Common sense suggested Eric Golden probably would end up a Buckeye.
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, Golden watched as his dad Ron coached baseball at Eastmoor High School (now Eastmoor Academy), high school alma mater of two-time Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.
The elder Golden (he has two degrees from Ohio State) spent two years (1976-78) as an Ohio State assistant baseball coach—"back when I was a kid," says Eric.
"When I was about five or six years old, my dad started a baseball school in Columbus, Ohio, called Baseball Instructional Service and he ran baseball camps all over the city during the summer. It later became known as Ron Golden's Baseball School and it is now a year-round program providing opportunities for teams, groups and individuals to learn the game of baseball and how to play it the right way. It's cool that now he's coaching kids of some of the guys I used to play with."
"My dad knew (former UCF baseball coach) Jay Bergmann. I think they spoke at a lot of the same NCAA coaches' meetings and conventions and got to know each other from the coaching circuit in general. When I was in high school, UCF got on my list, I came down and visited—and what's not to like, right?"
A second baseman for the Knights, Golden served as team captain as a junior and senior in 1993 and '94. As a junior, he led UCF with 28 walks—then as a senior he paced the Knights with 35 runs scored, 42 walks and 143 assists.
"Times were different back then when only 48 teams made the NCAA tournament, six teams to a regional," says Golden. "We only made it once in my four years, but we always had pretty good teams. We were 41-21 and on the bubble my freshman year in '91 but lost in the championship game of the American South Tournament."
The Knights played in the NCAA Tallahassee regional in 1993 after winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament. UCF defeated South Florida before losing to eventual regional winner Long Beach State and Notre Dame.
"Baseball was something I'd played every day since I was a kid, and it was tough when my playing days ended." he says. "After my senior year of college, I tried out for an independent team--I made it and signed a contract, but that opportunity was pretty short-lived. Part of me said, 'Let's try that again,' but the other part said it was time to get on with life. So I went to law school, got a good job right out of law school and have been practicing law for almost 23 years now."
A 1994 magna cum laude UCF graduate with a major in psychology and minor in business, Golden also was a 1998 magna cum laude graduate of the Florida State College of Law.
He has been the managing partner of Burr & Forman's Orlando office since 2009. In addition to his managerial role at the firm, Golden maintains a full-time law practice helping his clients find innovative solutions for their business disputes.
As both a litigator and bankruptcy attorney, he has advised clients in business deals and represented their interests in court for more than two decades (previously for 11 years with Baker & Hostetler in Orlando). In his bankruptcy practice, Golden focuses on representing creditors, including financial institutions, special servicers, private equity groups and other non-traditional lenders as well as other secured and unsecured creditors in state and federal court litigation, chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, and in out-of-court workouts and resolutions. He has also represented creditors' committees, receivers, bankruptcy trustees, indenture trustees, examiners, landlords and equipment lessors. Golden has served clients in multiple industries including real estate, health care, construction, retail, auto finance and hospitality, among others.
As a commercial litigator, Golden has tried jury and bench trials to verdict and on appeal. Seasoned in complex civil cases of all types, his litigation practice is primarily focused on representing clients in business disputes including those involving real estate, contract disputes and partnership disputes. He also has experience in unique business litigation involving securities fraud, Ponzi schemes, lender liability, and complex guardianship, probate and trust proceedings.
Golden has worked through his firm to create ongoing connections with his alma mater. The firm created the Burr & Forman Scholar Development Fund at UCF in the spring of 2015—providing up to $2,500 to students for academic enrichment over the summer for students in the Burnett Honors College. The firm also works with the UCF College of Business and Golden sits on the Dean's Advisory Board.
In 2016, he became part of the UCF Everyday Champions scholarship program—and his firm began the Academy of Distinguished Gentlemen and worked with UCF student-athletes to help inspire underprivileged children in the Orlando area.
"My connections with and love for the university made it easier to target UCF as a place for our firm to look in terms of becoming involved, not just with athletics but on the academic side as well," he says.
Golden also became the first former student-athlete on the UCF athletic board.
"That was a tremendous honor to be asked to sit on that board," he says. "Getting to see how the entire athletic department works from that side was fascinating—plus, the financial and budgetary aspects were right up my alley."
Golden absolutely endorses the collegiate student-athlete experience as something that can pay dividends for years to come.
"When I see on a resume that a law student I am considering for a position with our firm is a former student-athlete, that really helps them because we know that in most cases college athletes have a competitive drive that many other candidates don't have. Former student-athletes have a certain determination, discipline and work ethic--they know what it means to work hard. That's something employers are looking for, and something they know that athletes have—and it is not limited to just the star players on the football or basketball teams. It applies, in my mind, to college athletes in any sport.
"That designation stands out on resumes. Student-athletes need to know that having that experience on their resumes is going to help them, even after they are done with athletics."
Golden couldn't believe his good fortune when the sport he had been playing for years became part of his first job.
"I'm pretty convinced I might not have gotten my first job had I not been a student-athlete at UCF," he says. "I started as a summer law clerk at Baker & Hostetler. At the time I was interviewing, they were part of a big case involving Major League Baseball and a group of American and National League owners. I thought that was the greatest thing in the world that I could find a job that involved MLB. I ended up getting to work on that case and having a baseball background may have really helped."
Despite his Midwest background, Golden has loved making Florida his home.
"When I was interviewing for jobs out of law school, Orlando was far and away my top choice as far as location," he says.
"My family loves UCF and we love UCF athletics. We have UCF football, basketball and baseball season tickets, so we get out there often. It's been great fun for my wife Leslie and me and our son Griffin, who is 10. He loves going to games in all sports, and it is great that we are only a 20- or 25-minute drive away. He also really loved going to baseball camp at UCF over the summer. "
The bottom line for Golden is rather simple.
"UCF did a lot for me," he says.
"I'm very confident I would not be where I am today without UCF, so it's important to me to do as much as I can to help the university."
This is a recurring series of feature pieces on former UCF student-athletes.