We were so used to the second half crash with GOL!

[Poolside Knight]

give it enough time and you'll see how overrated GOL was as a head coach.

Houston fired a head coach that was winning 8 games a year for Herman and had their 12-1 season, monster recruiting, and now probably another 12-1 season or better is coming. UCF is on that same level when it comes to Program Potential and I think we even have a better fanbase than Houston but we followed the Fiesta year with dismal recruiting and a free fall.

 

[UCFProf]

this depends upon your definition of bad years. If your definition is almost winning some big games or being a scrappy team then yes. For what it is worth that was better than getting creamed like most other small programs did. But Kruz went 9-2 in his first year but then went 4-7, 7-4, 6-5, 7-5, 3-9. One signature win against a P-5 team against Alabama who went 3-8 that year.

I agree that having GOL as AD and Key as head coach in waiting was a disaster. I was very vocal that GOL should not be the AD. It makes me glad for 0-12 as he might still be AD and Key as coach. I think only an absolute disaster would have completely dislodged GOL and it was time for him to go.

Don't forget Kruczek's amazing first year in the MAC, a conference that viewed us as inferior (that year included a suicidal OOC schedule of ranked teams). Schneider and his our receivers were lighting things up. He finish at just about 500 (he didn't coach the last two games) despite the last season. Attendance was doing reasonable well at the crumbling Citrus bowl. Finally, everyone seems to forget that Kruczek signed a 3 year contract extension before his last season!

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Before GOL, we weren't so bad when you think of the other programs that existed at the same time. We did alot for a young program and with little resources. Our program before going Division 1 was receiving good press as well. Im not going to get into another GOL and his budget argument because he chose a direction to build this program and UCF went along with it. You can get away with your statement on how no coach wanted a part of our program in 2003. I just know there's 40 plus programs that wouldve killed for our hype at such a young age. There was definitely some positives.

I think there were positives, I just think they were mostly in the minds of UCF fans. It was all part of the kool-aid. I enjoyed my time as a UCF fan at all points in my life. But man there was a point where I had to ask myself "how much longer do I have to wait"? How many more times do we have to "almost succeed" at something before we can truly celebrate a turning of the program? When can I stop talking about morale victories and start talking about real ones? I can definitively say that that point came while GOL was coach and as a result of his influence on the program. No doubt that GOL also rode the wave of the increase funding and commitment that the school put into the program. But that was also a condition of his hire. I am not convinced at a young up and coming coach would have brought the legitimacy to the program that GOL did.[/QUOTE]

I disagree. We were lucky to get the little media coverage for being such a young program. it was much more than what MAC teams and other smaller conferences were receiving. You ask yourself how much longer do you wait was relevant. UCF was a growing school in a market with one pro team and a fertile recruting state. You have reason to wonder when the corner would be turned. It couldve easily been done but we decided to go down the GOL path instead. Im glad he helped with the foundation but i have a feeling if we paid a coach the same money and they demanded the same things but also promised wins sooner we wouldve turned that corner you were talking about immediately. We wouldnt need to wait until 2010 to start beating all kinds of teams.

 

[Nautiknight]

You are right we did get into the Division II playoffs a few times

We were setting attendance records for Division 2 in the late 80s. Those were some heady days.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Don't forget Kruczek's amazing first year in the MAC, a conference that viewed us as inferior (that year included a suicidal OOC schedule of ranked teams). Schneider and his our receivers were lighting things up. He finish at just about 500 (he didn't coach the last two games) despite the last season. Attendance was doing reasonable well at the crumbling Citrus bowl. Finally, everyone seems to forget that Kruczek signed a 3 year contract extension before his last season!

When we signed with the MAC, there was hopes that we wouldve done for it like FSU did for the ACC. The GOL apologists also seem to forget that before joining, we were already 10-4 against them in non-conference play. Thats not kool aid. Thats fact. So of course we are expected to trend up when it came to playing them. Kruczek was apparently a coach in demand but of course the naysayers will take apart his interest in the Kentucky job and that they didnt really want him, set up, etc. Yes we also left a bad taste in their mouth because we went in bragging we were going to take over the conference. What do you expect when your record against them before hand was this good?

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

Nice to humiliate ECU. Hope they regroup and came back and beat duh*bulls...Go Pirates!

I think USF might squash ECU badly! JHMO

 

[SCKnight]

I disagree. We were lucky to get the little media coverage for being such a young program. it was much more than what MAC teams and other smaller conferences were receiving. You ask yourself how much longer do you wait was relevant. UCF was a growing school in a market with one pro team and a fertile recruting state. You have reason to wonder when the corner would be turned. It couldve easily been done but we decided to go down the GOL path instead. Im glad he helped with the foundation but i have a feeling if we paid a coach the same money and they demanded the same things but also promised wins sooner we wouldve turned that corner you were talking about immediately. We wouldnt need to wait until 2010 to start beating all kinds of teams.

It could've easily gone the other way too. you can't just say some other coach would have done better faster. that is just pure speculation. It is even more likely that UCF would have been stuck in limbo like so many other mid-major programs. That is speculation as well but it is just as likely. you can only judge your success against other like programs and outside of Boise no other program can match our accomplishments. Houston is on the rise but still does not have the hardware we have.

 

[SCKnight]

When we signed with the MAC, there was hopes that we wouldve done for it like FSU did for the ACC. There is that hope word. It did not work out that way and Kruz talked S%&t and could not back it up. More "what ifs"

The GOL apologists also seem to forget that before joining, we were already 10-4 against them in non-conference play. Thats not kool aid. Thats fact. It is also fact that we never won so much as a division title let alone a championship in the MAC. No bowl appearances, nothing. We were a complete bust and MAC teams used to make fun of us because of it and what Kruz was saying.

So of course we are expected to trend up when it came to playing them. Kruczek was apparently a coach in demand but of course the naysayers will take apart his interest in the Kentucky job and that they didnt really want him, set up, etc. Yes we also left a bad taste in their mouth because we went in bragging we were going to take over the conference. What do you expect when your record against them before hand was this good? I did not expect anything at the time; I was a UCF fan, and at that time you learned to curb your expectations. That has changed dramatically today. Kruz was never offered a single job while at UCF as far as I know. Evidently Kentucky did interview him but in the end made no offer. Kruz was a great Div-AA offensive mind. He did not have what it took to be a head coach which is why he never became one after leaving us.

 

[pittstoner74]

give it enough time and you'll see how overrated GOL was as a head coach.

Houston fired a head coach that was winning 8 games a year for Herman and had their 12-1 season, monster recruiting, and now probably another 12-1 season or better is coming. UCF is on that same level when it comes to Program Potential and I think we even have a better fanbase than Houston but we followed the Fiesta year with dismal recruiting and a free fall.

Sumlin left for A&M.

 

[SiberianKnightmare]

Don't let facts get in the way of good story.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

When we signed with the MAC, there was hopes that we wouldve done for it like FSU did for the ACC. There is that hope word. It did not work out that way and Kruz talked S%&t and could not back it up. More "what ifs"

The GOL apologists also seem to forget that before joining, we were already 10-4 against them in non-conference play. Thats not kool aid. Thats fact. It is also fact that we never won so much as a division title let alone a championship in the MAC. No bowl appearances, nothing. We were a complete bust and MAC teams used to make fun of us because of it and what Kruz was saying.

More than hopes. Facts indicate trending upward due to UCF's 10-4 record versus the MAC before joining. Regardless of what happened that was a fact. No one will dare question whether FSU would do well as a member of the ACC because their record coming in right? So why minimize the fact that while our record wasnt as good as FSUs overall, we had an impressive record against MAC teams before joining thus the pressure of doing well was justified. No you want to lay it all on blind hopes and prayers which is not true.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

I did not expect anything at the time; I was a UCF fan, and at that time you learned to curb your expectations. That has changed dramatically today. Kruz was never offered a single job while at UCF as far as I know. Evidently Kentucky did interview him but in the end made no offer. Kruz was a great Div-AA offensive mind. He did not have what it took to be a head coach which is why he never became one after leaving us.

See now youre just using your personal anecdote on how to deal with being a UCF fan. Your personal anecdote doesnt mean we were treated lesser than most MAC teams. It doesnt mean schools like Troy, Georgia Southern, UAB and other programs had a better upside. The first two took their time in making the jump, unlike us who had a vision but unfortunately wasn't organized good enough to fulfill it.
When GOL was hired coach, compared to other coaches of his caliber hired at other schools, no one said those new coaches were going to take a school bowling or a make a big difference. No one said Frank Solich at Ohio is going to be a big deal. No one said when Tulane hired the ex UCLA coach it was going to be a big deal? Why? Its not because its GOL. Coaches like Tommy Tuberville and Terry Bowden wanted a chance to coach at UCF. Its because its UCF and lots of college sports related people were sold on them.

 

[SCKnight]

See now youre just using your personal anecdote on how to deal with being a UCF fan. Your personal anecdote doesnt mean we were treated lesser than most MAC teams. It doesnt mean schools like Troy, Georgia Southern, UAB and other programs had a better upside. The first two took their time in making the jump, unlike us who had a vision but unfortunately wasn't organized good enough to fulfill it.
When GOL was hired coach, compared to other coaches of his caliber hired at other schools, no one said those new coaches were going to take a school bowling or a make a big difference. No one said Frank Solich at Ohio is going to be a big deal. No one said when Tulane hired the ex UCLA coach it was going to be a big deal? Why? Its not because its GOL. Coaches like Tommy Tuberville and Terry Bowden wanted a chance to coach at UCF. Its because its UCF and lots of college sports related people were sold on them.

Dude, I have no idea what you are driving at. I never indicated any of these things.

 

[SCKnight]

More than hopes. Facts indicate trending upward due to UCF's 10-4 record versus the MAC before joining. Regardless of what happened that was a fact. No one will dare question whether FSU would do well as a member of the ACC because their record coming in right? So why minimize the fact that while our record wasnt as good as FSUs overall, we had an impressive record against MAC teams before joining thus the pressure of doing well was justified. No you want to lay it all on blind hopes and prayers which is not true.

WTF does any of this mean? We were 10-4 vs. the MAC, so what? What does this have to do with anything?

 

[ucfversusbcs]

WTF does any of this mean? We were 10-4 vs. the MAC, so what? What does this have to do with anything?

Woah easy there boy!!!!
Its an indication that we have a good chance in being competitive in the conference, trending upwards since Daunte and the two of three winning seasons we had since then.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Dude, I have no idea what you are driving at. I never indicated any of these things.

What im driving at is that youre perception of UCF is much worse than what i saw and what others reported back in 2003.

 

[SCKnight]

What im driving at is that youre perception of UCF is much worse than what i saw and what others reported back in 2003.

But this is exactly my point. Our perception was skewed. We had no frame of reference of what was meaningful because we, as fans, had not really had success. Don't get me wrong, I was one of the biggest rah rah UCF fans of all time. I went to law school at UF and was continually bantering with UF fans of how UCF was "the best 0-3 team, or was ready to compete with the big boys blah blah blah. I read the newspapers and magazines (no internet) about how we were up an coming etc. But the truth was that we were not anywhere near where we needed to be as a program in terms of commitment, foundation, prestige, donors, you name it. We were just kidding ourselves.

I remember distinctly when I hit my low. 2002 at the citrus bowl against Syracuse. (now remember I had watched almost every morale victory) We had Syracuse on the ropes with a substantial lead in the third quarter and the team threw it away with bad play and bad penalties. It was right then that I stopped believing the hype. It was right then that I knew, at that moment, that UCF was headed nowhere fast. It was just going to be more of the same for years to come. another year, another morale victory. The next season was even worse. Then we hired GOL and he re-ignited my belief in UCF football. It was a splashy hire with the football community because he was a a well known well respected coach. He only came to UCF because of his resume scandal which was still fairly fresh. Most don't remember that he was hired after recruiting was over, his mother died and then he had a heart attack. He did not even go to the Wisc game. We suffered through 0-12 that year and then went to the championship game the next year.

From that point on UCF slowly went 2 steps forward, one step back. Slowly building a national reputation, but more importantly to me, building a respect and belief to me as a fan and alum to invest in the program. There was real progress. Maybe not overnight, and maybe not as fast or as consistent as some would like, but coming from where I was in 2002 it was real and it was meaningful. Hardware, not morale victories. Now the bar is raised substantially. Scott Frost will be held to a higher standard and that is a good thing. I LOVE what he is doing. I hope he leaves GOL in the dust with his accomplishments.

 

[UCFProf]

We were setting attendance records for Division 2 in the late 80s. Those were some heady days.

Until the deadly mosquitos outbreak hit, clearing the stands.

 

[knightraveler]

GOL stayed at least 4 years too long. After Eric Planchards death and NCAA sanctions he had negative effect on recruiting and karma in general. UCF still is contributing to this negative perception by not paying the Planchards the settlement they won in court. A statue of GOL on campus is just pure in your face bs against over 50 percent of the fans that couldn't stand GOL.

 

[Mikesi]

But this is exactly my point. Our perception was skewed. We had no frame of reference of what was meaningful because we, as fans, had not really had success. Don't get me wrong, I was one of the biggest rah rah UCF fans of all time. I went to law school at UF and was continually bantering with UF fans of how UCF was "the best 0-3 team, or was ready to compete with the big boys blah blah blah. I read the newspapers and magazines (no internet) about how we were up an coming etc. But the truth was that we were not anywhere near where we needed to be as a program in terms of commitment, foundation, prestige, donors, you name it. We were just kidding ourselves.

I remember distinctly when I hit my low. 2002 at the citrus bowl against Syracuse. (now remember I had watched almost every morale victory) We had Syracuse on the ropes with a substantial lead in the third quarter and the team threw it away with bad play and bad penalties. It was right then that I stopped believing the hype. It was right then that I knew, at that moment, that UCF was headed nowhere fast. It was just going to be more of the same for years to come. another year, another morale victory. The next season was even worse. Then we hired GOL and he re-ignited my belief in UCF football. It was a splashy hire with the football community because he was a a well known well respected coach. He only came to UCF because of his resume scandal which was still fairly fresh. Most don't remember that he was hired after recruiting was over, his mother died and then he had a heart attack. He did not even go to the Wisc game. We suffered through 0-12 that year and then went to the championship game the next year.

From that point on UCF slowly went 2 steps forward, one step back. Slowly building a national reputation, but more importantly to me, building a respect and belief to me as a fan and alum to invest in the program. There was real progress. Maybe not overnight, and maybe not as fast or as consistent as some would like, but coming from where I was in 2002 it was real and it was meaningful. Hardware, not morale victories. Now the bar is raised substantially. Scott Frost will be held to a higher standard and that is a good thing. I LOVE what he is doing. I hope he leaves GOL in the dust with his accomplishments.

Ha! That Syracuse game was my first ever and I remember feeling that UCF wasn't in the class as Syracuse by the way they let them back in it. Looked like a lack of depth back then. Now, even coming off 0-12, i would expect us to beat them with more talented players and just as much, if not more depth. Times have changed.

 

[1 of these Knights]

GOL stayed at least 4 years too long. After Eric Planchards death and NCAA sanctions he had negative effect on recruiting and karma in general. UCF still is contributing to this negative perception by not paying the Planchards the settlement they won in court. A statue of GOL on campus is just pure in your face bs against over 50 percent of the fans that couldn't stand GOL.

Sure, not having the Fiesta Bowl win and a second AAC championship. That would have helped immensely.

To hang the EP thing on GOL is just wrong. He was found not to be negligent and not personally liable for the death of EP. It was a tragic thing that happens every year all around the country. The Planchards were offered a very healthy settlement in the millions of dollars. They took the risk of going to court knowing that the statutory caps could limit their damages. They now have to live with that decision. UCF has to hold firm on the caps or risk waiving them and putting the whole organization at risk. for every future potential lawsuit. My guess is that they were given poor legal advice. Just ask the parents of the FSU football player who died years before EP. His parents still have not been paid anything.

GOL haters probably account for 10% of the true fan base and 50% of the people who post here. Statue supporters probably account for 10% of the fan base.

 

[KnightVision82]

watched Wofford embarrass us at homecoming before the biggest crowd in UCF history (there to see the beach boys afterwards)

If it wasn't for my wife who wanted to see the Beach Boys I would have left after the game.
I had no desire for half time show after that defeat. Unfortunately, not the only game I
had that feeling of despair afterwards which is part of the history I like to forget.

 

[knightraveler]

Thank goodness that GOL is gone.

Yet his image lingers. His supporters will never let us forget him..lol.

 

[UCFProf]

Ba-ba-ba, Ba-barbara Ann.