Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
The Spotlight Shines Brightly on the Al of Owls
1.23.13 | Men's Basketball
Gallery | Reception Video | Banner Ceremony Video | Tribute Video
PHILADELPHIA -- Over the course of 60 years -- throughout 60 seasons -- there are, without a doubt, countless memories that filter through Al Shrier's memory.
At times, it may be hard to remember all of the poignant moments that colored his 60 years at Temple University, due to the sheer volume of capacity they demand.
But tonight was different.
Tonight there was just one.
Tonight, at halftime, Al Shrier stood -- fittingly -- on the edge of the Temple “T” in the center of the John Chaney and Harry Litwack court in Temple's Liacouras Center as the spotlights ensconcing him faded to black.
All around him, fans, colleagues, former associates and Temple administrators rose to their feet, showering Shrier with well-deserved applause as he clung to his maroon briefcase like he had so many games before.
Behind him, a gaggle of students, many of whom have been influenced by Shrier, whether directly or indirectly, held cardboard cutout replicas of his face to their own -- a gesture that served to continue the impact of his legacy through another class of students.
Some of them will never even meet Shrier.
But they'll know who he is, for certain.
Temple made sure of it tonight when the school unfurled a cherry banner from the rafters during the halftime ceremony. On it, a briefcase bearing the Temple logo and the inscription “Al Shrier, Athletics 1953-”
No end date.
Because, like Shrier's impact at Temple University, there is no determinate end to a career that has spanned “8 athletic directors, 7 of 9 presidents in the university's history, 10 mayors, 12 governors of Pennsylvania and 11 US presidents,” according to current Director of Athletics, Bill Bradshaw.
In his 60 years, Al Shrier has seen it all. Until tonight.
As the wrinkles fluttered their way out of the freshly-debuted banner, he turned to his wife of 43 years -- his Ruthie, as he calls her -- and mouthed but one word: “Wow.”
“60 years are proof enough that Al Shrier loves Temple and Temple loves Al Shrier,” Bradshaw said.
“Nobody has spent more time or worked more diligently serving Temple University than Al Shrier. He represents the mission, the values and the qualities of this university better than any of us. No university has a more genuine ambassador of goodwill than Temple.”
And while he may never have laced up on the court, his banner hangs alongside some of those who have, in fellow Temple greats John Chaney, Mark Macon, Bill Mlkvy, Guy Rodgers and Harry Litwack.
Jokingly, in a ceremony in his honor before the game, he told attendees that he's “done everything but coached,” before he continued on to explain what keeps him a fixture at 1700 North Broad Street.
“People always ask me, 'how can you be here for 60 years?' I don't know. It's amazing how time flies, but it's people,” Shrier said, addressing the crowd of supporters before him.
“It's people like you.”
With his head just barely poking up behind the podium in the Fox-Gittis room of the Liacouras Center, he regaled the crowd with a story of the time he fetched hot dogs for Bill Cosby at a football game, by -- you guessed it -- smuggling them in his infamous briefcase.
“He didn't know it, but I had a secret,” Shrier recalled telling Cosby. “I said 'Cosby, you always wanted to know what was in the bag...' and then I pulled out the two hot dogs. You should have seen his face.”
I would be remiss to write about Al Shrier and not talk about the mystery of the briefcase. What it contains, only he knows and he'll never tell you should you ask, but that's all part of his legacy -- a legacy he is still writing, to this day.
“He's meant so much to Temple,” men's basketball head coach Fran Dunphy said. “It makes me very happy I can be even a tiny part of his career.”
Part of it has already been written. That part of it is so firmly etched in Temple's history and antiquity that it seems one cannot exist without the other.
Sitting down in Al Shrier's office overlooking Broad Street and the Liacouras Center, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of Temple -- and Philadelphia -- history that surrounds you. Bobbleheads and media guides gather dust on dozens of shelves, while trophies and awards glitter in between them, refracting the fluorescent lights above.
“He lives and breathes Temple University and spans so much of its history,” Senior Associate Director of Athletic Communications' Larry Dougherty said.
That history seeps from every pore, accessible and available to any and all who express interest.
That's quintessentially Al Shrier.
A Philadelphia legacy.
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
PHILADELPHIA -- Over the course of 60 years -- throughout 60 seasons -- there are, without a doubt, countless memories that filter through Al Shrier's memory.
At times, it may be hard to remember all of the poignant moments that colored his 60 years at Temple University, due to the sheer volume of capacity they demand.
But tonight was different.
Tonight there was just one.
Tonight, at halftime, Al Shrier stood -- fittingly -- on the edge of the Temple “T” in the center of the John Chaney and Harry Litwack court in Temple's Liacouras Center as the spotlights ensconcing him faded to black.
All around him, fans, colleagues, former associates and Temple administrators rose to their feet, showering Shrier with well-deserved applause as he clung to his maroon briefcase like he had so many games before.
Behind him, a gaggle of students, many of whom have been influenced by Shrier, whether directly or indirectly, held cardboard cutout replicas of his face to their own -- a gesture that served to continue the impact of his legacy through another class of students.
Some of them will never even meet Shrier.
But they'll know who he is, for certain.
Temple made sure of it tonight when the school unfurled a cherry banner from the rafters during the halftime ceremony. On it, a briefcase bearing the Temple logo and the inscription “Al Shrier, Athletics 1953-”
No end date.
Because, like Shrier's impact at Temple University, there is no determinate end to a career that has spanned “8 athletic directors, 7 of 9 presidents in the university's history, 10 mayors, 12 governors of Pennsylvania and 11 US presidents,” according to current Director of Athletics, Bill Bradshaw.
In his 60 years, Al Shrier has seen it all. Until tonight.
As the wrinkles fluttered their way out of the freshly-debuted banner, he turned to his wife of 43 years -- his Ruthie, as he calls her -- and mouthed but one word: “Wow.”
“60 years are proof enough that Al Shrier loves Temple and Temple loves Al Shrier,” Bradshaw said.
“Nobody has spent more time or worked more diligently serving Temple University than Al Shrier. He represents the mission, the values and the qualities of this university better than any of us. No university has a more genuine ambassador of goodwill than Temple.”
And while he may never have laced up on the court, his banner hangs alongside some of those who have, in fellow Temple greats John Chaney, Mark Macon, Bill Mlkvy, Guy Rodgers and Harry Litwack.
Jokingly, in a ceremony in his honor before the game, he told attendees that he's “done everything but coached,” before he continued on to explain what keeps him a fixture at 1700 North Broad Street.
“People always ask me, 'how can you be here for 60 years?' I don't know. It's amazing how time flies, but it's people,” Shrier said, addressing the crowd of supporters before him.
“It's people like you.”
With his head just barely poking up behind the podium in the Fox-Gittis room of the Liacouras Center, he regaled the crowd with a story of the time he fetched hot dogs for Bill Cosby at a football game, by -- you guessed it -- smuggling them in his infamous briefcase.
“He didn't know it, but I had a secret,” Shrier recalled telling Cosby. “I said 'Cosby, you always wanted to know what was in the bag...' and then I pulled out the two hot dogs. You should have seen his face.”
I would be remiss to write about Al Shrier and not talk about the mystery of the briefcase. What it contains, only he knows and he'll never tell you should you ask, but that's all part of his legacy -- a legacy he is still writing, to this day.
“He's meant so much to Temple,” men's basketball head coach Fran Dunphy said. “It makes me very happy I can be even a tiny part of his career.”
Part of it has already been written. That part of it is so firmly etched in Temple's history and antiquity that it seems one cannot exist without the other.
Sitting down in Al Shrier's office overlooking Broad Street and the Liacouras Center, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of Temple -- and Philadelphia -- history that surrounds you. Bobbleheads and media guides gather dust on dozens of shelves, while trophies and awards glitter in between them, refracting the fluorescent lights above.
“He lives and breathes Temple University and spans so much of its history,” Senior Associate Director of Athletic Communications' Larry Dougherty said.
That history seeps from every pore, accessible and available to any and all who express interest.
That's quintessentially Al Shrier.
A Philadelphia legacy.
By Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
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