April 13, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - When Matt Manning of the Knights' baseball team fanned Zach Clark to provide the final out in the ninth inning of the home team's 10-4 victory over Memphis on Sunday afternoon at Jay Bergman Field, the junior helped mark the end of the inaugural hall of fame weekend at UCF. Two days earlier, the weekend kicked off with a trio of events, most notably the 2008 UCF Hall of Fame Dinner.
The centerpiece of the weekend was the spring football game on Saturday. The contest was held inside Bright House Networks Stadium for the first time. Fans in attendance were treated to a 16-7 victory by the UCF squad, which was comprised of mostly first-team offensive and defensive players.
Many fans arrived early in the morning to tailgate. Following the game, the majority of fans in attendance remained at the on-campus stadium to participate in a fan day, which included autograph sessions with head coach George O'Leary and the entire UCF team.
On Friday at the hall of fame dinner, which was held at the J. Rolfe Davis Recruiting Room in the stadium, nine individuals were recognized for their service to UCF athletics.
Five former letterwinners, three former school presidents and a former director of athletics were enshrined in the hall of fame. Joining a list of 41 previous UCF athletics greats in the hall of fame were former letterwinners Darryl Davis (men's basketball), Kelly Kochevar (women's soccer), Chad Mottola (baseball), Ed O'Brien (football) and Darrell Rudd (football). Former school presidents Dr. Charles Millican, Dr. Trevor Colbourn and Dr. Steven Altman and former director of athletics Dr. Jack O'Leary (posthumous) were awarded honorary letters.
At halftime of the spring game, the new inductees were honored on the field. The spring game also featured the Marching Knights and UCF's spirit squad.
The atmosphere surrounding the spring game and the weekend impressed O'Leary, who commended UCF's fans after the game, telling reporters, "I think the big thing is that they showed up and enjoyed themselves."
Several former Knights were in attendance at the spring game, including Kevin Smith, Josh Sitton and Darcy Johnson.
The Knights' baseball squad enjoyed strong attendance over the weekend as the squad earned a 2-1 Conference USA series victory over the Tigers.
The women's tennis team began the festivities on Friday afternoon, posting a 6-1 victory over Stetson. On the men's side, the Knights' eased past Jacksonville, 6-1, on Saturday.
UCF's rowing team was also in action during the weekend, competing against Princeton on Lake Pickett on Saturday.
With 2008 football season tickets now available, a select-a-seat event was held prior to the spring game inside of the stadium. For more information about tickets, please contact the UCF ticket sales staff at 407-UCF-1000.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.