Aug. 19, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - When Kirk Speraw arrived as UCF's new head coach in 1993, the Knights had never experienced a winning campaign on the Division I level. Nearly 16 years later, Speraw has enjoyed great success in Orlando and is one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the country.
Speraw is one of only 15 coaches nationally who have spent at least 15 campaigns at their current school. Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, who is entering his 33rd year with the Orange, is the leader of the group.
The Knights have made four trips to the NCAA Tournament during Speraw's tenure. Most recently, he has guided the Knights to three strong campaigns in Conference USA. Since joining C-USA in 2005, UCF has finished in the top-five in the league standings in each of its campaigns in the 12-team conference.
Dating back to the start of the 2002-03 season, UCF has won 122 games. That mark ranks 49th nationally during that span.
Speraw is in elite company on the list of the longest-tenured head coaches. Others on the list include Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Lute Olson of Arizona, Jim Calhoun of Connecticut and Gary Williams of Maryland. All four of those coaches have won at least one national title.
Speraw's longevity could come from Olson, who served as his head coach when he was a student-athlete at Iowa in the 1970s.
Season tickets for the 2008-09 campaign are slated to go on sale later this summer. In their inaugural campaign at the state-of-the-art new UCF Arena a year ago, the Knights won 12 contests at home.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.