Why is UCF’s stadium called the Bounce House?

By R.L. Bynum

ORLANDO, Fla. — When you hear that Carolina’s game at UCF will be played at the Bounce House, it sounds like a play place for kids.

But there’s a story behind the name of the University of Central Florida’s first on-campus stadium, which was built in 2007. Previously, the Knights played their games 30 minutes away in the Citrus Bowl (now called Camping World Stadium).

The first game drew a sellout crowd of 45,000 fans. When the UCF team took the field with the band playing and the fans cheering, something strange happened — the stadium began to shake.

It wasn’t just a slight vibration. The metal bleachers trembled, the press box rattled, and everybody could feel the movement under their feet.

Every time the Knights scored, jumped around, or played the classic “Zombie Nation” hype song, the entire stadium seemed to bounce up and down with the energy of the crowd.

At first, people were worried — was this safe? Engineers reassured everyone that yes, the stadium was designed to flex a little, and there was nothing to fear. Once the concern faded, the students decided to lean into it. They started jumping even more. They made it a tradition.

Soon, opposing teams and the media noticed. Everyone started talking about how wild the UCF crowd was — how the stadium literally shook from the fans’ energy. That’s when the nickname was born: The Bounce House.

When the Knights score a touchdown, you can feel the stands come alive. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and it feels like the whole building is dancing with you.

What was previously just a nickname is now an official name. For the previous three seasons, the name was FBC Mortgage Stadium, is now it’s called the Acrisure Bounce House.

It’s called the Bounce House because it’s not just where the Knights play football, it’s where the fans make the whole place jump.

Carolina can only hope that there are few reasons for that to happen.