UCF KNIGHTS UCF ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME SEAN BECKTON - 2000
Sean Beckton was one of the first football players to be inducted into the UCF Athle�cs Hall of Fame. Beckton was a standout wide receiver for UCF from 1987-90, se�ng numerous school records. He finished his career as the school’s leader in recep�ons (196) and career yardage (2,493). Beckton once scored four touchdowns, four different ways in one game in 1990: catching, throwing, rushing and returning a punt.
SYLVESTER BEMBERY - 2009
Sylvester Bembery was a four-year standout who helped UCF to the NCAA Division II Playoffs as a senior in 1987. He was the team’s Lineman of the Year that fall a�er making 71 tackles on a defense that held its opponents to just 67 points all season. As a junior in 1986 he helped UCF to its first winning record since 1979. He con�nued to play for 11 seasons in the Arena Football League where he won two Arena Bowl championships and was named number seven in a 2006 compila�on of the Top 20 players in AFL history. The Tampa Bay Storm re�red his number.
DAUNTE CULPEPPER - 2002
The most recognizable player in UCF history, Daunte Culpepper starred for the Knights for four years. Tabbed as the Sammy Baugh Trophy winner (passer of the year in college football), Culpepper was also voted as The Sports Network’s Na�onal Co-Player of the Year with Texas’ Ricky Williams in 1998. As a senior in 1999, he set the NCAA single-season record for comple�on percentage at 73.6, breaking Steve Young’s 15-year old mark (71.3). At the end of his collegiate career, Culpepper had surpassed the 10,000-yard passing mark and 1,000-yard rushing mark, a feat only achieved twice before in NCAA history. His four-year totals equaled 12,459 all-purpose yards, good for sixth on the NCAA’s all-�me total offense list for all divisions. Culpepper, who recorded 108 touchdowns as a Knight, was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Dra� by the Minnesota Vikings and was selected as the NFC’s star�ng quarterback in the Pro Bowl in just his second year in the league. 162
WILLIE ENGLISH - 2003
FRANCO GRILLA - 2005
BILL GIOVANETTI - 2000
MIKE GRUTTADAURIA - 2004
A workhorse for the Knights during his four-year tenure, Willie English set rushing records that would last for more than 15 years in the UCF annals. He finished his career as UCF’s all-�me leader in rushing yards (3,131), career touchdowns (38) and with the most 100-yard rushing games (15). English also set the single-game rushing mark at 242 yards. He helped guide UCF to the NCAA FCS semifinals in 1990. The next season, he set the school’s single-season mark with 1,338 yards and 13 scores. Following college, English signed with the Cincinna� Bengals in 1993.
In 2000, Bill Giovane� was one of the first football players inducted into the UCF Athle�cs Hall of Fame. During UCF’s inaugural campaign in 1979, he was named one of the star�ng linebackers at the young age of 17. In his four-year career, he started all 37 games he played. Giovane� led all Knights in tackles in three of his four years at UCF, while se�ng a school-record for tackles in a game (23). He is second all-�me in career tackles (429). In 1981, his junior season, Giovane� earned All-America honors.
ALAN GOOCH - 2006
As a player and assistant coach at UCF, Alan Gooch reached many individuals in an extraordinary way. Gooch gave 25 years of his �me and effort to the UCF football program, beginning in 1983. His most notable accomplishments came a�er earning the coaching responsibili�es for the running backs. Through his 17 seasons coaching the backfield, all 31 backs finished their eligibility and received their degrees. In 1997, one year prior to being named assistant head coach, Gooch was honored as the American Football Coaches Associa�on’s Assistant Coach of the Year. That same season, Gooch received na�onal a�en�on for his mentoring of Dwight Collins, a hearing-impaired running back. Collins received Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award in 1997 for being the na�on’s most courageous athlete. Alex Haynes, Willie English and Marque�e Smith were some of the other running backs Gooch helped to develop.
Remembered for his �me-expiring kick against Youngstown State in the first round of the FCS playoffs on Nov. 24, 1990, Franco Grilla helped UCF overcome the undefeated Penguins, 20-17, in Youngstown, Ohio. He served as the Knights’ place-kicker from 198992, se�ng a school-record with 103 consecu�ve PATs made. Named to the Orlando Sen�nel’s 25th Anniversary UCF Football Team, Grilla is second in the most PATs made in a season (45) category and third in career field goals made (47).
During the St. Louis Rams’ run for a championship in 2000, Mike Gru�adauria became the first Knight to win a Super Bowl ring. A four-year star�ng center for UCF from 1991-94, Gru�adauria was named to the Orlando Sen�nel’s 25th Anniversary UCF Football Team. His seven-year NFL career included s�nts with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
RICK HAMILTON - 2006
As a standout linebacker and a knowledgeable scholar of the game, Rick Hamilton’s stellar career did not stop with UCF. A Knight from 1989-92, Hamilton ranks as the school’s all-�me leader in tackles (443) and holds the school record for the longest intercep�on return (97-yard touchdown). He also recorded at least 100 tackles in three of his four seasons with UCF, including the second-most single-season total of 149. Following gradua�on, Hamilton was dra�ed in the third round of the NFL Dra� by the Washington Redskins. He went on to play with the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets.
FOOTBALL
UCF ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME SHAWN JEFFERSON - 2002
A wide receiver for UCF from 1988-90, Shawn Jefferson was a part of the team that guided the Knights to the FCS semifinals in 1990. He finished his career with three 100-yard receiving games and ranks seventh in the UCF annals for the longest recep�on (76-yard touchdown). Jefferson was dra�ed in 1991 by the Houston Oilers and spent 14 seasons in the NFL, playing with the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers and the Detroit Lions.
ED O’BRIEN - 2008
Ed O’Brien’s name is sca�ered throughout UCF’s records sec�on. One of UCF’s most decorated kickers, he was named a Kodak and Football News First Team All-America player in 1987. O’Brien also earned Associated Press All-America Second Team honors that same year. A recordholder for the longest field goal made (55 yards) in UCF history, O’Brien was the first to hit four field goals in a game and the first to make nine extra points in a contest. His 263 points in a season is the third most of any Knight; O’Brien’s 50 career field goals are �ed for a school-best, while his 77 field goal a�empts rank first all-�me. In 2004, he earned honorable men�on recogni�on on the Orlando Sen�nel’s 25th Anniversary UCF Football Team.
DAVID RHODES - 2003
One of the best wide receivers to come through UCF, David Rhodes capped off his record-breaking career with back-to-back All-America honors in 1993 and 1994. Rhodes is the only Knight to record three seasons with at least 1,000-yards receiving and ranks first in career touchdowns with 29. He finished his career as the Knights’ all-�me leader in recep�ons (213), receiving yardage (3,618) and 100-yard receiving games (16). Following his �me with the Knights, he signed with the NFL’s Cincinna� Bengals and later played in NFL Europe.
DARRELL RUDD - 2008
One of the most consistently domina�ng defensive linemen in Knights history, Darrell Rudd claimed record a�er record during his �me at UCF. He holds six school records, and shares one, all of which have gone unmatched from when they were originally set nearly 25 years ago. The records include most tackles in a season (150), fumbles recovered in a game (3), season (6) and career (11). Rudd recorded 19.5 sacks in 1984 and has 31.5 in his career, both which rank first all-�me. A four-year le�erwinner, he earned an honorable men�on spot on Orlando Sen�nel’s 25th Anniversary UCF Football Team and is only one of two Knights in program history to lead the team in sacks for three-consecu�ve seasons.
SCOTT RYERSON - 2002
An Orlando product, Sco� Ryerson kicked his way into UCF history. At the conclusion of his sophomore season in 1981, he earned All-America honors a�er leading the team in scoring with 62 points, and connec�ng on four field goals of 50 yards or longer, a school record. Ryerson also holds the school record for field goals in a season (18) and is �ed for the most field goals made in a game (4). Ryerson, who leads all UCF kickers with the most field goals made 50 yards or more with seven, later signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
MARQUETTE SMITH - 2005
One of only two running backs in UCF history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in back-toback seasons, localproduct Marque�e Smith set a then single-season schoolrecord for rushing yards (1,511) and touchdowns (14) in 1995. Following that season, he earned second team All-America honors. Despite having played just two seasons with the Knights, Smith is fourth all-�me in career rushing yards with 2,569. His career did not come to a halt when he le� UCF, as the Carolina Panthers selected him in the fi�h round of the 1996 NFL Dra�
BOB SPITULSKI - 2009
Bob Spitulski dominated at outside linebacker during his four-year UCF career and ul�mately was dra�ed in the third round by the Sea�le Seahawks. Spitulski s�ll ranks highly on several UCF career defensive record charts and retains the school’s benchmark with seven tackles-for-loss in a single game (vs. Savannah State, Nov. 2, 1991). He led the team in sacks in three of his four seasons and went on to earn third-team All-America honors by the AP in 1991 as a senior. He also helped UCF to the 1990 Football Championship Subdivision semifinals.
DAUNTE CULPEPPER
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