. Hitt actually call it back then???
UCF PINS HIGH HOPES ON BIG-TIME FOOTBALL
August 29, 1996
The University of Central Florida's football team enters a new era today, playing its first contest in college football's elite ranks of Division I-A.
But the move up, university leaders say, isn't just about glorious autumn victories.
Although they anticipate struggling at first, UCF officials say playing in I-A could in the next five or 10 years yield dividends for the entire university.
They say prime-time football will boost UCF's visibility, attract better students, net more alumni donations, generate revenue, and spark school and community spirit.
But many college administrators say reaping such benefits requires more than a I-A team; it demands a winning I-A team. National champions and Top 25 schools make millions and earn fame, but life for many of the nation's 111 Division I-A programs is rather ordinary.
And for perennial losers, I-A can be a source of ridicule.
When Kansas State University didn't win a game in 27 tries in the late 1980s, school spirit and image took a beating. According to an infamous campus joke back then, a parking infraction didn't get you a ticket; it got you two tickets to the football game.
"Football is the window through which many people view a university," said Bob Krause, Kansas State's vice president who oversees student and alumni affairs. "If it's in disarray, right or wrong they assume the whole university is in disarray."
But if a football program is a winner, it raises the prestige of the entire school, UCF President John Hitt said. And he says the UCF Golden Knights will do just that.
"I see no reason why in time we can't become a real contender . . . win a conference, be in a major bowl, be in the running for a national championship," Hitt said.
More:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1996-08-29-9608282100-story.html
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