O’Leary leads class of 6 into UCF Hall of Fame
It wasn’t lost on Kevin Smith that on the night he was to be inducted into UCF Athletics Hall of Fame, he would be sharing the stage with a coach who helped shape him into the man he is today.
“[George] O’Leary is really the foundation of who I am as a coach and who I am as a man,” said Smith, a former UCF star running back who has spent the past two seasons as running backs coach at FAU. “Coach O’Leary instilled some standards in me that never changed.”
Smith, who played for O’Leary during three seasons, said the chance to be enshrined along with his former coach and fellow UCF great Brandon Marshall in this class was special.
“That’s awesome. Coach GOL is so close to me. He’s like a father figure to this day. We’re in constant communication. To go in with him and Brandon makes it even more special,” Smith said.
“[There] couldn’t be two better players going in with me,” O’Leary said.
“It’s definitely an honor especially when you see who you’re going in with. This is an esteemed group of men and women,” added Marshall.
Smith, Marshall and O’Leary joined catcher Drew Butera (2003-05), pitcher Allison (Kime) Trela (2007-08) and goalkeeper Aline Reis (2008-11) to form the 2019 class.
Trela was shocked to find out that she was named to the class, and the emotions of the moment overcame her.
“Being pregnant, I’m superemotional, so I started crying. I didn’t believe it at first but super excited to be here. I can’t believe it still. It’s a dream come true,” she said.
Reis has been working out with the Brazilian national soccer team as the group prepares for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.
“This means a lot to mean even though after college, I pursued the dream of playing pro, and playing with my national team soon I’ll be playing in a World Cup but you have no idea how big UCF is to me,” said Reis, who played goalkeeper for the Knights, finishing her career ranked second in school history in career saves. “UCF made me. It’s just as important as everything else in the pro career. It was the foundation of everything. I became a complete athlete here. It’s a privilege to be honored here.”
Marshall said setting foot back Former UCF coach George O’Leary, left, receives his plaque from athletics director Danny White during UCF Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando East on Friday.
on campus opens up a flood of memories from his time on campus. One particular moment from 2004 stood out for the receiver.
“The great time when we beat Marshall, we were 0-11 the year before and we won our first game and they [fans] tore down the goal posts and they carried the goal posts all the way through campus and threw it into the pond,” Marshall said laughing.
Smith said he had no idea that he would put together one of the greatest seasons by a UCF running back in school history when he rushed for 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns.
“I think you know during the process in those offseason workouts, you just don’t know exactly what it’s going to be,” Smith said. “If it’s going to be a successful eight-game season, a successful 10-game season, where you’re getting those wins? But you know when you’re putting in the hard work and dedication that something good’s going to come out of it.
“There’s no way I can say I knew I was going to run for that many yards or let alone be healthy enough to carry the ball 450 times. But obviously, the process and the hard work me and my teammates put in made 2007 an awesome year.”
O’Leary, who retired from coaching midway through the 2015 season, wishes he could have accomplished one more thing while at the school.
“My biggest disappointment in leaving UCF was not getting into a Power 5 conference,” said O’Leary, who finished with an 81-64 overall record. “I think that’s the answer to a lot of puzzles right now. Obviously, they deserve to be there, they’re playing with the top-echelon teams. Hopefully, it works out that way in the near future.”