Temple University Athletics
From The AD's Desk - January 2012
From The AD's Desk
A column from Temple University Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw
January 2012
Happy New Year to all of Owl Nation!!!
And what a start to 2012 it has been with a stunning 78-73 upset of #3/5 Duke in front of the third largest crowd (20,420 fans) to watch a college basketball game at the Wells Fargo Center. It is arguably the biggest win for the program in over a decade.
Before we turn the page to 2012 however, let’s take a look back at 2011 – And what I believe was a memorable year for Temple Athletics.
Our men’s basketball team, under the leadership of head coach Fran Dunphy, advanced to March Madness for the fourth straight season, and thanks to “one shining moment” by Juan Fernandez, a buzzer-beater against Penn State, won its first NCAA game in a decade.
Football, under new head coach Steve Addazio, won nine games, including an impressive 37-15 win over Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. It marked the first bowl win for a Temple team since 1979, and helped the Owls’ Senior Class, which set a program record with 31 wins over four seasons, go out in style.
It was also a year in which our women’s basketball team, under the guidance of Tonya Cardoza, made its eighth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, and also notched a win in the tourney.
Temple had two football players, Muhammad Wilkerson and Jaiquawn Jarrett, selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, while star forward Lavoy Allen, who broke the legendary John Baum’s all-time rebound mark, was taken in the second round of the NBA Draft.
Alyssa Lomuscio was named second team All-America and led the fencing team to a ninth place finish at the NCAA Championships. Scoring sensation Bridget Settles earned third team All-America honors, helping the field hockey team finish second in the Atlantic 10.
Men’s gymnastics not only had an All-American in Patrick McLaughlin, but Hall of Fame coach Fred Turoff’s team was honored as the National Academic Team Champions with a nation’s best 3.519 team GPA.
Off the field, I am even more proud of our young men and women. A total of 343 student-athletes were honored at our Annual Breakfast of Champions, the signature event for Temple Athletics, for earning cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or higher. Overall, 11 of our teams compiled grade point averages above 3.0 for a semester.
Temple student-athletes and teams also continued the tradition of giving back through community service at various events throughout the calendar year.
What an incredible year! Now the bar has been raised even higher for 2012, but as we all know, Temple loves nothing more than a challenge.
THREE-PACKS STILL AVAILABLE: Temple Men’s Basketball 3-Game Stretch Run Plans Available for As Low As $13/Game! Plus, receive a FREE Temple Under Armour T-Shirt!Temple 3-game plans give you the flexibility to pick the games you want to see! Pick any three (3) games of your choice (excluding Maryland) for only $39! Plus, you’ll receive a FREE Temple Under Armour t-shirt! Upgrade to the lower level for only $7 more per game! For more information, please contact the Temple Athletics Sales Office at 215-204-8499.. Quantities are extremely limited.
OWL CLUB ON THE RISE: Six months through fiscal year 2012, The Owl Club boasts 3,951 total donors, an incredible 123% increase over last year’s record count. Temple Athletics extends a big thank you to all of our generous supporters!
OWL CLUB AUCTION: Help us keep the momentum moving forward by supporting the 9th Annual Owl Club Auction on Saturday, January 28th when Men’s Basketball hosts Saint Joseph’s! Together we can achieve more – the time is now! Please contact the Owl Club at (215) 204-2582 or OwlClub@temple.edu to help.
