1984 UCF Knights football team

1984 UCF Knights football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–6
Head coach
Home stadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
Seasons
← 1983
1985 →
1984 NCAA Division II independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–3 Central State (OH) ^     9 2 0
No. 8 Towson State ^     9 4 0
Southern Connecticut State     7 3 0
Central Connecticut     6 4 0
Northern Michigan     6 4 0
New Haven     5 5 0
Liberty     5 6 0
Saint Mary's     5 6 0
American International     4 6 0
Springfield     3 7 0
Kentucky State     2 9 0
UCF     2 9 0
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II Football Committee poll

The 1984 UCF Knights football season was the sixth season for the team. It was Lou Saban's second and final season as the head coach of the Knights. After a disappointing 1–6 start to the season, Saban stepped away from the program, and was replaced by assistant coach Jerry "Red" Anderson. The Knights finished the year with a 2–9 overall record,[1] facing a schedule entirely made up of Division I-AA opponents. The program had actually petitioned the NCAA to move the football program up to I-AA for 1984, but the move was delayed, in part due to costs and incurred debt. The move would not happen until 1990.

The Knights competed as an NCAA Division II Independent. The team played their home games at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando.

In their October 20 game against Illinois State, the Knights fell behind 21–0 in the first quarter. UCF rallied for a 28–24 victory, their largest comeback win in school history. As of 2021, it is still tied for the program's best comeback win.[2]

  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. ^ "Knights 28, Redbirds 24". The Orlando Sentinel. October 21, 1984. p. 39. Retrieved September 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon