Couple looks to build year-round UCF tailgate

Tradition does not occur overnight.

For Mike and Barbara Couillard, it grew from tailgating at UCF football games, being season ticket holders and members of the Golden Knights Club to opening a UCF themed restaurant.

In about three weeks, they are hoping that The MOAT Sports Grille opens its doors to give the UCF community a real home for the Knights, the first of its kind.

According to Mike, the idea had been floating around for a couple of years.

"It really came to fruition a year, year and a half ago," Mike said. "We started looking at it in greater detail."

According to Barbara, the concept came about  after traveling to away games and seeing the enthusiasm other towns had for their particular programs.

"We saw the passion that other towns seem to have for that team," she said. "We felt that there was nothing like that here, and we couldn't understand why."

The Couillards' support of UCF athletics is going on more than 10 years, and although they are not alumni, they have adopted support for the Knights.

The Knights finished 2009 with its first win against a top 25 team and a trip to the St. Petersburg Bowl after finishing with a winning record.

According to Mike, the goal for UCF is to get more season ticket holders and more fans supporting the team. They hope it becomes a reality.

The Couillards have been tailgating at UCF games for more than 10 years and since that time, the tailgate has continued to grow.

According to Mike, the name Moat goes back to when Robert McFarland was the offensive line coach at UCF in 2000.

He nicknamed the  offensive line "The Moat."

At the time, Mike would tailgate with several parents of the players on the line, and from there the wife of one of the founders of the Moat tailgate came up with a phrase for the

Moat acronym: Mother Of All Tailgates.

After scouting several locations, the Couillards settled on the corner of Alafaya Trail and McCulloch Road, the former location of a Chase Bank.

The restaurant will have a gameday atmosphere whether the Knights are playing down the street at Bright House Networks Stadium or on the road.

"We always wanted people to feel like they are at a tailgate," Mike said. "When people are at a tailgate, they're always having a good time. Good food, friends, just a good time in general. I thought it would be fun to bring that concept into an establishment like this where you just walk through the door, you forget everything else, and you eat, drink and have a good time."

According to Mike, the décor is medieval meets hall of fame, with everything in black and gold.

An agreement with the athletic department is allowing The Moat to display UCF trophies throughout the establishment.

Barbara said they want to represent all of the UCF programs, including the sports that people may not know so much about.

"They work just as hard as the other athletes do," Barbara said. "So we want to promote all of the UCF sports and get people involved, not just in football or basketball. We absolutely want that too, but more involved in knowing this is a neighborhood college."

In addition, Joe Hornstein, the associate director of athletics, said although it is not yet official, the George O'Leary radio call-in show will take place from the restaurant come football season.

For Mike, his vision is to see the restaurant filled with a mix of the community, from alumni to students to families around the area coming together.

Once a big tailgate scene during football season, The Moat has evolved into a yearlong tailgate party.