June 8, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Josh Lazar is a self-described early tailgater. On football gamedays, he arrives on the UCF campus around 8 a.m., ready for a day filled with food, friends and football.
Even hours before kickoff, Lazar gets excited when he pulls onto school grounds. A two-time UCF graduate, he gets special satisfaction while passing fellow tailgaters.
"Driving by the Memory Mall, or driving past the stadium, it gives you a sense of pride," he said. "That experience coming on campus gives me chills."
Lazar earned his undergraduate degree in 2001 and his master's from UCF in 2004. He started attending football games in 1998, and watched plenty of sparsely attended contests at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Now he enjoys being a part of capacity-filled crowds at Bright House Networks Stadium, and loves the campus atmosphere each time the Knights play at home.
"That is what collegiate athletics is all about: enjoying the company of others, enjoying spending time at your alma mater, being with friends. It is just a great experience," Lazar said.
A Golden Knights Club member, Lazar works as an adjunct professor at UCF. Each time he arrives on campus, reminders of how the university has grown are all around, from the football stadium to the UCF Arena to the impressive Towers at Knights Plaza. Lazar believes that getting alumni on campus is the key to increasing UCF's already growing fanbase.
"What I have seen since 2004 when I last graduated, the growth of everything is absolutely astounding. If everyone who graduated maybe six or seven years ago and does not usually come on campus came to just one game, they would be astonished at what is here. It is night and day from just a few years ago."