A Knight in Shining Armor
Learn about one of our favorite mascots in the NCAA Tournament.
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. This is a fact you can enjoy regardless of whether you’ve filled out a bracket.
The University of Central Florida Knights have a mascot named Knightro.
We’ve only just started March Madness, and there’s already lots of excitement going on. On Day 1 of the men’s tournament alone:
Nebraska won its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament, despite the basketball program existing since 1897. Hooray for Nebrasketball!
High Point guard Chase Johnston made a game-winning layup in the closing seconds of his team’s win against Wisconsin. It was the first two-pointer he’s made all season long. Nearly all of his shots are threes.
Siena went all but ten seconds of its game against Duke without making a substitution. A team going a full game without subbing hasn’t happened since 1979 (the year, not the Smashing Pumpkins song, or the lesser-known Good Charlotte song of the same name)
We had a rare ram vs. ram mascot battle with VCU’s Rodney the Ram squaring off against North Carolina’s Rameses. VCU and Rodney emerged victorious in overtime.
Friday also has Arizona playing Long Island in a double-iced tea matchup. And the first round of the women’s tournament tips off, so we have TWICE THE MADNESS.
I’ve attended many an NCAA Tournament game over the years, and I always try to get a picture with the mascots of the participating teams.
Yet one who has eluded me (namely, because the school hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament very often) is Knightro, the mascot of the University of Central Florida.
UCF went through several mascots before discovering Knightro. And if I’m being objective here, nearly every name is an absolute banger.
When the school was still known as Florida Technical University, it tinkered with a few mascot ideas. Citronaut, a literal orange with an astronaut’s head, only lasted for one year, making way for Vincent the Vulture. You can see both here.
By 1970, the university selected “Knights of Pegasus” out of over 80 submissions, shortening it to the less-of-a-mouthful “Knights.”
Early Knight names included Sir-Wins-a-Lot, Puff, and Mack the Knight. Puff is easily the worst name of the three, but it was a dragon donated from Disney (UCF is near Orlando), so that’s something.
All of these other mascots were merely treading water until Knightro, however. In November 1994, the then-unnamed knight started making appearances around town. Cheerleader and Student Guild Association member Trey Gordon helped design the mascot, and later wore the outfit himself. In the fall of 1995, Knightro officially had his name.
Even better, for a short while, Knightro had a girlfriend named Glycerin. If that’s not the best mascot duo, I don’t know what is.
Knightro got a renovation in 2007, and he continues to host Knight camps with his fellow mascot friends. Look at how cute they all are together!
