As ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ approaches its inaugural season as the youngest member of a Power 5 conference, the athletics department is taking a look back to commemorate this special moment in history. The following feature is a part of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs 12 for XII series β 12 stories that define ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and the meteoric rise of the Knights in their journey to the Big 12 Conference.
Pop quiz: Name the five youngest universities among the current Power 5 conferences.
All before the invention of bubble gum, youβve got UCLA in 1919, Texas Tech in 1923, Miami in 1925 and Houston in 1927.
By far and away the youngest is ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, founded in 1963. Initially named Florida Technological University, it was established to provide a pipeline of talent for the United States space program at nearby Cape Canaveral.
Itβs impossible to appreciate the journey of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Athletics without a timeline that exhibits the youth of the institution and the manner in which the athletics program has skyrocketed to success.
- In 1963 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was founded.
- In 1968 the first classes were held.
- In 1969 the first varsity athletic event was held β a menβs basketball game at Massey Institute in Jacksonville. And several other sports began competition in the 1970s.
- Ten years later, in 1979, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ played football for the first time at the Division III level with no scholarships in its first three years. Its first game was held in a muddy cow pasture.
- In 1984-85, the majority of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s sports programs were playing at the Division I level.
- Four decades of a rollercoaster ride β including the football teamβs first FBS game (the current highest Division I level) in 1996 β led to national notoriety
- On July 1, 2023, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ begins an exciting new chapter as one of four schools to join the Big 12 Conference.
βA lot of the national powers right now were playing (football) at the turn of the 20th century. β¦ And to understand what youβve got to make up in that time, it’s generations of donors, itβs generations of parents taking their kids to games, itβs generations of players growing up watching the team play and say, βI would give anything to play for that team,β says Andy Staples, senior writer for The Athletic
βΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, without the advantage of decades and generations of all this, has put itself in position to be very competitive in its new league,β Staples says.
Sunshine State Conference (1975-84)
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s first conference affiliation was with the Sunshine State Conference, starting in 1975. The Knights were a charter member of the Division II league which included Biscayne College (now St. Thomas University), Eckerd, Florida Southern, Rollins and Saint Leo.
Following the 1983-84 season, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ withdrew from the Sunshine State Conference and moved to the NCAA Division I level in the majority of its programs. The Knights competed as an independent until 1990.
Highlight of the Sunshine State Era: ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ won six Sunshine State championships in menβs basketball, three in menβs tennis, two in menβs golf and one in baseball.
New South Women’s Athletic Conference (1986-90, Womenβs Only)
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was a charter member of the New South Women’s Athletic Conference, the forerunner of the Atlantic Sun. The womenβs cross country, basketball, golf, tennis and volleyball teams competed in the conference. During ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s stint in the league, Florida A&M, FIU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Mercer and Stetson were members.
Highlight of the NSWAC Era: ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ women’s soccer’s Michelle Akers β89 helped lead the Knights to the 1987 NCAA Final Four and was honored with collegiate soccer’s top honor, the Hermann Trophy, a year later. Akers went on to be recognized as the FIFA Women’s Player of the Century after a longstanding and decorated career with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
American South Conference (1990-91)
In 1990, the Knights joined the American South Conference, its first Division I league affiliation for all sports except football. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ spent one campaign in the league which also featured Arkansas State, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, New Orleans, Texas-Pan American and Southwestern Louisiana.
Highlight of the American South era: The American South Conference provided a home for the first time for both the men’s and women’s programs at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
Sun Belt Conference (1991-92)
Following the 1990-91 academic year, the American South merged with the Sun Belt (which retained its name), forming an 11-institution league. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ competed in the league for just one year against the likes of Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, Jacksonville, Lamar, Louisiana Tech, New Orleans, South Alabama, Louisiana, Texas Rio Grande Valley and Western Kentucky.
Highlight of Sun Belt era: ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was crowned with the womenβs golf title thanks in part to individual champion Liz Earley β92, who won the individual title in a sudden-death playoff. Jannet and Mike Shumaker were recognized with the Coach of the Year award.
Atlantic Sun Conference (1992-05)
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ joined the Atlantic Sun (then known as the Trans America Athletic Conference) in 1992. During ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s tenure in the league, membership changes occurred frequently. Including ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, 16 institutions were part of the conference since 1992 β including ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs biggest rival at the time, Stetson, located just up the road in DeLand.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was extremely successful in the ASUN β winning nine league titles in womenβs soccer, eight each in baseball and womenβs outdoor track and field, seven in volleyball, five in womenβs tennis, four in menβs basketball, three each in menβs soccer, menβs golf, womenβs golf and menβs tennis, two in womenβs basketball, one in softball (who fielded its first team in 2002).
Highlight of the ASUN era: The 2001 baseball team (pictured below) that climbed to its highest national ranking in program history (No. 7, Baseball America) and earned the top seed in the NCAA Columbia Regional. From 2000-02, the Knights dominated the league with a combined record of 67-17 against ASUN opponents.
Milestone: Knights Head to FBS (1996)
Although the football team remained independent from conference affiliation until 2002, quite likely the biggest move in ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Athletics history came in 1996 when the football team first began competing at the NCAA FBS level. Below are excerpts from the April 1993 press release announcing that jump (at that time ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ had only been playing football for 14 seasons). Many of the same sentiments still ring true for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs transition to the Big 12:
The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ will upgrade its football program to the NCAA Division I-A level beginning with the 1996 season, President John C. Hitt announced today.
“Just as a great city needs a great university, a big-league city like Orlando should have a big-league college football program,” Hitt said in making the announcement at the Florida Citrus Bowl, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s home field. β¦
“We expect to reap a number of benefits by making the move to major college football,” Hitt said. “Historically, many elements of the community first become involved with a university through quality intercollegiate athletic programs and then expand that involvement into other areas of the university.”
βIn addition to increased revenues, the elevation of the football program is expected to result in greater national visibility for the university and Central Florida, increased alumni and donor activity, increased interest and camaraderie among the student body, and easier recruitment of student-athletes and students in general, the president said. Local merchants should also benefit financially through increased fan support at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ athletic events and therefore the support of the business community, including the major attractions, should increase dramatically,β he said.
βThis change isn’t something that will just happen; we will have to earn it,β Hitt said. βOne of key requirements in moving up to Division I-A is for us to reach an average attendance of 17,000 per game prior to 1996. For this to happen, we will need support from all of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½’s friends, from the student body and the campus community to alumni, community leaders and business leaders throughout Central Florida.β
This was also the era of Daunte Culpepper, a Central Florida standout out of Ocala Vanguard High School, who put ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ on the map nationally (literally β in 1998, the Knights made their first national television appearance on ESPN against Purdue). Culpepper finished his career as the Knightsβ first NFL first-round draft pick.
βDaunte Culpepper helped ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ become a bigger thing than it had been because it was just getting into the FBS at the time, coming out of I-AA,” Staples says. “It made people sit up and take notice and then Daunte goes to the NFL and has this long, productive pro career as well. Now youβre thinking, βOK this is a program that can produce that kind of player, that can nurture that kind of player, get them to the NFL and then they can be successful in the NFL.β β
Mid-American Conference (2002-04, Football Only)
After 24 seasons as a football independent, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ joined the Mid-American Conference in 2002 as a football-only member. While it may not have made sense geographically to be playing teams like Kent State, Toledo and Western Michigan as conference opponents, options for joining a league were slim and it provided ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ stability and reliability in its scheduling.
Conference USA (2005-12)
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ became an all-sports member of Conference USA in 2005 and advanced to the inaugural football championship that same year. It was a period of transition for CUSA, with Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP also joining the league in 2005.
The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ men’s basketball team made immediate strides on the court in a competitive league, finishing second during the 2006-07 regular season and saw Kirk Speraw named conference coach of the year. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Jermaine Taylor was also a bright spot for the Knights from 2005-09. He was chosen as the conference’s Player of the Year his senior season and selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ won five CUSA titles in womenβs soccer, four in womenβs outdoor track and field, three in menβs golf, two each in football, womenβs basketball and womenβs indoor track and field, and one in softball.
Highlight of the CUSA era: The excellence of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs womenβs teams. Womenβs soccer advanced to NCAA Sweet 16 in 2011 for first time in nearly three decades and was ranked among the top 10 nationally the following year in its final year as a member. The track and field teamβs dynasty of six indoor and outdoor championships in three years resulted in the first NCAA individual champion in school history and a top-five finish at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championship. Womenβs basketball returned to the NCAA Tournament twice thanks to two tournament titles and softball earned a bid to the NCAA regional with its second conference championship in program history in 2008.
American Athletic Conference (2013-23)
In 2013 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ joined Houston, Memphis and SMU in leaving Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference β featuring members of the BIG EAST who played football. It also kickstarted the War on I-4 rivalry with nearby conference foe South Florida. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ went a perfect 7-for-7 in the annual all-sports standings before exiting The American in 2023.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ concluded its 10-year tenure in the AAC with more league titles during that decade than any other conference member. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ teams won 52 AAC titles from 2013-14 through 2022-23 β 21 regular-season crowns and 31 more via conference postseason tournaments, league title games or other conference champion designations.
βWithout question that level of success (in the AAC) played a major role in our opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference.β β Terry Mohajir, vice president and director of Athletics
βWe take great pride in the tremendous accomplishments of our teams during their 10 years in the American Athletic Conference,β says ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir. βWithout question that level of success played a major role in our opportunity to join the Big 12 Conference.β
βEvery time some more stuff happened (with conference realignment), ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ happened to be playing very good football and people noticed,” Staples says. “Thatβs why when the Big 12 lost Texas and Oklahoma, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is coming off its most successful period in its history. And it was an easy choice. It was obvious where the Big 12 should go.β
Highlight of the AAC era: The football teamβs historical 25-0 run over a span of 745 days from 2017-19. The accomplishment is listed in the NCAA record book among the longest win streaks ever recorded and marks the fourth-longest win streak this millennium (Miami, 34 β 2000-03; Florida State, 29 β 2012-14; Alabama, 26 β 2015-16).
Big 12 Conference (2023-present)
The Big 12 announced in September 2021 that ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ would join BYU, Houston and Cincinnati as future members. The Big 12 does not sponsor menβs soccer, so the Knights will compete in the Sun Belt Conference (which features fellow Power 5 programs West Virginia, Kentucky and South Carolina) in that sport.
Below are excerpts from the Sept. 10, 2021, announcement when the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Board of Trustees voted unanimously to accept an invitation for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ to join the Big 12. Mohajir was quoted:
βThis is a landmark day for anyone ever associated with ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ or ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Athletics. As we anticipate a future move to the Big 12 Conference, we first owe a vote of thanks to all those at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ who have gone before us. Thereβs a long list of student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, university presidents and support staff, fans and donors and, of course, our student body, plus so many others whose hard work and successes have helped pave the way for todayβs announcement. The bases were already loaded, and I feel very blessed and honored to get to step up to the plate on behalf of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
βI speak for all of us at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ in expressing our excitement for the opportunities that lie ahead. Iβm confident our Knight teams will rise to the challenges to come.
βHere at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ we are in the business of providing the best possible opportunities for our student-athletes to thrive while they are here and to have post-collegiate career success. We are convinced that competing as a member of the Big 12 Conference absolutely will help us accomplish those goals.
βIn addition, Orlando is one of the most vibrant cities in the world β and the NIL (name, image, likeness) opportunities for our student-athletes here are endless compared to many college towns.β
βΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has always kind of looked at the next step. If these programs are thinking that ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is going to come in and just try to fit in, thatβs not going to be how it goes.” β Andy Staples, The Athletic senior writer
βΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has always kind of looked at the next step. If these programs are thinking that ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is going to come in and just try to fit in, thatβs not going to be how it goes,” Staples says. “ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is going to come in and try to take over. I think Cincinnati, Houston, BYU probably feel the same way, but youβve seen it with ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. When ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ went into the American, it was a step up in competition β but it didnβt take long before ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ was one of the best programs in the league. Itβs got everything it needs to be successful. It has all the ingredients.β
βJust because Oklahoma and Texas are gone (in 2024 to the sec), no one is going to be able to walk through this league,” says Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic. “Weβve seen Kansas State and Baylor and different teams make Big 12 title games recently, but I would not be surprised if ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is competing to win this league pretty soon after getting there.”
