The UCF family lost a great friend on Thursday. Mike Hedge, Sr., father of recent UCF graduate and football player Mike Hedge, Jr., passed away early Thursday. The resident of Largo, Fla. was known to many fans on UCFSports.com by his posting name of "Coach Hedge" but many others, such as myself, also had the honor of knowing him personally.

Hedge, 47, was currently an assistant football coach at Largo High School and coached current Knights Omar Laurence and Dan Veenstra. He also coached his son, Mike Jr., at Clearwater High School. The younger Hedge signed with UCF in 1997 as a quarterback before moving to fullback and eventually becoming the Knights' starting long snapper for three seasons. He graduated after the 2001 season following his father's footsteps in the coaching profession as an assistant coach on the staff of Division II Quincy University in Illinois.

Coach Hedge was a great UCF supporter and an even better human being. We only go back a few years but I treasured the friendship we had during that span. He will be sorely missed.

Our sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to the Hedge Family in this difficult time.