Knights

The program started in 1979 with a win over St. Leo University and spent years climbing through every level the NCAA offers — Division III, Division II, I-AA, and finally I-A in 1996.

The nickname itself took longer to settle than the football did. Students picked "Knights of the Pegasus" in a 1970 campaign, the name shrank to "Golden Knights" in 1993, and it was trimmed again to simply "Knights" in 2007 — the same year the team moved into what is now called the Acrisure Bounce House.

Conference realignment has been part of the club's rhythm: Conference USA titles in 2007 and 2010, then four American Athletic Conference championships between 2013 and 2018, before the jump to the Big 12 in 2023. The 2017 season is the one Orlando still argues about — UCF finished 13–0, beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl, and declared itself national champion on the strength of that unbeaten run, a claim the College Football Playoff never recognised, with Alabama holding the official title instead.

The program has sent players on to the league regardless of that dispute — Blake Bortles went third overall in the NFL Draft, and Shaquem Griffin was drafted despite playing without his left hand, a story that outgrew Orlando entirely.