Temple University Athletics
Temple AD Bill Bradshaw Inducted Into Niagara Falls Hall Of Fame
10.28.08 | General
Oct. 28, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Temple University Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 25 at the organization's 41st Annual Induction Dinner held at the Como Restaurant. Bradshaw, a Niagara Falls, NY native, was joined in the induction class by his former semipro baseball coach and legendary college basketball official Hank Nichols, who played baseball and basketball at Villanova.
An All-America baseball player at La Salle University, Bradshaw was appointed Temple's eighth Director of Athletics on June 27, 2002. The NACDA Past President is in his 31st year as a Division I athletics director, and this past June he received a contract extension that will keep him at Temple through 2011-12.
Prior to his arrival in Owl Country he spent 16 years as Director of Athletics at DePaul University in Chicago and nine years in the same position at his alma mater (`69), La Salle.
Bradshaw's six years at Temple have produced numerous highlights, most notably the announcement on May 17, 2005 that the University would join the Mid-American Conference as a football-only member and the recent hirings of Al Golden, Fran Dunphy and Tonya Cardoza among several prominent hires.
Twenty-two Temple teams have advanced to NCAA Tournament play during his tenure. The athletic department has enhanced efficiency, productivity and strategic planning through organizational efforts under Bradshaw that added seven new senior staff members. A comprehensive operations and procedures manual has been developed, and athletics has exceeded its revenue budget in each of the past four years. Recognizing the accomplishments of Temple's student-athletes is a point of emphasis under Bradshaw. The department of athletics holds its annual "Breakfast of Champions" to honor those who have excelled both athletically and academically by "committing to excellence" in April.
Temple ranked third among NCAA Division I institutions in student-athlete graduation rate above its student body in 2003-04, and had the fifth highest increase in student-athlete graduation rate that year. In 2006, Temple was one of 10 Division 1-A institutions to earn the Overall Excellence in Diversity Award bestowed by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University
Temple athletics has also undertaken a greater role in community service under Bradshaw. Via the Owl Outreach program, student-athletes have provided volunteer service to numerous community and non-profit organizations, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Temple Children's Medical Center and the School District of Philadelphia.
Bradshaw, who also owns a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Niagara University (`72), resides in Radnor, Pa., with his wife, Yvette and three children, Billy (13), Paige (11) and Connor (10).
