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Excerpt from video interview

Terry Mohajir: Gus, do you remember the first time we met?

Gus Malzahn: You made a good impression on me. You had a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. You were excited to be [at Arkansas State]. That made me feel better.

TM: I remember we met in a hotel in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I was interviewing for the athletics director job at Arkansas State, and you were getting prepared to play Oregon, who was No. 5 in the country.

GM: That wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 a good night.

TM: I could tell you were very focused.

GM: I had my game face on. But that was a tough road trip.

Why did you call me about this job?

TM: I know with your background and us working together before that you can help this program win 麻豆精品 S� and win at a high level.

GM: Right when you got hired, I told my wife, 麻豆精品 S淚f Terry calls, we 麻豆精品 S檙e going. 麻豆精品 S� It was probably about 30 minutes later, you called.

TM: Why do you think UCF can be the best program in the country?

GM: The foundation has already been laid 麻豆精品 S� the great players, the great coaches, the great teams. You 麻豆精品 S檙e talking about a program that has played in three New Year 麻豆精品 S檚 Six games in the last eight years. I felt like for a long time if the right guy would ever get here and stay here and build it, it could be the best program in college football. That 麻豆精品 S檚 really what my thinking was in taking the job. Now that I 麻豆精品 S檓 here, I believe it even more.

We 麻豆精品 S檝e talked about having a chance to be the best football program in the country. How about the rest of the athletic programs here?

TM: I think we have the resources to win a national championship in every sport we have. As we continue to build our vision for the facilities and for what [President] Alex Cartwright wants from an academic mission standpoint 麻豆精品 S� we have the best coaches, I believe, in the country. They are already here and are committed to build this program. We 麻豆精品 S檝e just got a lot of dedicated people that really believe that we can be one of the best athletic programs in the country.

A lot of people ask us, how do we define success? I 麻豆精品 S檒l let you go first.

GM: Success to me is having a goal as a team and a dream … and doing everything you can to achieve it. The second part is preparing for life. It 麻豆精品 S檚 kind of a two-part thing for me that really kind of goes hand in hand.

TM: Everybody starts out in different stages of their lives, and if someone can maximize their potential while they 麻豆精品 S檙e here at UCF 麻豆精品 S� whether it be on the athletic fields or in the classroom 麻豆精品 S� at the end of the day it 麻豆精品 S檚 about getting an education, getting a degree, getting a job and becoming great alumni of UCF. 麻豆精品 S� We get to help produce outstanding alumni for UCF.

When people ask us, 麻豆精品 S淲hat 麻豆精品 S檚 your greatest failure? 麻豆精品 S� I don 麻豆精品 S檛 think we look at any one moment as a great failure. We look at it as a learning opportunity. So even though people may look at it on the outside, and say 麻豆精品 S淗ey, that 麻豆精品 S檚 a failure 麻豆精品 S�, 麻豆精品 S� we can learn from it and say, 麻豆精品 S淵ou know what? I 麻豆精品 S檓 going to be better because of that moment. 麻豆精品 S�

GM: From a coach 麻豆精品 S檚 standpoint, probably my biggest motivation is from losses. I don 麻豆精品 S檛 think about winning the past championships. I think about a couple of hard losses 麻豆精品 S� even one from high school in the state championship game that I probably think about once a week. But it motivates me. I just try to use those learning experiences, those negative experiences for positives in the future.

TM: I can remember, when I was a player, we actually were playing UCF and I had an interception in my hand. It 麻豆精品 S檚 probably at least once or two times a week I think about missing that interception. There are these moments in time, but do you get better from those times that you didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have success? That 麻豆精品 S檚 how I view failure or success.

Is there anything in your office now that when you look at it, motivates you or reminds you of why you do what you do every single day?

GM: Something I 麻豆精品 S檓 pretty proud of right there on my desk is the national championship ring [from Auburn in 2010]. It 麻豆精品 S檚 also a good conversation piece for recruits. Recruits have dreams and the fact that we won a national championship 麻豆精品 S� been there, done that 麻豆精品 S� I think is a pretty special deal.

TM: Rings aren 麻豆精品 S檛 so much about the championships. It 麻豆精品 S檚 about the work that goes into the championships. From my previous [job at Arkansas State], I 麻豆精品 S檝e got 25 conference championships [rings] from all the student-athletes and they 麻豆精品 S檙e a symbolism of life: I always say be a champion on the playing surface, be a champion in life, be a champion as a citizen and represent your family well.

GM: I think you 麻豆精品 S檙e right. We won a national championship and on the field, it was as good as you 麻豆精品 S檇 think. It was unbelievable. And I remember getting on the bus after the game and sitting down by my wife and [saying], 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 it. 麻豆精品 S� In my mind, I built it up. And then the phone rang, and I started recruiting for the next class. So it helped me understand you 麻豆精品 S檝e got to enjoy the process of everything and achieving it. That 麻豆精品 S檚 the fun part. That 麻豆精品 S檚 what I told our coaches just the other day. I said, 麻豆精品 S淕uys, we 麻豆精品 S檙e going to win a national championship here. And right now, there 麻豆精品 S檚 stuff we don 麻豆精品 S檛 have that we 麻豆精品 S檙e going to get. But the process 麻豆精品 S� enjoy it. Don 麻豆精品 S檛 take anything for granted. 麻豆精品 S�

TM: You 麻豆精品 S檝e been at different places, whether it 麻豆精品 S檚 been high school, Arkansas State, Auburn, Tulsa 麻豆精品 S� isn 麻豆精品 S檛 it amazing to [build] the foundation as opposed to just being the caretaker?

GM: That 麻豆精品 S檚 what makes me tick, and that 麻豆精品 S檚 what motivates me. This situation [at UCF] fits me perfect. I 麻豆精品 S檝e got a chip on my shoulder, our program has a chip 麻豆精品 S�

TM: Me too.

GM: You definitely have a chip on your shoulder. So that 麻豆精品 S檚 why I think us all coming together at the right time just feels special and I think everybody around can kind of feel it and that 麻豆精品 S檚 what 麻豆精品 S檚 really exciting for me. 麻豆精品 S� I want to win a national championship right here. That 麻豆精品 S檚 what I want to do. We say the future of college football is here. That 麻豆精品 S檚 not a marketing deal for me. That 麻豆精品 S檚 real life.