Linda Gooch Discusses Her UCF Hall of Fame Career

This Friday, UCF Knights Cheerleading Head Coach Linda Gooch will be inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame.

Under Gooch, the UCF Cheer Team has captured three national titles at the UCA College Cheerleading National Championships (2003, 2007, and 2020).

In 2003, the Knights won their first national title, ending Kentucky’s streak of eight consecutive titles. That team was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

In 2007, UCF claimed its second national championship, outlasting Kentucky once again. The team was also featured in a six-part television documentary that followed them as they prepared to defend their national title.

In 2020, the Knights won their third national title. Gooch was ranked 3rd in our UCF Top 40 Head Coaches of All Time in 2020.

In this Black and Gold Banneret exclusive, we talk with Coach Gooch about getting inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as her favorite memories from her 38 years as a Knight, including first competing for the national championship in 1994.