Spectrum stadium Archives | University of Central Florida News Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More Fri, 09 Dec 2022 18:17:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/blogs.dir/20/files/2019/05/cropped-logo-150x150.png Spectrum stadium Archives | University of Central Florida News 32 32 Who is 鶹Ʒ SThe Stare-Down Kid 鶹Ʒ S at UCF 鶹Ʒ Ss Football Games? /news/stare-kid-ucfs-football-games/ Fri, 05 Oct 2018 14:20:12 +0000 /news/?p=91103 Known for keeping a straight face while everyone else is cheering, Anthony Allan reveals more about himself and how he became a UCF meme.

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In between all the action at UCF 鶹Ʒ Ss home football games the past two weeks, one Knight stood out 鶹Ʒ S but he wasn 鶹Ʒ St 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 鶹Ʒ S Peach Bowl win, Knightro 鶹Ʒ Ss latest dance video and Shaquem Griffin 鶹Ʒ Ss draft in the NFL.

By now, if you 鶹Ʒ Sve been watching this season 鶹Ʒ Ss games, you know, or should know, it 鶹Ʒ Ss 鶹Ʒ SThe Stare-Down Kid, 鶹Ʒ 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.

ucf knights instagram

What you probably don 鶹Ʒ St 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 鶹Ʒ Sd 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 鶹Ʒ Ss not watching UCF football games, Allan attends classes, plays soccer on the weekends at the intramural fields 鶹Ʒ S and in between gets called a 鶹Ʒ Slegend 鶹Ʒ S by strangers on campus (which even happened during this interview.)

Here, Allan shares more about himself and what it 鶹Ʒ Ss 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 鶹Ʒ St 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 鶹Ʒ SThe Stare-Down Kid 鶹Ʒ S?

I was sitting with my friend [at the game against FAU] and I noticed the person working the 鶹Ʒ SFan of the Game 鶹Ʒ 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 鶹Ʒ Sd put me on. He did and it just happened and he kept cutting back to me.

I didn 鶹Ʒ St know at first I 鶹Ʒ Sd 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 鶹Ʒ St look away because I was already staring. So I had to keep staring.

ucf staredown kid
(Photo by Austin Warren)

Is this something you do all the time?
This is a recent hobby I just picked up 鶹Ʒ 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 鶹Ʒ St. 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 鶹Ʒ Sve had people come up to me and ask for a staring contest, but I 鶹Ʒ Sm actually really bad at staring contests.

I 鶹Ʒ Sm cool with people stopping to say hi or take pictures with me. The most I do is stare into their cameras for them.

I 鶹Ʒ Sve run into a lot of football players outside of the stadium and they would dap me up and say 鶹Ʒ SYou 鶹Ʒ Sre the kid! 鶹Ʒ S

What 鶹Ʒ Ss it been like meeting some of the football players?
I just think it 鶹Ʒ Ss so cool. They 鶹Ʒ Sre like, 鶹Ʒ SYou 鶹Ʒ Sre the famous kid! 鶹Ʒ S and I 鶹Ʒ Sm like, 鶹Ʒ SNo, you guys are the famous kids. You play college football. 鶹Ʒ S It 鶹Ʒ Ss just been a wild experience. I met [defensive lineman] Trysten Hill and he was pretty cool.

ucf staredown kid on campus
(Photo by Austin Warren)

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, 鶹Ʒ SWe should do big heads of you. 鶹Ʒ S And I was like, 鶹Ʒ SThat sounds great. 鶹Ʒ 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, 鶹Ʒ SYou have to do it for the rest of the season. You have to go to every home game. 鶹Ʒ S As of right now, I think I 鶹Ʒ Sm 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.

ucf staredown kid outside
(Photo by Austin Warren)

Have you always been school spirited?
Yeah, I kind of go all out for that stuff. I 鶹Ʒ Sm 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, 鶹Ʒ SSo Mom I 鶹Ʒ Sm kind of famous now, 鶹Ʒ 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.

ucf staredown kid by bookstore
(Photo by Austin Warren)

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 鶹Ʒ Sd 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 鶹Ʒ Slittle known fact, I actually like smiling. 鶹Ʒ S How true is that really?
I really am a naturally happy person. I like smiling, so when people ask for a picture I 鶹Ʒ Sm like, 鶹Ʒ SDang it, I can 鶹Ʒ St smile. 鶹Ʒ S

So what makes you smile?
Hanging out with my friends, having a fun time and UCF football games 鶹Ʒ S contrary to popular belief.

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Hurricane Irma Forces UCF, Memphis to Call Off Football Game /news/hurricane-irma-forces-ucf-memphis-call-off-football-game/ /news/hurricane-irma-forces-ucf-memphis-call-off-football-game/#comments Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:55:48 +0000 /news/?p=78776 As the threat to Florida from Category 5 Hurricane Irma increased late Thursday, the University of Central Florida and University of Memphis agreed to suspend their football game Friday night.

Heeding Governor Rick Scott 鶹Ʒ Ss Thursday night declaration for all public universities to focus on storm preparation, the teams agreed not to play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The game had previously been moved from Saturday at 8 p.m.

It was not immediately clear if the teams would be able to reschedule the game later in the season.

The UCF women 鶹Ʒ Ss soccer game vs. LSU at 2 p.m. Friday has also been called off.

鶹Ʒ SOut of an abundance of caution, we agree that the game should not be played on Friday, 鶹Ʒ S UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White and Memphis Athletic Director Tom Bowen said in a joint statement. 鶹Ʒ SWe agree with Governor Scott that preparation for Hurricane Irma should be the top priority for the state. While our fans will no doubt be disappointed, we know they understand that safety has to come first. 鶹Ʒ S

UCF cancelled class on Thursday to allow students to evacuate or make hurricane preparations. The university is closed Friday through Monday and will evaluate when to reopen based on Irma 鶹Ʒ Ss impact to Central Florida.

鶹Ʒ SI greatly appreciate the flexibility and consideration Memphis and the American Conference has shown during this statewide emergency, 鶹Ʒ S White said. 鶹Ʒ SI couldn 鶹Ʒ St have asked for better partnership from Tom or Commissioner Aresco during this very difficult time for our state. 鶹Ʒ S

UCF next plays at home vs. Georgia Tech on Sept. 16. Memphis hosts UCLA on Sept. 16.

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Game Day Kickoff 2017: 20 Reasons to Get Excited for UCF Knights Football /news/countdown-ucf-knights-kickoff-2017/ Sun, 27 Aug 2017 18:00:50 +0000 /news/?p=78569 Kickoff to the UCF Football season is just days away. To whet your appetite for your first visit of the season to Spectrum Stadium, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 20 features that are new in 2017.We’ve got virtually everything you could want in a college football game day covered. When you combine all the great previous elements of UCF game day with all these amazing new items, Spectrum Stadium for UCF Football is the place to be this fall.

1. Stadium ClubWe’ve converted the concourse area on the west side of the stadium into a new premium space and added chairback seats to many sections on the west side of Spectrum Stadium. Fans in these areas now have access to dedicated food and drink options, as well as plenty of other amenities.

2. Expanded Carl Black and Gold CabanaWe’ve added a premium club space to the concourse on the east side of the stadium. This brand-new space, along with added chairback seats to many sections on the east side of Spectrum Stadium, serve as an expanded Carl Black & Gold Cabana. Fans in these areas now have even more access to dedicated food and drink options, as well as plenty of other amenities.

3. Field CabanasSome of the best seats in the house will be on the field. These unique spaces combine great premium amenities with the ability to get closer to the action than ever before. Patrons of the field cabanas also have access to a new lounge space, available to them before, during and after the game.

4. New student sections in both end zonesOur opponents will be facing the Knightmare no matter which direction their offense is heading. In addition, more of our student fans will be closer to the field than ever before.

5. Reserved Student Knights Club (SKC) sectionThe SKC is our new student donor group.

6. #UCFlagsFans are encouraged to plant and fly their flags at their homes, on their cars, at work and at their tailgates. And make sure to represent the Knights with the #UCFlags hashtag on your favorite social media platform.

7. New ribbon boardA new LED display has been installed above the south end of the stadium, giving fans at the north end a great view of the score, time remaining and other cool content.

8. New concessions

  • Papa Johns Pizza will be available in two concession stands (between gates 5-6 and gates 14-15).
  • Boar’s Head sandwiches will be available in two concession stands (between gates 5-6 and gates 14-15).
  • 4 Rivers BBQ will be available in one concession stand (by gate 10).
  • Nathan’s hot dog kiosks will be set up in several locations on the concourse.
  • 9. New catering partner in premium areasThe food just got that much better if you’re sitting in the Carl Black & Gold Cabana, Roth Tower or the new Stadium Club.

    10. Student concessions specialsHot dogs and bottles of water will be $2 each with your valid UCF student ID at concession stands near Gates 9 and 16.

    11. More free ice waterThere will now be four free ice water stations on the concourse 鶹Ʒ S two in the OneStop Cool Zones and two provided by the Student Government Association under the student sections.

    12. More of your social content on the video and ribbon boards Share your game day fun on social media and see if your posts make the big screen.

    13. Season Ticket Holder of the Game.

    14. New UCF Knights App featuresAdditional features include game day maps, timelines, in-stadium push notifications and corporate sponsor discounts for fans.

    15. New performers for the free Tailgate Concert Series Headliners include Luke Combs, Drake White, Seth Ennis and many others. These free concerts begin two hours prior to kickoff and are held just west of Spectrum Stadium on IOA Plaza.

    16. New experiences on IOA Plaza
  • Supreme Party Machine Game Truck in IOA Plaza prior to Memphis game
  • Salsa dance lessons and Domino Tournament in IOA Plaza prior to Georgia Tech game
  • Splash Dogs competing on IOA Plaza prior to the Maine game
  • 17. The return of new OYO Sports UCF figurines for Junior Knight Program
    OYO Sports are licensed collectiblemini-figures designed to be compatible with major building block toys, such as Lego.

    18. Ride shareRide-sharing drivers will drop off and pick up patrons near the stadium. The rides-share lot (E3) located in front of the Wayne Densch Sports Center (football building).

    19. Additional Waterfront parking in the Softball Lot

    20. Updated game day Park & Ride and Courtesy Shuttles from all sides of campus

    BonusThe Knights will add many more uniform combinations this year, with the addition of two new jerseys and a new color for pants.

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