Pegasus is the official academic logo, symbol and mascot of the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

(UCF), a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

with its main campus in unincorporated

Orange County, Florida Orange County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,429,908, making it the fifth-most populous county in Florida and the List of ...

, United States. While the Pegasus is the logo and mascot of the university,

Knightro Knightro is the official mascot of the University of Central Florida, and its sports teams, the UCF Knights, Knights.

is the mascot of university's athletic programs, the

UCF Knights The UCF Knights are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Central Florida in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando, Florida, Orlando. The Knights participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NC ...

. The Pegasus logo is popular among students and the community, and UCF's equestrian club maintains a mascot program, which owns a "Pegasus" horse, a gray Andalusian stallion. Representing the "Pegasus," a horse that is regularly seen during home football games at the

Bounce House FBC Mortgage Stadium (scheduled to become Acrisure Bounce House) is an American football stadium located near Orlando in Orange County, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It is the home field of the ...

; the Golden Knight, whose armor varies, generally rides atop the horse. The Pegasus and Knight are often seen representing other home sporting events and

alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

events

History

The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 as the Florida Technological University. In 1968, UCF's first president, Dr.

Charles N. Millican Charles Norman Millican (October 9, 1916 – December 1, 2010) was an American professor and academic administration, academic administrator. He was the founding List of Presidents of the University of Central Florida, president of the Univers ...

, and a citizen advisory group, designed the university's Pegasus seal. The logo and the school's first mascot was approved on April 5, 1968. The Pegasus became the school's first athletic mascot in 1970, when UCF students voted and selected the "Knight of Pegasus" as their mascot over "Vincent the Vulture" which had been the university's unofficial mascot. Today, the Pegasus logo may be seen in the university's commercials and advertisements, and adorned on almost every building.

Pegasus program

In 2001, the UCF Alma Mater Society established the Pegasus Mascot Program to provide both riders as well as horses for the role as Pegasus and the UCF Knight. Every fall semester students are eligible to submit applications to become the UCF Knight, but only the best riders at UCF are accepted. The creation of the Equestrian Club at UCF was due to the need for riders for Pegasus Mascot Program, and now every student trying out must be a member. The program is entirely run by the students, with the guidance of the UCF Alumni Association. As well as the opportunity to try out to become the UCF Knight, students may choose to help at events, therefore become "squires". All squires must also be members of the Equestrian Club at UCF.

The horses

The university has had an array of horses used as Pegasus during its history. Since the creation of the Pegasus Mascot Program in 2001, all horses used must be white. Horses have been donated by

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

, UCF Board of Trustees member Rick Walsh and

Medieval Times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

. In 2009, the famed touring show the "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions agreed to provide their horses for the program. The current Pegasus is a gray and white Andalusian stallion who used to be a solo horse on the tour. "Maluso" as he is known at the barn, has been trained in

Classical dressage Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding in harmony with, rather than against, the horse. Correct ...

also known as ''haute ecole'', made famous by the

Spanish Riding School The Spanish Riding School () is an Austrian institution based in Vienna, dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, whose performances in the Hofburg are also a tourist attraction. The leading hor ...

Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. His signature move is his rear which he performs at every home football game. The pegasus horse also has a partner named "Knugget" the mini horse. The current Pegasus is also known for his tongue that he sticks out for his fans.

References

External links

Equestrian Club at UCF

The "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions
{{University of Central Florida University of Central Florida American Athletic Conference mascots Horse mascots Mascots introduced in 1970 Real-life animal mascots

History

Pegasus program

The horses

See also

References

External links