History of the ConFLiCT, "Train face" gets a facelift and 3,371 days
A new look for a new era of UCF Athletics, plus a look back on the odd history of the ConFLiCT and the incredible run of dominance for UCF Volleyball over USF.
That’s it, Cincinnati fans. It’s settled. The 🐐 has spoken.
In the debate over 2021 Cincinnati vs. 2017 UCF, Meadowlark Media founder and podcast host Dan Le Batard said he believes the Knights get the nod: “I don’t believe this Cincinnati team is as good as the UCF team that went unbeaten a few years ago and actually beat Auburn in a bowl game.”
You can listen to the podcast here.
Today’s read is 3.5 minutes ⏲️
Trending in the Kingdom: Train Face gets a facelift
UCF has thoroughly embraced its bold, unapologetic brand - especially on social media - and yesterday’s logo reveal shows they’re serious about taking that a step further.
Here’s the scoop: UCF Athletics unveiled an updated “Knighthead” logo, giving “train face” look a face-lift. It was a six-month process to debut the new look as the school braces for a move to the Big 12 Conference as early as 2023.
What they’re saying 🗣:
"We wanted to pump some life and attitude into the Knighthead logo by modernizing the already existing look.” - Jimmy Skiles, UCF’s associate athletics director for brand advancement
"Overall, the new Knighthead logo is more expressive, with a straight-on aggressive stare and new intimidating eyes. We reference the University's connections to the space program and the university motto, 'Reach for the Stars' with the Polaris star in the center chest, and subtly in the shape of the shoulders.” - Emma Schneider, UCF’s director of #brand design
This was a modern twist on the old look, according to Schneider, who also had help from content designers Sahid Alpizar and Josh Brdicko. She said it was designed to give it a look that’s “more focused and determined."
Flash 🔙: UCF’s original Knighthead logo debuted in 2007 as UCF updated its branding efforts ahead of the opening of Bright House Networks Stadium and the hope of more national exposure by creating a “commonality and consistency within its varsity athletics program.”
UCF now has four featured logos (shown below):
The primary UCF stacked logo.
The new secondary Knighthead logo
Knights work mark
Script Knights word marks.
When can I buy it 💳? The new “Knighthead” logo likely won’t be available for retail purchase until next fall, according to UCF. The school said merch with the new logo will be introduced as supply chains allow throughout the winter and spring as the current “Knighthead” logo is phased out this academic year.
My take 👌: They absolutely nailed this rebrand. It matches the bold look the program is going for in this next chapter and, personally, I like the forward-facing Knight as opposed to it looking off to the side. I can’t wait to purchase my first polo.
By the way, this new logo looks 🔥 on a black helmet (h/t @UCFUniTracker).
The rise and fall of the ConFLiCT
Ah, the greatest rivalry in sports. Forget Yankees-Red Sox, Alabama-Auburn or any of the other teams guilty of centuries-old loathing. The “Civil ConFLiCT” between UCF and Connecticut takes the cake. It never gets old.
We’re being flippant, of course, but what on earth happened to the oddly-created “rivalry” between the two schools separated by 1,220 miles?
Fill me in: Saturday will be the eighth meeting of the “Civil ConFLiCT” which isn’t really a thing, but sort of became a thing in 2015. UCF has won four in a row over UConn and truth is, nobody really knows where that lame trophy resides right now on planet earth.
Either way, the comically-created “rivalry” became the butt of jokes across the sport. Even UCF’s game notes trolled the trophy this week, saying a win this weekend would “keep the Civil Conflict trophy in Orlando, if it happened to still exist, and was ever a thing to begin with.”
How’d this faux rivalry even get started? 🤔
November 1, 2014: UConn upsets UCF, 37-29.
Connecticut head coach Bob Diaco, in his first year with the Huskies, told reporters after the win that he wanted to create a rivalry with the Knights, a new conference foe.
Diaco gushed over the way George O’Leary ran his UCF program, saying he wanted to model UConn after the Knights.
"We're excited about this game. I mean it,” Diaco said postgame. “I'm excited to continue this game. With all admiration and respect. All admiration and respect for Central Florida and Coach O'Leary. They're spectacular. But we're excited about this North/South battle. You want to call it the Civil Conflict? Maybe I'll win my money and make a trophy. I'll buy it myself. Put a big giant Husky and a big giant Knight on it. Make a stand. Put it in our hallway. The Civil Conflict. The loser, maybe they've got to put nutmeg on the stand when it's not there and we'll put a sack of oranges.”
June 1, 2015: The debut of the trophy
The official UConn football Twitter account unveiled the Civil ConFLiCT trophy, with was complete with both logos and a countdown clock until the next game against UCF, which was 130 days away.
The trophy had one score on it: UConn’s 37-29 win over UCF. Funny enough, it was missing the first meeting in 2013, which UCF won 62-17.
UCF responded in a statement, saying they had nothing to do with any of it: "We have no involvement with the trophy or creating a rivalry game with UConn."
Diaco responded to the tweet by saying he doesn’t need UCF’s permission to make it a rivalry: "They don't get to say whether they are our rival or not. We might not be their rival, but they don't get to say whether they are our rival -- that is for us to decide."
October 10, 2015: UConn lifts the trophy
The Huskies beat UCF 40-13 in 2015, so they got the first crack at celebrating with the trophy after a win.
“If it helps us win, I’m down for whatever,” Diaco said of the trophy after the Huskies win. “It’s something you can point toward… It’s in the preparation. It’s in the year leading up to the game.”
October 26, 2016: Frost shuns the rivalry
Ahead of their 2016 meeting, new UCF head coach Scott Frost asked UConn not to bring the trophy to Orlando, saying they were opting out of the rivalry: "We decided we wanted to treat every game the same, so we told them we weren't going to accept the trophy if we won.”
UConn brought the trophy down anyway. UCF ended up winning the game and left the trophy on the bench, not even acknowledging it.
A UConn coaching staff member found the trophy and covered it with a towel.
Frost postgame: “I had no idea the trophy was on the sideline. We certainly didn't leave it there intentionally. We informed them beforehand we weren't going to take part in it, and I didn't know even that it was on the field until after I read all the tweets and media reports that it was left there."
December 26, 2016: Diaco let go
A day after Christmas, UConn fired Diaco after a 11-26 record over his three seasons as head coach.
He went on to join Nebraska as their defensive coordinator and was asked about the concocted rivalry, via Omaha World-Herald: "I've eliminated it from my mind. I put the experience in a chest, locked it, dumped it into the ocean, and I threw away the key. That's the important thing. I've thrown the key away. I don't even know 'it" or what you're talking about because I've eliminated that whole painful part from my mind."
So, where is the trophy? 🏆 At this point, nobody knows. Even UConn’s AD at the time admitted Diaco personally purchased the trophy and they aren’t sure of its whereabouts as of 2017.
“I honestly don’t know,” UConn Athletic Director David Benedict said at the time. “That trophy was there before I got there. I believe that trophy was commissioned and paid for by coach Diaco. And therefore if it left with him, I don’t know that, but if it did that’s fine.”
3,371 days and counting…
The last time UCF lost to USF on the volleyball court, President Barack Obama was still in his first term in office. Yeah, it has been a while, or 3,371 days, to be exact.
Tell me more: The Knights swept USF on Wednesday night, winning their 18th-straight match over the Bulls. Star senior outside hitter McKenna Melville racked up 21 kills without a single error. She also added four blocks and an ace.
"The team responded well in not getting wrapped up into the emotion of the rivalry," head coach Todd Dagenais said postgame. "I was happy with how we handled it coming out of the locker room, how we sustained it, and how we dug ourselves out of a hole."
Give me a Knugget 🐴: Melville currently leads the nation in total kills (525) and points (595). She’s sixth in kills per set (5) and fourth in points per set (5.6).
UCF has not lost to USF since August 26, 2012, or 3,370 days ago. Just for comparison, here’s the streak of days since the last loss to the Bulls:
Women’s volleyball - 3,371
Football - 1,819
Men’s basketball - 321
Next up 📆: UCF vs. Temple, 7 p.m. in Orlando on ESPN+
