TITUSVILLE, Fla.-- Ever wonder how UCF’s beloved mascot, Knightro came to life?

Well we can start by thanking Trey Gordon.

“I got to be the first Knightro so that was fun but I also got to be part of getting to see Knightro get created,” said Trey Gordon, UCF class of 1996 and co-creator of Knightro.

“One of the reasons I went to UCF was because I saw the potential of what UCF could be. At that time most people walked around with FSU or UF gear on campus I was like guys we are in Orlando, we have a great school, its a young school but we have so much we can be proud of,” said Gordon.

Gordon’s school pride was evident. 

“I loved everything. I was in ROTC, I was a cheerleader, I was in student government, I was in FCA, I was in everything,” said Gordon.

So it only made sense that when UCF was in the midst of a mascot identity crisis school officials called on their knight in shinning armor. 

“It was basically a meeting between myself and Steve sloan who was the athletic director. Steve’s idea was he had one of the football players draw something on a piece of notebook paper but it was literally a picture of barney the dinosaur,” said Gordon. 

Gordon had a different idea. 

“That’s when I went to darrel who was just a local graphic artist that was doing some really cool stuff probably the best rendering of a knight,” said Gordon.

Eventually those renderings were given the green light and sent off to a costume company and Knightro was born. 

The now beloved mascot has come a long way.

“It’s just funny to see that now they have assistants and a whole department. I had to carry Knightro was in a bag that sat in my apartment in my closet,” said Gordon.

From an apartment floor to ESPN’s College Game day, Gordon’s school spirit is stronger than ever. 

“We saw that potential from day one so it’s exciting it’s like being a dad watching your kid grow up,” said Gordon.