March 4, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Four years ago, members of the UCF sports marketing staff were impressed when 3,725 fans attended the Knights' regular-season finale against East Carolina, which served as the last game inside the old UCF Arena. The crowd was the seventh-largest in school history.
UCF, and its support, has come a long way. After 4,644 spectators watched UCF host East Carolina on Tuesday at the UCF Arena, the program established a new single-season attendance mark. In 15 games this year, 81,161 fans attended UCF home contests.
The previous record was 78,253, which was set in 16 games in 2007-08, the inaugural campaign at the UCF Arena.
UCF's average attendance this season - 5,411 - was also a school record. The average was an increase of 23 percent from a year ago, as the Knights averaged 4,390 spectators in 2008-09.
Two of the top-three crowds in program history were recorded this season, including the 9,460 fans who saw the Knights host Marshall on Jan. 13. That crowd was the second-largest since the new arena opened in 2007.
The Knights will conclude their regular season on Saturday at Rice. After meeting the Owls, head coach Kirk Speraw's squad will participate in the Conference USA Championship, which will begin Wednesday in Tulsa, Okla.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to 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 UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Notes: In league play, the Knights rank first in C-USA in assists per game at 15.1... UCF will leave for Rice on Friday morning. The team will return to Orlando after the game, and then depart for the league championship on Monday afternoon.