1993 UCF Golden Knights football team

The 1993 UCF Golden Knights football season represented the University of Central Florida (UCF) as an independent during the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Gene McDowell, the Golden Knights compiling a record of 9–3 for the program's eighth consecutive winning season. UCF advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs for the second time in four years, where the Golden Knights lost in the first round to the eventual national champion, Youngstown State.^[1]

1993 UCF Golden Knights football
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 30–56 at Youngstown State
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 12
Record	9–3
Head coach	Gene McDowell (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Kruczek (9th season)
Defensive coordinator	Ron McCrone (2nd season)
Home stadium	Florida Citrus Bowl
Seasons ← 1992 1994 →

1993 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Troy State ^			–					11	–	0	–	1
Youngstown State ^			–					10	–	2	–	0
UAB			–					9	–	2	–	0
Wagner			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 12 UCF ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 24 Towson State			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Western Kentucky			–					8	–	3	–	0
Hofstra			–					6	–	3	–	1
Saint Mary's			–					6	–	3	–	1
Davidson			–					6	–	4	–	0
Central Connecticut State			–					5	–	5	–	0
Liberty			–					5	–	5	–	0
Marist			–					5	–	5	–	0
Samford			–					5	–	6	–	0
Duquesne			–					4	–	6	–	0
Saint Francis			–					3	–	7	–	0
Charleston Southern			–					3	–	8	–	0
Monmouth			–					2	–	5	–	0
Buffalo			–					1	–	10	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

At 6–1 by late October, UCF had the best start in program history. Their only loss early on was to East Carolina, an NCAA Division I-A team. The Golden Knights won three of their last four regular season games, including the program's first win over a I-A team, a 38–16 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Starting in 1993, and continuing through the 2006 season, the program was nicknamed the "Golden Knights." Before 1993, and since 2007, UCF's sports programs have been simply known as the "Knights." The name change was proposed in 1993 by then athletic director Steve Sloan as a way to boost the popularity of the program and to boost merchandise sales.^[2]

Schedule

The Florida Citrus Bowl, the Knights' home field

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	No. 12 (D-II) Valdosta State	No. 23	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 35–30	11,033	[3]
September 18	at East Carolina	No. 20	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	L 17–41	30,867	[4]
September 25	No. 10 McNeese State	No. 22	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 22–3	10,759	[5]
October 2	Yale	No. 16	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 42–28	23,489	[6]
October 9	No. 9 Samford	No. 16	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 48–17	8,081	[7]
October 16	Western Illinois	No. 11	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 35–17	12,857	[8]
October 23	at Bethune–Cookman	No. 11	Municipal Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	W 34–14	5,500	[9]
October 30	at No. 5 Troy State	No. 6	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	L 15–29	5,100	[10]
November 6	Liberty	No. 13	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 55–19	8,688	[11]
November 13	Buffalo	No. 12	Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL	W 42–7	7,609	[12]
November 20	at Louisiana Tech	No. 12	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	W 38–16	4,000	[13]
November 27	at No. 7 Youngstown State	No. 12	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 30–56	7,408	[14]
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Division I-AA Football Comes to Orlando: Part 5 of 8 – The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. July 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
2. "Central Florida to drop 'Golden' from Knights nickname". USA Today. April 15, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
3. "Hinshaw's record day rallies Knights 35–30". Florida Today. September 12, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "East Carolina ruins UCF's road show". The Orlando Sentinel. September 19, 1993. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Knights bank on defense". The Orlando Sentinel. September 26, 1993. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Greene, Jerry (October 3, 1993). "UCF yanks victory from Yale". The Orlando Sentinel. p. C-1. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "English leads UCF by Samford, 48–17". The Bradenton Herald. October 10, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "QB's four TDs lift C. Florida". The Miami Herald. October 17, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Central Florida makes it 5 straight, blasts B–CC 34–14". South Florida Sun Sentinel. October 24, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Troy State halts UCF in its tracks 29–15". Florida Today. October 31, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Hinshaw, UCF take Liberty". The Miami Herald. November 7, 1993. Retrieved April 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Central Florida punts Buffalo". Florida Today. November 14, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "UCF rips first I-A foe, awaits playoff berth". The Orlando Sentinel. November 21, 1993. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Penguins ice Knights' season". The Orlando Sentinel. November 28, 1993. Retrieved January 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.