When UCF’s football team returns to the practice field later this month, the Knights will be playing on the newly named Wayne Densch Practice Complex.
The complex’s new name recognizes a new $2.5 million pledge commitment from the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust in support of the Hagle Football Gateway project on UCF’s campus.
Wayne M. Densch began a longstanding relationship with UCF in 1985, just six years after the Knights played their first-ever football game. At the time, the Orlando businessman pledged significant commitments to fund athletic scholarships and help develop UCF’s original athletics complex – commitments that were critical to making the then-Division III football program more successful and positioning it for a rapid rise all the way to the Power 4 today.
Densch, who owned the highly successful Wayne Densch Inc. beer distribution company, remained a dedicated supporter of the Knights until he passed away in 1994. Since then, his generosity has continued to benefit UCF through his charitable trust.
“We are thankful for the leadership and friendship of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust and for its commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes,” said UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Len, Michael, and John Williams have done an incredible job carrying on Wayne’s legacy through their support of UCF and our community.”
In 2002, under the leadership of Leonard Williams, the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust made a $2.5 million gift toward the construction of the Wayne Densch Sports Center, which opened in 2003 as the home of UCF football. That building continues to house the football program’s offices, meeting rooms, training rooms and weight rooms.
“UCF was his favorite team,” Leonard Williams said at the time. “Because UCF was Wayne’s favorite charitable cause, we have tried to continue honoring what he was doing when he was alive. I think he would be pleased by this gift.”
In 2014, the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust made a $4 million commitment to UCF Athletics to help underwrite a new building to house the academic, personal and career development services for Knights student-athletes -- the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership.
“From our athletics program’s earliest years, the power of philanthropy has helped UCF student-athletes succeed nationally in competition, in the classroom and as future leaders in their careers,” said Terry Mohajir, UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics. “We are grateful for the important role Wayne Densch and the Williams family have played in advancing our program to where we are today, and we look forward to what we will accomplish together in the Big 12.”
“Mr. Densch’s handshake commitment to former Athletic Director Gene McDowell to donate $1M dollars to help save the UCF football team in 1985 is a key cornerstone of his legacy in our community,” said John, Michael and Len Williams, trustees of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust. “Our father rightfully continued this legacy of support, and our family is honored by the opportunity we have to continue Mr. Densch’s generosity and dedication to UCF.”
As part of Mission XII, the Knights’ strategic athletics fundraising campaign, this commitment will help fund construction of the Hagle Football Gateway project, UCF’s one-of-a-kind football campus, to help football excel at a championship level and enhance the fan experience. These initiatives are part of the larger Mission XII program to expand and enhance game and practice facilities for all the Knights’ teams throughout the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village.
The Hagle Football Gateway will feature the Taylor A. Gerring Football Center, the future home of UCF football’s administration and coaches, along with the Nicholson Plaza and McNamara Cove, which will offer student-athletes a recovery river and hydrotherapy. It will also include a renovated Wayne Densch Sports Center, which will feature an expanded football Thow Family locker room, in addition to enhancements to UCF’s football practice complex, a new VIP parking lot and a pedestrian promenade. Recognition signage for the Wayne Densch Practice Facility also will be designed and installed in the near future.
For more information on Mission XII and the Hagle Football Gateway project, click here.