1983 UCF Knights football team

The 1983 UCF Knights football season was the fifth season for the team. It was Lou Saban's first as the head coach of the Knights. Looking to bounce back from a winless 1982 season, Saban's 1983 team earned a respectable 5–6 overall record.^[1] The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando

1983 UCF Knights football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Lou Saban (1st season)
Home stadium	Florida Citrus Bowl
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Central State (OH) ^			–					12	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Towson State ^			–					10	–	2	–	0
Northern Michigan			–					8	–	2	–	0
Saint Mary's			–					8	–	2	–	0
Southern Connecticut State			–					8	–	2	–	0
Eastern Washington			–					5	–	5	–	0
UCF			–					5	–	6	–	0
Central Connecticut			–					4	–	6	–	0
American International			–					4	–	7	–	0
Kentucky State			–					2	–	7	–	2
Morgan State			–					2	–	8	–	0
Liberty			–					2	–	9	–	0
New Haven			–					1	–	9	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

In their rivalry game against the Bethune–Cookman, the two schools played for short-lived "Interstate 4 Trophy."^[2][3]

On October 29, UCF notched their first victory against a Division I-AA opponent, defeating Austin Peay 10–7.

Schedule

The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Elizabeth City State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 37–7	9,041
September 10	at Georgia Southern	Womack Stadium Statesboro, GA	W 33–29	5,815
September 17	at Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	L 28–54	5,000	[4]
September 24	North Alabama	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 20–47	8,307
October 1	Valdosta State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 20–0	12,777
October 15	at Richmond	City Stadium Richmond, VA	L 26–31	3,413	[5]
October 29	at Austin Peay	Governors Stadium Clarksville, TN	W 10–7	7,000
November 5	at Carson–Newman	Burke–Tarr Stadium Jefferson City, TN	L 14–35	3,300
November 12	Nicholls State	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 14–37	4,500
November 19	Fort Lewis	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 59–28	14,212
November 26	Bethune–Cookman	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	L 22–31	13,294	[6]

^[7]

References

1. "The Knights Move Up to D-II: Part 3 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. June 29, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
2. Simmons, Roger (November 10, 2017). "There's another UCF trophy mystery and it doesn't involve the Civil ConFLiCT". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
3. Guest, Larry (November 24, 1983). "UCF-Bethune playing for 7-foot Interstate 4 trophy". Orlando Sentinel. p. 27. Retrieved November 14, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Southeastern Louisiana tramples error-plagued UCF in 54–28 rout". The Orlando Sentinel. September 18, 1983. Retrieved October 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Richmond repels UCF rally to break losing string, 31–26". The Orlando Sentinel. October 16, 1983. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bethune tames UCF, 31–22". The Orlando Sentinel. November 27, 1983. Retrieved September 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Final 1983 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 12, 2023.