As Knightro struts his stuff on the field Thursday night to kick off football season, you likely had no idea that the beloved mascot has a head coach 麻豆精品 S� and he 麻豆精品 S檚 a data expert at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Medicine.
Michael Callahan 麻豆精品 S�05 麻豆精品 S�09MBA 麻豆精品 S�17EdD, director of knowledge management, is responsible for every piece of medical education data at UCF. He 麻豆精品 S檚 also head mascot coach for UCF Athletics. He knows the role he coaches well. Callahan was Knightro from 2002-04, when he was an undergraduate student.
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Less than 100 students have been Knightro since UCF unveiled the yet unnamed golden knight mascot in 1994. UCF selects multiple Knightros for each school year to keep up with all the events across campus and the community where the mascot appears. Callahan manages the team for events, which include graduation, news and marketing events, donor meet-and-greets, student festivals, and even weddings and birthday parties.
Tryouts are held in the spring and because Knightro 麻豆精品 S檚 schedule is so packed in the fall. Callahan says he picks students from a variety of majors so they aren 麻豆精品 S檛 all in the same orientation, classes or lab schedules.
Training is both physical and for character development and even includes how to pen Knightro 麻豆精品 S檚 official signature. Callahan estimates that, similar to the athletes they cheer for, Knightros have 20 hours of physical training for every hour they perform.
Among the most challenging physical feats for Knightro, Callahan says is learning to stand atop cheerleaders 麻豆精品 S� shoulders in the classic UCF pyramid. (The key is to stand perfectly straight 麻豆精品 S� like a broom stick. If you wobble like a pool noodle, he says, you fall, he says.)
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In addition to handwriting, Knightro has a signature walk, run and poses.
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Callahan 麻豆精品 S檚 20-year history with Knightro has forged many special memories. He remembers when Knightro 麻豆精品 S檚 costume was gold-glittered resin and weighed 50 pounds. Today it 麻豆精品 S檚 foam and much lighter at about 20 pounds.
As Knightro, Callahan performed at the Mascot Games in 2004, contributing to the more than $200,000 the event raised by then for New Hope for Kids, a child-based grief support group in Central Florida. To this day, he can recall the cheers as he danced onto the stage at a packed Amway Arena for the event.
When ESPN 麻豆精品 S檚 College Game Day came to UCF in 2018, Callahan had to dress broadcaster Lee Corso in the full Knightro costume in just 90 seconds during a commercial break. Dressing the mascot usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.
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Callahan earned a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in management information systems and was a Burnett Honors Scholar. He also earned his MBA and doctoral degree in educational leadership at UCF. He began his career handling IT at the Burnett Honors College and moved to the College of Medicine in 2020.
He and his wife Lauren Callahan 麻豆精品 S�05, a UCF elementary education alum, wrote a children 麻豆精品 S檚 book called Hello, Knightro, where readers follow the mascot around campus as he travels to the stadium for game day.
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The Callahans have three children. And one of their twins, 10-year-old Luke, says Dad must remain head mascot coach until the youngster gets to UCF because 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 going to be Knightro, too. 麻豆精品 S�
