The Knights are the Fiesta Bowl champions, and truly, we couldn’t have done it without you.
To the fans who packed the University of Phoenix stadium to cheer for the Knights; to the students who drove 80 hours across the country to be at the game; to the fans who couldn’t be in Arizona but purchased a ticket for a member of the military; to the supporters who packed restaurants and bars in Central Florida and across the country to watch the game; and to everyone else who cheered the Knights onto victory, I say “Thank you.”
Your support this week and this season means the world to me, our players, coaches and Athletics staff.
We showed the nation what UCF is about, and we made history as the youngest university to ever play in- and win- a BCS bowl game.
From the start, a UCF victory was called a longshot. We were the underdogs.
But after 11 regular-season victories, a conference championship and some of the most exciting finishes in college football, I wasn’t surprised that our Knights wouldn’t stop until they reached the ultimate goal: a BCS victory.
Thanks to their hard work and dedication and because of your support, we made UCF history against a record-setting Baylor team.
UCF celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and Jan. 1 kicked off the next 50 years of UCF.
What a way to start a new year and the next chapter in UCF history.
Go Knights!
John C. Hitt