Temple Owls football
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The Temple University football program is one of the most intriguing in all of college football. The Owls have fallen on hard times recently, suffering 15 straight losing seasons; but from 1970 through 1990, the Owls were widely recognized as one of the more stable Eastern football powers and often defeated the likes of West Virginia University, Rutgers University, Syracuse University and The University of Pittsburgh. In the 1970s alone, Temple was 4-4 against West Virginia, 2-1 against Rutgers, 1-1 against Syracuse, 4-1-1 against Cincinnati and 2-0 against the University of Connecticut.
Wayne Hardin was the most successful coach for most of that period, winning 80 games, losing 52 and tying three. In 1979, the former Navy head coach opened the season with a 38-16 win at West Virginia. That year he guided the Owls to a 10-2 record, beating Rutgers (41-20), and Syracuse (49-17). During the 1979 season, the Owls lost only to nationally ranked Pitt (10-9) and Penn State (22-7). In the game at Penn State, before a record-setting crowd, the Owls led 7-6 at the half.
That same year, the Owls defeated the University of California 28-17 in the second Garden State Bowl. The crowd who witnessed Temple beat California (55,952) was the largest in the short history of the Garden State Bowl.
When Hardin retired in 1982, the Owls hired Bruce Arians, then 30, to succeed him. Arians had some success, too, beating Pitt three times in his six years on the job. Arians also had two winning seasons (1984 and 1986).
Temple played in the first Sugar Bowl, losing to Tulane, 20-14, on New Year's Day, 1935.
Once a charter member of the Big East football Conference, the Owls currently play an independent schedule. They will become a full-fledged member of the Mid-American Conference in the fall of 2007.
Temple's Steve Joachim won the Maxwell Award as the top college football player in America for the 1974 season. The Owls had the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1986, running back Paul Palmer.
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[edit] Attendance milestones
During that season, the team averaged an all-time modern high of 34,543 fans to their games at Veterans Stadium and their games, regularly televised, did well in the local Neilsen ratings. Temple currently plays its home games at Lincoln Financial Field. From 1927 until the mid-1970s, the Owls played at Temple Stadium. Veterans Stadium and Franklin Field followed as home sites until the 2003 inaugural college game at Lincoln Financial Field between Temple and Villanova, which drew over 30,000 fans.
During the 1970s, Temple's chief rivals were Rutgers, Villanova University and Delaware. Rutgers became the chief rival into the 90s. Despite not playing Delaware since 1985, the Owls hold the distinction of drawing the largest crowd to Delaware Stadium, 23,619, on Oct. 27, 1973. Temple won that game, 31-8.
The school has a potentially large fan base to bring into the MAC, with over 250,000 alumni currently living within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia. Temple University has 33,000 full-time students and is located in the nation's fourth-largest media market.
[edit] Owls in pro football
Several Owls have achieved notable success in the professional ranks, among them New York Jets' Hall of Fame lineman Joe Klecko. Others who have played or are playing in the NFL, including linebackers Al Singleton, Keith Armstrong, Santo Stephens and Lance Johnstone, wide receivers Steve Watson and Leslie Shepherd, tight ends Randy Grossman and Mike Hinnant (both with the Steelers), linemen Raheem Brock, Dan Klecko, John Rienstra, Jim Cooper, James Parrish, James Harris, Tim Terry, Larry Chester, Tre Johnson, free safety Anthony Young, cornerback Kevin Ross, running backs Palmer, Stacey Mack, Todd McNair, Anthony Anderson, Zack Dixon and quarterback Henry Burris.
The program's most famous ex-player, comedian Bill Cosby, never played in the NFL. Another ex-player with famous ties, tight end Scott Haley, is the son of late Rock 'N Roll pioneer Bill Haley.
Temple alumni currently in the coaching ranks include McNair, the running back coach at the University of Southern California. Dick Beck, the captain of the 1990 team, won a large school Pennsylvania state championship in the high school ranks as North Penn's head coach. George Curry,another alumnus, recently retired after leading Berwick to three USA Today mythical national high school championships.
[edit] Media Coverage
Eight Temple games were broadcast over Philadelphia television in 2005, the most in school history. The Temple radio network, which once included 12 stations from as far north as Sayre, N.Y. to as far south as Baltimore, Md., is now down to one flagship station, WPHT 1210 (AM), in Philadelphia. Harry Donahue handles the play-by-play with Steve Joachim doing the color. Past play-by-play broadcasters have included Dave Sims, who currently covers college football and basketball for ESPN; Ron Menchine, the former Navy play-by-play announcer and Howie Herman, currently a sports columnist in Massachusetts. Two Philadelphia newspapers, The Inquirer and Daily News, occasionally cover Temple football. Two websites, Temple Football Forever and Owlscoop, regularly discuss and provide information and commentary on Temple football.
[edit] Current Coach
Temple named ex-Virginia defensive coordinator Al Golden its 24th head coach on Dec. 6, 2005. Al Golden snapped a 20 game Temple losing streak against Bowling Green on October, 28 2006 after losing the first 8 in his first year.
[edit] Winning Streak
Temple's school-record 14-game winning streak over a period of two years from 1973 into 1974 was the longest Division 1A winning streak in the United States at the time.
[edit] Team Information
[edit] History
First year of football: 1894
Temple's most successful season was in 1979 when it went 10-2, and finished ranked No. 17 in both final polls.
[edit] Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award
Steve Joachim won the Maxwell Award as the top college football player in the nation in 1974 and Paul Palmer finished runnerup to Vinny Testeverde for the 1986 Heisman Trophy.
