In between all the action at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 home football games the past two weeks, one Knight stood out 麻豆精品 S� but he wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 in uniform or even on the field. Instead, he was a face in a crowd of thousands of fans at Spectrum Stadium.
A face that stood out enough to make it to ESPN and even become the most-liked Instagram posts on the @UCFKnights account, amassing more than 26,000 likes between two separate videos by Oct. 4. His mug earned more likes than the Knights 麻豆精品 S� Peach Bowl win, Knightro 麻豆精品 S檚 latest dance video and Shaquem Griffin 麻豆精品 S檚 draft in the NFL.
By now, if you 麻豆精品 S檝e been watching this season 麻豆精品 S檚 games, you know, or should know, it 麻豆精品 S檚 麻豆精品 S淭he Stare-Down Kid, 麻豆精品 S� a young man who blankly and intensely looked into the video-board camera without blinking or smiling during the Sept. 21 game against Florida Atlantic University.
What you probably don 麻豆精品 S檛 know is who he is. Anthony Allan is a first-year civil engineering major who had no idea that by trying to be funny in the moment, he 麻豆精品 S檇 turn into a viral phenomenon.
During the Sept. 29 game against the University of Pittsburgh, Allan solidified his GOAT (greatest of all time) status by repeating his camera stare-down, but this time he took it to the next level by having his friends hold large cut-outs of his emotionless face as they crowded around him.
When he 麻豆精品 S檚 not watching UCF football games, Allan attends classes, plays soccer on the weekends at the intramural fields 麻豆精品 S� and in between gets called a 麻豆精品 S渓egend 麻豆精品 S� by strangers on campus (which even happened during this interview.)
Here, Allan shares more about himself and what it 麻豆精品 S檚 like to be one of the most recognizable faces at UCF.
Why did you come to UCF?
I had lived in Gainesville for 15 years, so I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 really feel like going to UF because I had been there for so long. The [UCF] engineering program, the football team, the campus and student life seemed like a great environment and I wanted to be a part of that.
So how did you become 麻豆精品 S淭he Stare-Down Kid 麻豆精品 S�?
I was sitting with my friend [at the game against FAU] and I noticed the person working the 麻豆精品 S淔an of the Game 麻豆精品 S� camera and just stared at him to see if he would notice me. He basically signaled to me to wait a minute and he 麻豆精品 S檇 put me on. He did and it just happened and he kept cutting back to me.
I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 know at first I 麻豆精品 S檇 be on there. I was just staring at the camera, and my friend told me I was on the screen and they were all flipping out. But I couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 look away because I was already staring. So I had to keep staring.
Is this something you do all the time?
This is a recent hobby I just picked up 麻豆精品 S� as of two Saturdays ago.
How do you keep your face straight for so long?
I think about laughing the whole time and my mouth will start twitching to smile, but I know I can 麻豆精品 S檛. When the camera goes off, I just blink, close my eyes, I smile and then I laugh. When it comes back to me I have a straight face.
Has anyone recognized you on campus?
Oh, yeah. I was walking [to the Student Union] and some dude ran from 40 yards away to ask if I was the guy and to take a picture with me. Walking up the stairs, someone stopped me for a photo, too. I 麻豆精品 S檝e had people come up to me and ask for a staring contest, but I 麻豆精品 S檓 actually really bad at staring contests.
I 麻豆精品 S檓 cool with people stopping to say hi or take pictures with me. The most I do is stare into their cameras for them.
I 麻豆精品 S檝e run into a lot of football players outside of the stadium and they would dap me up and say 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e the kid! 麻豆精品 S�
What 麻豆精品 S檚 it been like meeting some of the football players?
I just think it 麻豆精品 S檚 so cool. They 麻豆精品 S檙e like, 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e the famous kid! 麻豆精品 S� and I 麻豆精品 S檓 like, 麻豆精品 S淣o, you guys are the famous kids. You play college football. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 just been a wild experience. I met [defensive lineman] Trysten Hill and he was pretty cool.
How did you come up with the idea for using the cut-outs of your face during the game against the University of Pittsburgh last week?
We just knew we had to one-up last time. So I was sitting there with my friends thinking and one of them said, 麻豆精品 S淲e should do big heads of you. 麻豆精品 S� And I was like, 麻豆精品 S淭hat sounds great. 麻豆精品 S� So I called a company [to make cut-outs of my face] and to get it done by Friday would have cost $200. So I went and made them myself, which took about four hours.
I got free cardboard from Costco, paint sticks for free from Sherwin-Williams, glue from Walmart, and printed 13-inch by 19-inch photos on campus.
Are you going to continue to try and one-up yourself every home game?
A lot of people have told me, 麻豆精品 S淵ou have to do it for the rest of the season. You have to go to every home game. 麻豆精品 S� As of right now, I think I 麻豆精品 S檓 expected to keep doing it. I get a kick out of it, my friends get a kick out of it, so why not keep doing it? We’ve got something planned for Saturday’s game against SMU.
Have you always been school spirited?
Yeah, I kind of go all out for that stuff. I 麻豆精品 S檓 the type of person to paint my face and buy $50 worth of beads and throw them out to other students.
What did it feel like to make it on ESPN?
I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. I absolutely flipped out.
What does your family think of this?
I [jokingly] texted my mom the next morning like, 麻豆精品 S淪o Mom I 麻豆精品 S檓 kind of famous now, 麻豆精品 S� and sent her the pages from the UCF Knights Instagram account and ESPN, and she just thought it was the funniest thing. So did my dad and brother.
Is there a goal of how big you want this to get?
When I saw I made it to the UCF Knights Instagram page, I thought it was crazy. [At first] all of my friends said if it made it to ESPN we 麻豆精品 S檇 be happy. [Now they] say I have to get on “Ellen.” If I could get on “Ellen” that would be so sick.
One of your most recent posts on Instagram has the caption 麻豆精品 S渓ittle known fact, I actually like smiling. 麻豆精品 S� How true is that really?
I really am a naturally happy person. I like smiling, so when people ask for a picture I 麻豆精品 S檓 like, 麻豆精品 S淒ang it, I can 麻豆精品 S檛 smile. 麻豆精品 S�
So what makes you smile?
Hanging out with my friends, having a fun time and UCF football games 麻豆精品 S� contrary to popular belief.
