Knights eager to help
UCF’s Frost, players serve meal to National Guard task force
football coach Scott Frost and his players are disappointed two of their football games were canceled, but they focused on helping their community Tuesday night.
The Knights may be “Orlando’s Hometown Team,” but in order to assist in recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma, the football team has given up its home for the National Guard.
Soldiers were housed in the football team’s training facility, allowing the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade to provide support to Central Florida communities. The brigade’s missions have ranged from providing shelters to those who evacuated their homes, to search and resUCF cue missions assisting residents who may have encountered flooding in their communities.
Frost and some UCF football team members served meals to the brigade Tuesday night. Every table in the football team’s recruiting lounge adjacent to Spectrum Stadium featured UCF shirts and flags the soldiers could take with them after their meal.
“It is amazing when disaster or catastrophe strikes how much people come together and help one another, and I’m glad to see our players taking a part of that and helping the people that are going out helping the rest of the Floridians,” Frost said.
The coach said you could make an argument UCF could have played Memphis before
Hurricane Irma hit the state, but it was clear the game against Georgia Tech scheduled for Saturday had to be called off to accommodate the National Guard and the delay some players faced returning to campus after spending the storm with their family members.
“I think good decisions are being made and everyone’s safety is at the forefront of all these decisions,” Frost said when asked to elaborate on whether the Memphis game could have been played this past Friday. “Our kids are disappointed they’re not getting to play. Our coaches are disappointed we’re not getting a chance to play . ... But, like I said, safety of this community and the people of Florida comes first.”
After officials called off the UCF game against Memphis, Frost had to let the team scatter to the places the players preferred to take shelter during
the storm. Some Floridians joined their families, while others Knights stayed either in dorms or in their off-campus homes. UCF also helped house some players’ families that came to Orlando for the Memphis game.
“It was difficult to keep our team here and tell them it was too dangerous to play a game Friday, but you have to stay here,” Frost said.
“Right now, we have about 75 percent of our team back on campus. [Monday,] we only had 55 to 60 percent of our team. So realistically we won’t have our team back in until ... probably Thursday or Friday.”
It won’t be easy for UCF to get back into shape for a game after missing two football games.
“The main thing here is to stay focused as a team,” said Rory Coleman, a long snapper and military veteran. “Being there for your state and being there for everyone who’s experiencing the impact of Hurricane Irma, you know, that obviously takes precedence.”
Frost said the coaches are working to prepare the team for their Sept. 23 game at Maryland.
“We’re going to have to shake a lot of rust off. It’s going to be over three weeks between Game 1 and Game 3,” he said.
Col. Grant Slayden, who leads Joint Task Force 164, thanked Frost and the entire UCF community for housing his group.
Slayden called the football team’s electrical power and secure location “outstanding.” He said he also appreciated having the players help serve dinner to the task force Tuesday, noting it was far better than the nonperishable meals ready to eat the group settles for during most deployments.
“Just for the University of Central Florida family and community to open their arms and take us in just shows how much they really appreciate our service on their behalf,” Slayden said.