When Trevor Colbourn was formally installed as UCF’s second president on Jan. 15, 1979, he mentioned in his inauguration speech the idea of forming a football team for the relatively new school.
Three days later, Colbourn met with Knights athletic director Jack O’Leary to discuss his idea. A mere eight months later, UCF’s first football team was playing (and winning) its first game.
At UCF, things happen fast.
Forty-four years after Colbourn’s proposal, UCF has become the youngest university in the nation to join the elite level of college football with its membership in the storied Big 12 Conference.
If not for Colbourn’s decisive action in 1979, UCF’s inclusion in college football’s “Power 5” group of schools may not have happened. But he was someone who liked to get things done — quickly.
It took him only three days to get a plan to rename Florida Technological University to the University of Central Florida through a quagmire of state government red tape. (That may have been a more herculean feat than fielding a football team in eight months!)
So as the Knights move up to the Big 12, we’ve gone into our Orlando Sentinel archives to find the first story we ever wrote about UCF football. Here is reporter Harry Wessel’s front-page story from our edition of Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1979:
UCFootball? Colbourn may tackle it
When University of Central Florida President Trevor Colbourn told the 1,500 persons at his inauguration Monday that he was going to explore “the possibility of developing a football program at UCF,” the remark met with some skepticism.
“Ah, he’ll never get that. They’ve talked about that for a long time,” was the way one student reacted.
But the idea of renaming Florida Technological University was discussed for years until Colbourn succeeded in changing the institution’s name to the University of Central Florida within six months after becoming president.
Knights fans can be part of UCF Big 12 commemorative section
The change was completed last month after approval from the Board of Regents, the Board of Education, the Florida Legislature and the governor in three days.
“That is one feat that will probably never be equaled,” said Chancellor E.T. York of the state university system in a brief speech at Colbourn’s inauguration.
But a football program at UCF?
“My reading is that there would be a lot of community support [for a football program] if it could be done without jeopardizing other athletic or academic-programs,” Colbourn said Tuesday. “It seems to me there is a great deal of interest in football in Central Florida.”
Colbourn will meet this morning with UCF Athletic Director Jack O’Leary and other UCF team coaches to discuss their budget priorities. They’ll also talk about the outlook for a football program at UCF.
Colbourn said he should have a better idea about the future of UCF football after the meeting.
The 51-year-old president has no illusions about UCF becoming a national gridiron powerhouse.
His short-term objective is to begin a football club program if community support is strong enough.
Neither a club nor a Division III football team would provide any athletic scholarships for its players. Division II teams have some scholarships available. Division I teams, such as the University of Florida and Florida State University, give out dozens of scholarships annually and operate on million-dollar budgets.
O’Leary said Tuesday it would take about $200,000 to start up a club or Division III team. The basic difference between the two organizations is that the latter is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Colbourn emphasized that a UCF football program would be financed by student activities fees, booster clubs and ticket sales. No public tax revenue would be spent on the program, he said.
Colbourn also said that contributions for a football program would not mean reduced contributions for other UCF programs because those willing to support football are often not interested in other aspects of a university.
On the other hand. Colbourn continued, a strong football program may help attract attention and financial support for other academic and athletic programs. O’Leary, who said Tuesday there was a good deal of campus enthusiasm for a football program, cautioned against overly optimistic expectations.
“We’re still talking about a considerable amount of money no matter what kind of program you’re starting. Everything needs to be purchased — equipment, coaches, travel, insurance,” he said.
