Magic Kingdom marks UCF’s magic season
UCF fans flock to national championship parade at Disney
As if UCF’s 13-0 college football season wasn’t magical enough, a Walt Disney World parade at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday paid tribute to the Knights, above, who paraded across the theme park and in front of Cinderella Castle. UCF’s perfect season came after a 34-27 Peach Bowl victory over Auburn in Atlanta on New Year’s Day and, of course, an 0-12 season in 2015. After Sunday’s parade, Shaquem Griffin, top right, took photos with fans, a few of whom, bottom right, still were hoping that head coach Scott Frost would stay in Orlando and take the team on another magical ride next season— despite his move to the University of Nebraska.
For a moment, there was a blackout at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Sunday. Droves of UCF football fans came dressed in black-and-gold gear to watch the football team’s Peach Bowl victory parade.
Some came wearing T-shirts proclaiming the Knights are national champions and others brought black posters with goldglittered letters following UCF’s 34-27 Peach Bowl win over Auburn. The volume of fans who came to celebrate the Cinderella college football team near Cinderella Castle even surprised UCF athletics director Danny White.
After all, the parade came at a somewhat steep cost. The discounted admission fee was $100 for UCF football season ticket holders.
No matter the cost, fans wanted to make sure the rest of the world knew they were behind White’s public campaign to recognize the