ORLANDO, FL - Knight of Champions is a program the office of Student-Athlete Welfare & Development offers once a semester for all of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff to attend. The program is a series where a member if UCF Athletics coaching staff is invited to share their journey along with any other inspiring words they would be willing to leave with the group. The goal of the initiative is to highlight UCF Athletics' coaches while providing an opportunity to learn and grow from our very own leadership on campus.
Below is a reflection on the night from Paula Parks, a current student-athlete on the rowing team, who is gaining professional experience in the office of Student-Athlete Welfare & Development. Parks played a major role in the planning of the event.
"Johnny Dawkins began his career like every other athlete. He had a goal, and made sure he did everything he could to reach it. Started as a Student-Athlete for Duke University, he was a 1986 first-round draft selection and the 10th pick overall by the San Antonio Spurs. He also took part in nine NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons. He was an alternate on the 1984 USA Olympic basketball team and upon his retirement from the NBA, he was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in September of 1996. Now he coaches for our own Men's Basketball team.
Wednesday, October 18th, Student Athletes had the opportunity to listen to the story of how one of our very own basketball legends came to be the person he is today. It was inspiring to see how a normal student-athlete got to be the professional he is today and how through his work, dedication and passion for his sport is helping student athletes be the individuals they want to be in the future. "I was poor but did not have poor dreams" said Coach Dawkins, and this is something that stuck with the majority of student-athletes present. Is his attitude, good decision-making and hard work that brought him to where he is and a lot of us found inspiration in his words.
Hearing coach Dawkins talk about his family, basketball career, and his student athlete experience put a lot of things into perspective. He made sure to mention how lucky we are Knights are to have a school with top notch facilities and staff that dedicates their time to our well being and success in and out of the classroom or our sport. Hearing him talk about his journey and seeing him be so excited about UCF's future inspired the crowd to work hard, love our sport and school, and always reach for the stars."