If you’re an avid sports fan, you probably have heard of Mr. Two Bits from the Florida Gators, Fireman Ed from the New York Jets or Dolphin Denny from the Miami Dolphins. They are all dedicated “super fans” to their favorite sports teams and showcase it in an extreme way, pumping up the crowd, connecting with the fan base, holding up signs- whatever it takes to get the home crowd into the game.
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.
Like Us For UCF News Updates on Facebook: 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.
