Appreciating the Hard Work and Sacrifice of the UCF Football Program's Staff and Coaches

Without actually playing, coaching, or in some way being directly involved with the UCF football program, it can be difficult to understand the sacrifices that all the coaches, staff, and administrators put into running a camp.

It’s 4 a.m. The alarm clock goes off. Time to get up and go to work for the UCF football program. That can be a normal wakeup time for a football manager, coach, administrator, student intern or other member of the UCF football program. That was especially true during this past camp week when prospects come to UCF from across Florida, and beyond the state of Florida borders, to compete within the seven-on-seven tournament and big man challenge.

So, why in the world would anyone get up at 4 a.m. in the morning? How could that be worth it, regardless of the job? Those are questions asked time and time again. To be honest, one must be dedicated to not only UCF and UCF football, but each other member of the football staff, the players, and the people that fill the Bounce House on a Saturday game day. Not to mention, it’s important to be a part of the game of football itself.

Love. It’s a powerful four-letter word. That’s another way to describe the dedication necessary to be a part of a football program such as UCF. If one does not love the game of football, those 4 a.m. alarm sounds will weigh heavily on an individual, and their football career may go by the wayside quickly.

Here are some of the tasks that must be continuously attended to, yet are not likely to be considered to be all that glamorous: moving tables and chairs to exact locations within the Nicholson Fieldhouse for the seven-on-seven camp, pouring water into water bottles -- over and over mind you -- to ensure players are hydrated, cleaning up after everyone that attended the event, and constantly bringing various pieces of paperwork to coaches. All of the hard work allows prospects like those within the tweet below to attend UCF's seven-on-seven camp.

Glamorous? Not so much. That’s the life of many of the student managers and other support staff members that simply do not receive the credit they deserve for all their tireless work. It’s long hours, long days, and without much fanfare. Here’s a tip of the cap to all of you and the hard work you pour into the UCF football program.

To any of the people that read this article that work those hours and grind each and every day, know that Inside The Knights salutes you! It was awesome seeing just how organized the 2021 Gus Malzahn seven-on-seven tournament truly was. Much of that credit goes to the support staff. They are not alone.

The recruiting aside (more on that very soon in another article from Inside The Knights), the actual football coaches were happy to work the camp and be involved with the high school players, coaches, and media. That’s a very important factor.

Whenever a coaching staff struggles to accept those long summer hours, that’s when a coaching staff will ultimately fail. Welcome to college football in 2021. Just like with the support staff, there are duties to attend to, and yes, some of those duties can be of the physical variety.

Sure, there’s politics involved with meeting players, coaches and parents, but coaches actually helped to supervise the seven-on-seven tournament and the big man challenge. Watching the coaches stay involved from start to finish provided an insight to the dedication they have for the UCF football program.

That’s the attitude and effort necessary to be a part of a winning formula; that’s a winning football program. UCF football represented itself well yesterday, and all those men and women involved to make it a great event should be applauded by UCF fans, alumni and even members of the media.

You will find me on Twitter @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation