It has come to my attention that UCF has recently made the decision to drop the Men's Cross Country Program. As a former UCF Cross Country team member I am of course upset with that decision.

My experiences with individuals and coaches while at UCF have helped mold me into the person I am today.

Personally without athletics I'm not sure I would have ever graduated college.

And there are many similar alumni that are out in the community making an impact in both business and athletics. They are leaders in their towns and cities all across the United States. Many of whom are coaches and educators in the Orlando area.

By dropping the Men's program you are cutting out the potential future leaders and student-athletes of tomorrow.

In 1986 when I first came to UCF I made the cross country team as a walk on. There were no scholarships, no coach and no uniforms that first year I was on the team. We had to compete on a Division 1 level with little support from our school. The Strength and Conditioning Coach of the football team doubled as the Cross Country coach. Yet undeterred by these odds we managed to slowly work toward promoting our sport through the school newspaper, the UCF Knight Run - (to raise money to buy uniforms) and volunteer coaches. By 1988 we started a Track Club in anticipation of the school adding Track after that.

The men's cross country team has come a long way since those days. Sad to see it fold after it took over 20 years to build it to where it is today.

Looks like once again there will be no uniforms, no coach and no scholarships.........hmm that seems like it's going back in time ...........not moving forward like your mission statement.

...As UCF Athletics moves forward into the 21st century, it envisions a program of character, integrity, and high respect within intercollegiate athletics, while continuing its tradition as a winning program. UCF Athletics aspires to perform at the highest level of competition necessary to achieve prominent status within the highly competitive athletic world. UCF Athletics will become a nationally recognized program with the reputation of graduating academically superior athletes, role models, and future leaders....

Thanks,

Tom Davis
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