UCF should “change its name to the University of Orlando … or Orlando University,” according to Mike Bianchi of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. The school should “drop the ’Central,’ embrace the city, and stop pretending that the rest of the country knows what or where ‘Central Florida’ is.” UFL co-owner Mike Repole, a UCF donor though not an alum, said, “This university should be known as the University of Orlando. Nobody outside of this state knows where Central Florida is, just as nobody knows where Central Jersey is or Central Iowa or Central New Hampshire.” Repole: “The recruiting process begins when kids are 7 or 8 years old and they go to Disney World and create great memories. And then when they grow up, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, Orlando, I want to go back there.’ Changing the name would be a great branding and marketing tool for the university.” Bianchi noted Repole lives in Orlando and is “invested in this city.” UCF is “one of the largest universities in the nation,” and has a football program that has won three New Year’s Six Bowl Games and gone “toe-to-toe with the sport’s bluebloods.” But even as the school’s brand “has grown, the confusion persists.” Bianchi: “’Central’ could be anywhere. Orlando is somewhere.” Some fans will “say the ‘UCF’ brand is too established to change now.” They will “point to years of marketing, the undefeated seasons, and the ‘Charge On’ culture build around those three letters.” Bianchi: “Change the name, keep winning football games, and watch how quickly people adapt” (
ORLANDO SENTINEL, 10/10).
