I’m talking about the potential return of former Knights starting quarterback from the last two seasons, Jeff Godfrey.

“I’d look forward to it (Godfrey returning) because he’s a great athlete, and he’d make the team a lot better,” Bortles said after UCF’s annual Spring football game on April 14.

Whether Bortles is just playing nice or he’s genuine, he’s got one thing right: Godfrey would make the team a lot better.

Godfrey’s Return Would Only Help The Knights 

As news broke last week that Godfrey was flirting with the notion of coming back to the UCF football program and repairing his relationship with UCF head coach George O’Leary, it left me with a smile from ear to ear.

I thought it was a shame that Godfrey was leaving in the first place and the fact that the UCF fan base and coaching staff was so quick to give up faith in the talented junior-to-be after one underachieving season was despicable.

So, when the Miami-product posted to his Twitter account that he wanted to return to UCF and it was up to Coach O’Leary’s approval, I immediately supported the decision.

Of course, returning to the program could be the least of Godfrey’s concerns whether or not Coach O’Leary gives the thumbs up, considering he may have issues just getting back into the university because of a violation of university policy unrelated to the football program.

But, if that doesn’t end up being a problem, O’Leary should be quick to welcome back the former Conference-USA Freshman of the Year, who led the Knights to their first-ever national ranking and bowl victory in school history, for two primary reasons: First, having a plethora of talented quarterbacks on your depth chart is never a negative thing. Second, quite simply, is because Godfrey never really left in the first place.

Still Familiar With The Playbook

Godfrey played in a UCF uniform less than six months ago and played in every game for the Knights in 2011. While, he conceded a lot of late-season playing time to Bortles after the Knights fell short of expectations, in large part to Godfrey’s struggles, the dual-threat quarterback was fully expected to at least be competing for the starting job in 2012.

If anything, there would have been healthy competition between Godfrey and Bortles, and the best player would have won the spot, instead of Godfrey just handing it over to Bortles by transferring from UCF.

And, it’s not like there’s been some long gap between the last time Godfrey played for the Knights- he still knows the playbook, he’s still an extremely dangerous player and he should be motivated to prove last season was just a sophomore slump.

Even more importantly, it would give the Knights three viable quarterback options in Godfrey, Bortles and Missouri-transfer Tyler Gabbert. The trio all has starting QB capabilities and give the Knights plenty of options in case one gets injured or doesn’t produce.

The fact also remains that Bortles, while showing flashes of potential last season, still isn’t proven. Sure, he performed well in the opportunities he received and had some notable games, namely the near-comeback he orchestrated against Southern Miss, but it’s not like he guided the Knights on a winning streak or helped them become bowl eligible.

Sure, he was thrown into the lion’s den last season, but I’m not 100 percent convinced he’s the team’s go-to-guy. The Knights still finished 5-7 last year.

As for Gabbert, who is the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert, he’s had a shaky college football career, transferring from Louisville to Missouri, before entering junior college last year.

Time To Put Godfrey’s Mistakes In Past

This all points to the fact that Godfrey should not only be welcomed back with open arms, but that he may be needed more than the team thinks.

Godfrey made his mistakes, especially when his dad, Jeff Godfrey Sr. and his mentor, Luther Campbell, accused O’Leary of being racist, but it’s time to put that in the past and bring back a guy who not too long ago was hailed as the unquestioned Knights leader.

Remember, he still is the guy that ignited and guided the UCF football program to its best season in school history a mere two seasons ago.

“Some things were said. People say I have thick skin. I don’t if it’s thick skin or I don’t read a lot. But, I think the big thing is I always tried to give kids an opportunity. Sometimes, their bark is worse than their bite,” O’Leary said.

If Godfrey doesn’t have a problem competing for a starting position, is in good graces with Coach O’Leary and the rest of the team, then why not welcome Godfrey back?

But, most importantly, if Bortles endorses Godrey’s return, which he appeared to from his recent comments, then this move should be a no-brainer.

If he gets his university violations resolved, then Coach O’Leary, teammates and Knights fans everywhere should be pumped to have Godfrey back under center. Remember, just how effective Godfrey can be when he’s on top of his game.

“I’m always gonna listen to kids. They’re young kids. I do think if I hear the right things, I will always listen to kids,” O’Leary said.

Well, let’s hope Godfrey says the right things and that UCF permits him back into the school, because we all know what Godfrey can bring to the table. Just remember all the successes from 2010, and think who you want playing quarterback for the Knights.

With the nickname ‘Under Construction Forever’, UCF students are no strangers to seeing new projects being undertaken just as quickly as old projects are finished.  UCF is home to some of the nations best facilities for both student athletes and the student body because of their endless commitment to building a top-tier campus for the country’s second biggest enrollment class.

Most recently, the UCF baseball diamond, Jay Bergman Field, underwent the first phase of an expansion that added 1,100 seats featuring an upper deck along the first base chalk stripe.  While construction workers labored tirelessly to complete the first phase before Opening Night of the 2012 baseball season, the Knights baseball foreman and head coach, Terry Rooney, has been quietly building something awfully spectacular between the foul posts.

The 2012 Knights baseball team has exploded onto the scene and has proven that they can play ball with just about anyone.  Sporting a 24-6 overall record and a national ranking of 13, the Knights are garnishing considerable attention from other teams with their eyes on Omaha.

The well-oiled baseball machine that calls The Berg home was not something that Coach Rooney inherited, it is something he has been crafting since setting foot in Orlando in 2009.  If growth and progress is the UCF theme, well Coach Rooney fits right into that agenda and the proof is in the numbers.

In 2009, with Rooney’s first bout as a head coach, after assistant coaching the LSU Tigers the year prior, the Knights managed a disheartening 22-35 record.  Rooney didn’t spare a moment and continued to mold his team into the contenders he knew they could be.  The 2010 season had a nearly polar opposite result as the Knights finished 33-22, but Rooney had more work to do.

Building on his record flip from the prior season, the 2011 Knights got a little taste of what Coach Rooney has been cooking with a regular season sweep of the top ranked Florida Gators and a trip to the NCAA CWS Regional in Tallahassee, backed by a 39-23 record.

Just what exactly is Coach Rooney cooking though? Rooney has made it clear since his tenure began here at UCF that he will stop at nothing to craft and coach a team to the College World Series in Omaha.  After the Regional and Super Regional portion of the CWS, making it to Omaha is the equivalent of making it to the Elite-8 in the March Madness basketball tournament.

The 2012 Knights are primed to make a serious run at punching their tickets to Omaha this year.  There is no question that UCF has the talent to accomplish such a feat, but baseball is all about having the right pieces in the right place.

The biggest question the Knights have faced this year has been getting the right pitching rotation.  Coach Rooney, being a pitcher in college and the Knights pitching coach, has toiled with the order all season long trying to find the right balance.

While the back end of the bullpen has been well established all season, set-up man Roman Madrid and closer Joe Rogers have been nearly unhittable with the respective ERA’s of 0.38 and 1.14. It’s the starting rotation that has been the biggest riddle.

Brian Adkins came into this season projected to be the No. 1 guy after finishing last season with 88 innings pitched and an ERA of 4.23, but Adkins has been inconsistent thus far.

Ben Lively has grown into a very effective pitcher with a 4-0 record, 3.44 ERA and a team high 38 strikeouts.  The team will rely on Lively continuing to improve and put up quality starts as the season continues.

Freshman Garrett Nuss has been outstanding as a middle inning reliever this season.  Coach Rooney has really found a niche for him as he boasts an ERA of 1.67 with 30 strikeouts over 27 innings pitched.  Garrett will come in during the fourth, fifth or sixth inning if a starter finds himself in a jam, and so far, few pitchers have been better at working out of the mess.

Eric Skoglund is another freshman who stands at a towering 6’7″ and has a significant presence on the mound.  His 4-1 record is backed up by his 2.15 ERA and 30 strikeouts as well.  The performances of Skoglund and Nuss have been pivotal in the success of the Knights this season.

While early in the season it seems like the Knights may have had too many choices at pitcher to find the ideal set up, they have hit their stride and Coach Rooney seems to have made all of the right moves. After holding eighth ranked Miami to only one run to earn a win in Coral Gables, it seems like anything is possible for this year’s Knights team.

If the bats continue to pop and the pitchers continue to keep teams on their heels, this is a Knights squad that can shake things up in the CWS at years end.  While the Knights are anxious to play for whatever they can at the end of the season, they aren’t getting ahead of themselves and continue to focus on one game at a time.

Next up at the plate is back-to-back home games starting with Florida A&M Tuesday night at 6:30 and Wednesday night against Bethune-Cookman at 6:30.

This years Knights have the potential to be something special; don’t miss out.

The Knights were 18-6 after beating Marshall on Feb. 8 and seemed poised to make their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005. Then, they split their final six games, including a devastating loss at Rice later in the month that pretty much doomed UCF’s tournament hopes.

The Knights finished 10-6 in Conference-USA play, a far cry from last year’s 6-10 mark, but they failed to win key games late in league play that could have secured them an at-large bid in the Big Dance.

Now, UCF finds itself playing in the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in school history, with a matchup against No. 3 Drexel University tonight in Philadelphia at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Many fans might be upset with the NITs as a substitute for March Madness. Even UCF head coach Donnie Jones expressed disdain about an NIT berth before last week’s C-USA Tournament, saying that the Big Dance was the team’s ultimate goal.

“No, we want to go to the NCAA Tournament. We’ve had five of our nine losses have been to teams that are in the Top 25 in the RPI, and we’ve had five wins over team’s that have been to the NCAA Tournament last year,” Jones said. “We’ve played a really good schedule. These guys have earned that opportunity (to make the Big Dance).”

Jones made some solid points regarding the Knights resume and tournament credentials. Although late losses killed UCF, it should be their body of work from the season as a whole that is examined.

The Knights notched victories over defending national champion UConn, as well as this year’s C-USA champion Memphis Tigers, and last year tournament teams Old Dominion and UAB.

And while they did suffer some bad losses against the likes of LA Lafayette and Rice, most of their losses were against teams that are either in the tournament this year or were in it last year.

Regardless of the Knights body of work, they came up short in the conference tourney with a blowout loss at the hands of the Tigers and will have to settle for the NITs.

However, I don’t believe UCF Nation should be upset with the NIT bid. I think we should be excited and happy about it. Just think- this time last year, the Knights were in the College Basketball Invitational. I still don’t even know what the hell the CBI is? UCF finished with a 6-10 conference record and completely collapsed after a 14-0 start to the season.

This year, the Knights finished with the third best record in C-USA, posted their first-ever wins over Memphis and UAB, saw their first-ever storming of the court, and made a very respectable tournament that features teams such as Oregon, LSU, Tennessee, Washington and Arizona.

So, I think we should revel in UCF’s accomplishments this year and enjoy just how far the program has come since Donnie Jones took it over. The Knights have had back-to-back 20-win campaigns, two consecutive postseason berths and given UCF Nation plenty of things to be excited about as they enter the Big East in 2013.

So, look forward to tonight’s game vs. Drexel, and let’s hope that UCF is able to make a run in the NITs. The Knights have a legitimate superstar in Keith Clanton, who was named to the Conference-USA First Team, C-USA All-Defensive Team, and today was just announced as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 11 First Team.

Clanton is the first Knight to receive NABC All-District honors and C-USA First Team Honors since Jermaine Taylor was recognized in 2008-09.

They also have a budding star in Isaiah Sykes, who is one of the most improved players in the nation this year, as well as another star in Marcus Jordan.

So, make sure to tune-in to ESPN3 tonight and support the Knights as they square off with the Dragons at 7:15 in what could turn into a wild March run.

Be proud of the UCF basketball team and how far they’ve come because this is just the start of where this program could be sooner rather than later.

Enter Brian Tewes, who happened to be granted the special privilege of flaunting the inaugural Stewie head in the student section of last Wednesday’s UCF men’s basketball game against Memphis. The UCF Athletics section has been handing out various “big head” posters of Knights basketball players, as well as cartoon characters and celebrities during basketball games.

The only problem was Tewes and the Stewie head poster were nowhere to be found after the postgame madness.

“I stormed the court like everyone else and took the cut out with me similar to how the other students who were given them did,” said Tewes.  “Afterwards, I didn’t see who gave it to me so I went home with It and hung it on my wall.”

UCF premiered five cut out heads, featuring Stewie, Darth Vader, Justin Bieber, The Most Interesting Man in the World, and Daniel Tosh.  During the circus that followed, collecting the heads was not easy.

“We went through the crowd to collect them and realized that Stewie was missing,” said Assistant Director of Fan Development Samantha Nemeroff.  “We thought it wasn’t going to be found, but by chance, our intern’s friend was taking pictures for Valencia’s newspaper and had taken enough of the crowd for us to spot him.”

Nemeroff and the UCF marketing team decided to make the search for the Stewie head fun by making a themed wanted poster of Tewes with a Wild West flair.  It featured several shots of him throughout the game with the Stewie head and offered a reward for its safe return.

Not even 15 minutes after the pictures were posted, with the help of UCF Nation, the culprit was found.  Dan Antonino, or “Knight Fan Dan”, is a friend of Tewes and spotted the picture of him as soon as it was posted on Facebook.

“I called him as soon as I saw it and posted a link to his Facebook of the picture,” said Antonino.  “Seeking the prize, I went with Brian to return the head and was awarded three t-shirts.”

The cut out heads of celebrities and cartoon characters was inspired by an Indiana Hoosiers basketball game that the UCF marketing team had watched.  The cut out heads are traditionally used to distract the opposing team during free throws and are a way of making the crowd even more raucous.

“Our goal is to have those five heads showcased at every game, but we encourage students to make their own as well,” said Nemeroff.

The marketing team is calling for even more crowd participation with the cut out heads and will look to collect them prior to the games completion to ensure this mishap does not happen again.  As for Tewes, he is happy things have returned to normal as his time as a UCF outlaw was short, but exciting.

“I couldn’t believe they went to such an extent,” said Tewes.  “It was very creative getting the poster out there, and this was definitely one of my best college moments so far.”

UCF will play their first home game since the Memphis thriller Saturday against Southern Miss at 7 p.m., where Stewie and the gang will make their triumphant return.  Hopefully this time he’ll make it home without any trouble.

Those three super fans are all household names in their respective fan bases, known as being the primary cheerleader and motivator for their team every game, season after season.

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While the Gators, Jets and Dolphins all have a rich history and tradition, the University of Central Florida hasn’t quite reached the level of tradition and prestige that the more known schools and teams have from being around for a very long period of time.

Still, that hasn’t stopped Brian Stanley, also known as “Knight Fan Stan.”

In case you haven’t attended a UCF sporting event in the last three years, Knight Fan Stan is UCF’s version of Mr. Two Bits. He attends UCF athletic events and spends a large portion of each game running around the stadium or arena pumping up the crowd with his various sign, Black and Gold chants and popular phrase- “Every day is a great day to be a UCF Knight!”

While his Knight Fan Stan gig has just recently taken off, Stanley has been a Knights fan for nearly 30 years after he moved to Orlando in the early ‘70s. Interestingly enough, Knight Fan Stan didn’t attend UCF as a student, but his wife and sister are both UCF alumni.

The Beginning

The origination of the “KFS” idea started in the 1980’s when he had UCF football season tickets and attended many of the games at the Citrus Bowl, the Knights previous venue before Bright House Networks Stadium opened on campus in 2007.

“It all started back through my business. I purchased season tickets before Daunte Culpepper was here,” Knight Fan Stan said. “I did a little cheering in the old Citrus Bowl, but I kind of modeled myself after Dolphin Denny from the Miami Dolphins- he was a super fan.”

After attending numerous UCF football games, Stanley became upset with the lack of fans that went to games and realized that the Knights didn’t have an avid fan, or “super fan,” to pump up the crowd and increase school spirit at the UCF games.

“I thought UCF really doesn’t have someone like this (Mr. Two Bits). What really got me was people weren’t attending the games back in the Citrus Bowl,” KFS said. “You had a stadium with 70,000 people, but only 18,000 were attending, so it looked empty. It was a little upsetting for me because there was no school spirit.”

However, Stanley didn’t really take the Knight Fan Stan persona to the next level until 2007 when UCF brought the football stadium on campus. Bright House Networks Stadium gave him inspiration to further develop the KFS persona, and he fully implemented the idea in 2009.

Gaining the Trust of the UCF Community

For the first two years as the concept was maturing, Knight Fan Stan didn’t get a huge reception, and the UCF Athletics staff and event staff was skeptical of the role. But as time went on, his feedback became increasingly positive.

“I’ve gained the trust of UCF Athletics. At first, it was like who is this guy; is he going to be here for the short term and not the long term?” KFS said. “UCF Athletics has been very open now in the regard of letting me walk around the stadium. I have clearance from UCF Athletics to do what I do.”

Now, Knight Fan Stan is fully recognized by the UCF Athletics Association staff, the UCF athletes and the UCF fan base after three years of attending games, putting in hard work and consistently supporting the UCF sports teams.

“I’m a huge UCF fan- I have season tickets for football, basketball and baseball,” KFS said. “I bleed black and gold, and I’m very passionate about UCF; I don’t go half ass- I go all into it.”

Taking on the Knight Fan Stan role has been no easy task for Stanley, who owns his own printing business, has a weekly radio show and is a father of two kids- ages 13 and 10.  He has to juggle all his responsibilities, while still making sure he goes to every game to keep increasing UCF’s school spirit.

“I’m at the game. I’m a family man. I’m a father, and I’m Knight Fan Stan- I have to be everywhere,” Stanley said.

The Inspiration Behind the “KFS” Persona

While as much as the Knight Fan Stan character is a fun way to promote himself and the UCF program, Stanley says the primary inspiration behind the whole gig is giving back to the community and advancing the UCF brand.

“The motivation is giving back to the community, meeting people, networking and getting the UCF brand out there in a positive way,” Stanley said. “Someone might not know about UCF athletics – it’s a college first and foremost, but there are a lot of community people out there that need to support the local college. The reason the big schools have such a following is because they have community involvement.”

The Knights have been criticized largely at times for not generating tons of fan support at football and basketball games. However, Knight Fan Stan sees that as a product of growing pains of being a relatively young program and thinks things will change in the future.

“For a school this size, it’s concerning. But, schools like Penn State, Florida and Florida State have had a 100-year head start. Ask me that question (fan attendance) in 2040 or 2050 when we’re in the Big East, or if we’ve moved past that, and we’re Top 10 contenders,” KFS said.

With the Knights recently getting a bid into the Big East, as well as having an established football stadium on campus, Stanley sees the tradition brewing for the future.

“I think the tradition will come- it’s just slow. The stadium has only been around five years,” KFS said. “You need it to be around for 10-20 years. Now, when you’re an alumni, you’re going to have something to come back to.”

With Knight Fan Stan being a much more recognizable face these days as the UCF Athletic program continues to make progress and with all the success its had over the past few years, KFS is just hoping his role will get people excited about UCF sports and bring people back to the games.

“It’s just about the students, alumni and fans- to get the crowd energized, to care, to have someone to get people to come back to the games. I’m not trying to be Knightro or Coach O’Leary- it’s just another character in the UCF gang,” KFS said. “I like getting the kids involved at the games. When I go around, I thank people for supporting the school. I’m like an investor- I like to invest so people come back to the games.”

Just like building tradition at UCF is a continuing process, so is the Knight Fan Stan character. In just three years, KFS has matured his character and built his reputation to the point where he receives great feedback from the UCF students and fan base not only on campus, but off campus.

KFS said he constantly gets noticed in the Orlando area by the numerous people in the UCF community when he does volunteer work or is simply running errands.

It appears that people understand that Stanley is serious about his KFS persona, and that he is here for the long haul.

Between his consistent attendance at UCF sporting events, his various signs, popular sayings and social media handles that promote the Knights and his character, Knight Fan Stan is doing his part in building tradition at UCF. It may only be a matter of time before the Knights have the tradition that other big-time programs like Florida and FSU have- and we have Knight Fan Stan to thank for helping the UCF community move towards that direction.

“I consider myself a big part of it. I’m still contributing, but it is trial and error,” Knight Fan Stan said. “Really, we’ll sit down 10-15 years from now, and ask me that question again because the KFS persona is still in the infancy stage. I’m really motivated to take it as far as I can take it.”

You can find out more information or reach Knight Fan Stan at his website- www.knightfanstan.com, as well as on Twitter @KnightFanStan. If you want to listen to his radio show, the Knight Fan Stan Show, check it out on weekends from 6 p.m.-12 a.m. on Rock100DIZ.com.

Doors open at 10pm. Come dressed to boogy-woogy–things are going to get wild. See ya there!

For the American Conservative Union (ACU), their yearly Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is one of the most hyped events for Republicans and conservatives across the country. For the first time, this past weekend, the ACU put together its first regional CPAC here in Orlando, Florida. With speakers, and workshops lined up throughout the day on Friday attendees couldn’t be happier and more engaged.

For the speakers, the attendees were afforded the privilege to hear from the top Presidential Candidates including Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and the star of the weekend Herman Cain. Other candidates were there as well, but they are considered to be a lower tier by many.

Herman Cain talks with KnightNews.com

The event began at 8:30 with the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. We were then introduced to the chairman of the ACU, Al Cardenas, whom used to be the Florida Republican Chair. He called on Floridians to make sure we help elect the next President of the United States.

After the chairman spoke, we had the opportunity to hear from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who has gone from almost front runner status to bringing up the behind. Her message was clear, she wants to make Barack Obama a “one term president.” This is something that she has been using on the campaign trail since the beginning, and it always seems to resonate well with voters, however, she is not so much anymore.

Next we got to hear from Mitt Romney, who has always had trouble playing to the conservative base of the Republican Party. His message seemed to resonate well with voters, especially since he is portraying himself as the candidate that can beat Obama right now. As former Governor to Massachusetts, he alienated the Republican base by passing a universal style health care law in Massachusetts. He tries to assure voters that it was the best thing to do for his state at the time, and on his first day in office he would sign an executive order issuing waivers to all 50 states that would allow them to opt out of the President’s health care law.

One of the candidates who spoke got a real nice welcome, as he always does, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. He has put himself forward as the candidate that has the most experience, and also the policy knowledge to be able to effectively debate President Obama. This Thursday, Gingrich is planning a reintroduction of his Contract with America, which he has cleverly named the 21st century Contract with America. Gingrich is trailing in the polls, most of the time coming in below ten percent.

One of the most hyped speeches of the day came from Governor Rick Perry of Texas, who had quite a lack luster performance in the debate the night before. Perry who has had very strong poll numbers since entering the race about six weeks ago, has been criticized recently for his lack of fireworks in debates, as well as his stances on immigration and his mandate that required all girls in the state of Texas to receive the Gardisil Vaccine, which is known to prevent various forms of HPV. Perry had one of the largest following coming into the weekend, and it seemed to be a different story when the weekend ended on Saturday with the Republican Party of Florida’s Presidency 5 straw poll.

The man who stole the show was former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain. Polling in single digits, he has been the sweetheart of the race. He has consistently had the highest intensity rating amongst all GOP candidates in the Race. Every time he speaks, he seems to gain a new passenger on the “Cain Train.” During his speech, by my count, he had the most standing ovations as well as the longest one after he finished. The buzz around the convention center was unreal.

One attendee, A.J. Trommello, said that he felt “overwhelmed, and privileged being able to see all of the candidates in one place, basically one right after the other. Although A.J. hasn’t quite decided who he is supporting in the upcoming election, he knows that his opinion changed on two of the candidates: Mitt Romney and Herman Cain.

While talking to A.J., he also pointed out how great it was to see (what seemed like a lot of Tea Party members) be so welcoming to an African American candidate. He noted how discouraging it is hearing politicians on the left, as well as the liberal media “brand” the Tea Party as a bunch of racists. However, A.J. noted that two of the loudest cheers he heard from the crowd was for two African American’s: Herman Cain, and Congressman Allen West (R-FL).

Mr. Cain continued his strong performances from Thursday’s debate, and Friday’s conference with another one at the Presidency 5 straw poll on Saturday. Cain won with thirty-seven percent of the votes casted, just about 3,000. Following Cain in the straw poll was Perry and Romney within one point of each other. Former Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman and Congresswoman Bachmann rounded out the results with two and one percent respectively.

With just about 4 months until the Iowa Caucuses, the race is really going to begin to heat up. There are still a couple of big names out there who still might decide to the throw their name into the fray, Sarah Palin and Chris Christie. While most pundits have said their time has come and gone, some disagree and say they could really turn things upside down in the race.

It will be quite interesting to see how the candidates round out their fall debate schedule with the October 11th debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. The debate will be sponsored by CNN.

As for the ACU, they say they want to continue the regional CPAC idea. They considered the Orlando event to be a major success and look back to bring it back to Washington D.C. in February. However, they hope to hold the next regional conference in Chicago, the President’s hometown.

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‘No.’

That’s what the editors over at the Central Florida Future told me when I applied to be a writer for their entertainment section five years ago.

‘No.’

That’s what the ‘who’s who’ of the university told me when I said I wanted to start an online newspaper at UCF.

Fortunately, I don’t respond favorably to people telling me what I can’t do. Here we are, two years later, and I can grab the attention of nearly 60,000 students with the click of a ‘submit’ button. KnightNews.com, the ‘little campus blog’ I shouldn’t and couldn’t have started with my friend Max Friedman* in July of 2009, has become a household name.

Although I was mostly known as “the guy who makes people look stupid on camera,” everything was very serious behind the scenes. I’ve become fluent in First Amendment law, video editing, news field production and business and non-profit management — sort of makes me wonder why I ever paid for college courses.

I have a lot of favorite moments at UCF, but here are a few that meant the most to me:

1.) The El Corral Music Video

Yes, I wrote the song. No, I did not get paid to do it. Yes, I was given a lot of free El Corral afterward. No, the Porsche in the video does not belong to me — yet.

2.) Exposing corruption in SGA – “The Mike Kilbride Administration $8,000 Triple Crown,” as I like to call it, was an $8,000 retreat at a luxury resort near Disney, an $8,000 desk for the office, and another nearly $8,000 retreat just months later — all on students’ dime. We broke these major stories and they got picked up on every major network, including CNN. The message was simple: stop wasting students’ money and we will stop exposing you. He didn’t. We continued.

3.) The People – From dealing with student organizations to reporting on campus events, I’ve shaken more hands and kissed more babies (proverbially) than I can count on a porcupine with split ends. This has really been the most incredible experience of my life (::hitting play on Greenday CD::). I loved every moment, but certainly need to delete a few Facebook friends. I’m tired of getting poked by strangers and receiving endless Vampire invitations, although I am flattered.

I’ve created a few enemies along the way, which is my only regret. But you know, it’s difficult not to. You know how they say there are two sides to every story? That’s a load of crap. At UCF, there are 56,000 sides to every story and they won’t all line up with yours. I’ve learned to deal with it, and my skin has become thicker than Wendy’s Frosty — unfortunately I don’t taste as good when you dip French fries in me.

We’ve won major awards for outstanding reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists. We’ve defended students when their rights were being violated; we’ve battled the UCF administration when it was treating students unfairly; we’ve brought high definition and live video recordings to all major campus events; the list goes on. KnightNews.com has completely revolutionized news at UCF.

In my early days at UCF, I had been told ‘no’ so many times I was beginning to feel like the wrinkled dollar bill that no vending machine would accept. But it’s that wrinkled dollar that proves to be the most clutch in a time of need because it’s the one that was holding out in your wallet to be used for something better than a diet Coke. I was glad to be UCF’s wrinkled dollar bill; I feel like I accomplished something greater than I ever set out to do.

Now as I leave, I have passed the reigns onto Kevin Wolkenfeld, our Editor-in-Chief, who I know will continue to do an amazing job. Kevin — if I have any advice at all for you, it’s to write what you want to write. If you listen to everyone who tells you ‘no,’ you’ll end up like everyone. And from looking around, I can tell you that’s a scary thought.

I recently applied to work for Tribune Company, one of the largest and most respected news publishing corporations in the world. I met with them and showed them what I did with KnightNews.com and the impact it’s made, and they loved it. As for the job I applied for with them, they went on to tell me one thing:

‘Yes.’

Proud UCF Alum,
Andrew Stein

*After leaving KnightNews.com, Max Friedman has gone on to start a successful, South-Florida based, full-service marketing and design agency. Check it out at FriedmanCreative.com. Without Max, KnightNews.com would never have gotten off the ground. He was my only ‘yes man.’

Boxing Match With Words – And the Fight Continues

On the day of the most important witness for the UCFAA’s testimony, the Courtroom seemed more like a boxing ring than a court of law.  It’s no wonder Plancher family attorney Steven Yerrid told the Judge he couldn’t take a doctor’s deposition on Saturday because he was being inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame.

Throughout the day, the two parties were slinging objections and accusations at each other and a mistrial was requested multiple times. In one corner, we had Plaintiff’s counsel at one point ask the Judge for permission to temporarily practice law (via Motion Pro Hac Vice) in Colorado so he can go take up a matter with the Courts and Bar regarding complaints of attorney misconduct against the Defendant’s out of state attorney.  In the other corner, we had UCFAA’s attorney throwing some serious jabs when he accused Plancher family attorney as intentionally committing a fraud on the Court and saying that the Judge is allowing it to happen.  This constant bickering back and forth had the judge questioning the attorneys’ professionalism and testing his patience.  In fact, the Judge said his golf game suffers due to his lack of patience, but after sitting as the Judge in this case, no doubt his golf game is going to improve.

O’Leary made it a point to highlight how he treated or felt about individual players and the team.  That they were treated like a family and that there was nothing out of the “norm” than what you’d expect to see at this level when it came to football.  He talked about how Ereck was a smart young man, that he was one of the ones that if told to do something, he would be the one to follow through and get it done.

Coach O’Leary admitted that he knew Ereck suffered of sickle cell trait, as well as 3 other people, though it turned out one of those 3 (ex-assistant trainer Robert Jackson) did not.  His testimony was basically he was out on the field and as Head Coach he had “a lot of eyes” out on the field, but no one saw Ereck in any kind of distress.  He admits seeing Ereck stumble and finish further behind than normal in one of their runs, but he didn’t think much of it.  He also singled Ereck out and told him he expected or wanted to see more from him.  He did, however, say in hindsight how bad that makes him feel to have said that, since basically he had no idea that this would end so tragically.

The final kicker was when ex-trainer Robert Jackson’s testimony was presented via video since he could not be physically available in Florida for the trial.  With this video came to be the most damaging testimony of the day for the defense.  Basically, Jackson was allowed to talk about the current protocol or standard for dealing with athletes with sickle cell trait there at the new university where he is currently working.  Essentially, they screen ALL athletes for the trait, they sit down with each one that tests positive, they have them sign a form acknowledging they’ve been advised of the trait and what it means, they explain to them what it means, and they explain the life-threatening nature of it and what signs to look for to avoid the serious risks associated with the trait.

The jury is hearing all of this and basically being told how important it is for these things to be done.  It is undisputed that at the time of Ereck Plancher’s death, or even his joining the team, there was no such formal protocol, nor were those specific things done.  What juror wouldn’t think, well it should have been!?  The problem is, that testimony was totally “legally” irrelevant and extremely prejudicial.

So why didn’t UCFAA object?  Well, they did during the trial since it was clearly damaging testimony, so much so they asked for a mistrial!  The problem for them was that during the actual taping of the video testimony they had one of their lawyers present and she simply did not ask ANY questions.  UCFAA attorneys allege the reason they didn’t was because they had an issue related to that witness on appeal (waiting for a decision from appeals court), and so they wanted to “preserve the issue”, meaning make sure they didn’t ruin their chance or waive their rights on the appeal.  However, the judge basically said too bad so sad.  You had an attorney there, they don’t get to sit there and sit back and say nothing, then come in today in the middle of the testimony –- not before, not just before trial — but in the middle of the testimony, and cry “Foul!”.  The Judge said sorry, but it’s coming in.  Best he offered was to give an instruction to the jury to attempt to “cure” the damage.

But it’s anybody’s guess as to how this will play out because even the Judge said he reserves the right to reverse himself.  So there is no telling what he’ll decide or if he’ll change his mind once the case gets back underway.  O’Leary’s testimony was cut short but will be back to testify for the Defense’s case, and the Plaintiff’s attorney made it clear he wasn’t excused from his subpoena and is subject to recall.

The Plaintiff’s attorney made much of O’Leary’s contract, where he highlighted the importance of winning and how winning equals dollar signs.  On top of the $650,000 contract, O’Leary gets paid or bonuses for radio and media attention, speaking engagements, and based on the number of folks in the stands.  While again, he stressed this is contract isn’t anything different (I guess compared to other college football coaches), the Plaintiffs were trying to highlight how a coach is going to push for wins, no matter what the cost, because of the cost to him.  This is going to be a running theme in a time where many question the perceived exploitation of these young athletes who aren’t really being paid, yet the colleges, the coaches, and these “private” organizations like UCFAA, are making hundreds of thousands of dollars.  No matter what the outcome of this case, more care will clearly be given to avoid incidents and lawsuits like this.

Remembering UCF's Ereck Plancher: 1988-2008

So as this exciting legal battle continues, we continue to watch the “drama”, though one can only hope the reality is not lost.  Among all the bickering, there was even a lot of joking and laughter intermixed in the courtroom.  Many times it seemed as if this was basically a game to the “players”, the attorneys fighting this out.  But let’s not forget, accident or not, regardless of whose fault this ends up falling on, a young man died tragically and his parents sit in that courtroom while the lawyers banter back in forth with many times what seems to be a wholly insensitive approach in light of this family’s loss.

On Monday night, seven (official) Presidential candidates took the stage at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. The debate, which aired on CNN, was a good chance for Republican Primary voters to see what the current field looks like. It was a night that focused on the failed Presidency of Barack Obama. The candidates were reluctant to take jabs at one another, and I believe it was the right move.

The biggest headline coming out of tonight’s debate was that of Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann announcing that she has officially filed paperwork to run for President. With that announcement, Bachmann had to live up to the expectations of someone running for the White House and she did.

On a night where the economy was the main focus, she was calm, cool and collected. When it came to criticizing the President, she did not hold back. When the issue of healthcare was brought us, she pointed out that as a Representative from Minnesota she was the first member of Congress to “introduce the full-scale repeal of Obamacare.” Since this is going to be a major focus point in 2012, she has the background as a member of congress to say she fought to repeal the massive healthcare legislation.

For other candidates on the stage, they also decided that it was more important to attack the President as opposed to each other, at least for now.

The frontrunner going into tonight’s debate was clearly Mitt Romney. He is leading in the national polls, as well as in most of early primary states. Romney did not have to “win” tonight to continue to be the front runner in this race. He needed to make sure he did enough on addressing policy issues, and he did.

Herman Cain at Previous Debate

For the rest of the field, it was pretty cut and dry. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich did enough to stay alive after his campaign staff quite en masse last week. He was strong on policy issues, and was strong in his dismay for the President.

Herman Cain, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO continued to show that his title as a non-politician will continue to allow him to gain a following amongst the Tea Party voters. The only thing standing in his way with that group of voters is the fact that Michelle Bachmann is also a Tea Party sweetheart.

Former Governor Tim Pawlenty, in my opinion, started out strong but tapered towards the middle and finished weak as well. He missed an opportunity to show that he is willing to go toe to toe with Romney in regards to his healthcare law in Massachusetts. On Sunday, he dubbed the healthcare situation as “Obamneycare.” John King tried to get him to bite the bait and he didn’t. I think it is still too early for these candidates to attack each other, and I am okay with Pawlenty tiptoeing the issue.

Former Senator Rick Santorum continued to show that he will be a darling of social conservatives across the country. During most of the debate, he looked quite tense and I think it is going to severely hurt him. New Hampshire is not his state, and he will continue to have his sight set on the Iowa Caucuses. If he doesn’t lighten up a bit, it will be a short ran campaign for him.

For the final candidate, we all know him, and that is Congressman Ron Paul. He continued to show why he is a headline maker. He continued to call for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. At one point, he went as far as to say that he would not listen to what his generals had to say about the withdrawal.

Ultimately, the winner tonight is Michelle Bachmann. It was a nice introduction for her to the country, and it should that she could handle being on stage with the heavyweights. Romney will continue to lead in the polls for the foreseeable future, however, with fall slowly approaching and the number of debates rising he will soon have to defend his healthcare legislation against his Republican rivals, and they will show no mercy.