1993 UCF Golden Knights football team

1993 UCF Golden Knights football
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 30–56 at Youngstown State
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 12
Record9–3
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Kruczek (9th season)
Defensive coordinatorRon McCrone (2nd season)
Home stadiumFlorida Citrus Bowl
1993 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Troy State ^    11 0 1
Youngstown State ^    10 2 0
UAB    9 2 0
Wagner    9 2 0
No. 12 UCF ^    9 3 0
No. 24 Towson State    8 2 0
No. 19 Western Kentucky    8 3 0
Hofstra    6 3 1
Saint Mary's    6 3 1
Davidson    6 4 0
Central Connecticut State    5 5 0
Liberty    5 5 0
Marist    5 5 0
Samford    5 6 0
Duquesne    4 6 0
Saint Francis    3 7 0
Charleston Southern    3 8 0
Monmouth    2 5 0
Buffalo    1 10 0
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1993 UCF Golden Knights football season represented the University of Central Florida (UCF) as an independent during the 1993 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Gene McDowell, the Golden Knights compiling a record of 9–3 for the program's eighth consecutive winning season. UCF advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs for the second time in four years, where the Golden Knights lost in the first round to the eventual national champion, Youngstown State.

At 6–1 by late October, UCF had the best start in program history. Their only loss early on was to East Carolina, an NCAA Division I-A team. The Golden Knights won three of their last four regular season games, including the program's first win over a I-A team, a 38–16 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Starting in 1993, and continuing through the 2006 season, the program was nicknamed the "Golden Knights." Before 1993, and since 2007, UCF's sports programs have been simply known as the "Knights." The name change was proposed in 1993 by then athletic director Steve Sloan as a way to boost the popularity of the program and to boost merchandise sales.