Report: UCF to honor former coach O'Leary with statue

George O'Leary is largely responsible for putting UCF football on the map, and now the school will honor the former coach with a statue, a source told Shannon Green of the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday.

The 70-year-old is the winningest coach in the history of the school's football program, compiling an 81-60 record in 12 seasons with the Golden Knights. Under O'Leary's watch, UCF won seven bowl games, including the first and only BCS win in school history, a 52-42 triumph over Baylor in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl.

According to Green, the statue was organized by a private group of donors and will sit next to the team's football stadium, a venue O'Leary worked tirelessly to get built on campus. It is expected to be presented sometime in 2017.

O'Leary retired abruptly after the team started 0-8 last season with Danny Barrett taking over on an interim basis. The Golden Knights would finish the season winless at 0-12, and hired Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost as their new head coach in the offseason.