Sept. 29, 2007
When it comes to making a change, senior Keith Shologan lives by the old football mantra, "Go big, or go home." Whether it was going against a stereotype, making a big move or aiding in the development of the UCF football program, Shologan definitely did not take the short road on the journey to his final year as a Knight.
Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Shologan should have been in love with hockey. Instead, the defensive tackle went against the Canadian stereotype and played the game his father loved, football.
"My dad was a big football fan so he got me into playing football," Shologan said. "My family was never really into hockey so I never actually played or knew anything about the sport. I never really got into hockey until I was in high school."
While in high school, Shologan attended a football camp in Toronto where former UCF defensive line coach Pete McCarty just happened to see the talented player in action. The coach saw exactly what he needed to see and gave the defensive tackle the opportunity to move across the continent to the Sunshine State and become a Knight.
"When coach McCarty got the job at UCF, I got the call to come and play for the Knights," Shologan recalled.
Shologan packed his bags and headed southeast to Orlando, a 2,800 mile journey, to become part of head coach George O'Leary's first recruiting class at UCF. Since arriving in Florida, Shologan has been a mainstay on the Knights' roster, beginning the 2007 season with the most games played of any of his teammates.
Shologan's hard work and dedication to the Knights, the fans and the central Florida community are a big reason the Black and Gold have made such big strides as a Division I-A football program. Shologan has experienced the good times and the bad times since donning the UCF colors, but more than anything he has seen the football program's progression to what it is and what it has today.
"It is insane to think how far this football program has progressed since I arrived here four years ago," Shologan reflected. "When I first came to UCF, the Wayne Densch Sports Center was the only football building, and now we have everything we need right here on campus. I do not think there is anything else they could actually put out here. We have a great indoor facility (Nicholson Fieldhouse) and now a brand new stadium (Bright House Networks Stadium). It had been great to see the support the football team has gotten since coach O'Leary has been here."
Besides the new facilities on campus, Shologan is amazed at the support the UCF student body has given him and his teammates. With the new student lottery system in place, the senior knows that the program has really taken off and that the sacrifices he has made to get where he is today have all paid off.
"We are a big time football program now," Shologan said. "That [student lottery system] is how all the big programs are doing it, so we are just following in the steps to becoming one of the elite programs in the nation"
Now that the Canadian-born senior has propelled his team to the next level, he only has more journeys on the horizon. Could his next adventure be a career in the Canadian Football League (CFL)?
"Everybody wants to play football after college," Shologan said. "Everybody wants to do it, for sure, but you just have to be good enough."
- Sarah Tarasewicz