Temple University Athletics
Football History
The Temple University football program will play its 116th season in 2014. For more than 35 years, the Owls have been the only major college football team in the Philadelphia region. That was not the case at the turn of the century.
The Early Years
Football at Temple first planted its roots in 1894, a decade after Russell Conwell founded the night school on North Broad Street. Nearly every college in and around Philadelphia had some sort of football squad at that time, though it may be a stretch to call them organized. The serious football powers of the east included Pennsylvania, Princeton, Harvard and Yale.
Temple's 11-man squad was technically a part of the school's Physical Education Department. The 1894 team was organized by physical education instructor Charles M. Williams, who also coached the basketball team. The Owls won their first game that fall against Philadelphia Dental College, 14-6.There is almost no record of the first two decades of Temple football. The games were rarely reported in the newspapers, and the opposition usually consisted of small schools such as Pratt Institute or Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University). After the turn of the century, the Owls began playing regularly against city schools La Salle and Saint Joseph’s.
The school mascot had already been established though, along with the school colors—Cherry and White. For many years, the football team had no official home field. Eventually it settled into Vernon Park, a spacious green located on the city limits beyond Germantown.
The most notable person associated with the Temple football program prior to World War I was Elwood Geiges, who was supposed to coach the varsity team in 1917. But the Owls forfeited every regular game on the schedule that season because of the war. Late that fall, the varsity squad matched up with the freshman squad in a game to benefit the war effort. The contest finished in a 6-6 tie.
Geiges began his career as a college football official the following season. He officiated games for 27 years, advancing to the head of the profession. Geiges is credited with inventing the signals for holding, offsides, illegal shift and timeout. He was elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
The Temple football program was administered by the Physical Education Department until well into the 20th century. For many years, the department was headed by Dr. Charles Prohaska, who was largely responsible for the expansion of the intercollegiate athletic program following World War I.
The Owls did not field a varsity football team between 1918 and 1921 due to the war. In the years that followed, Temple grew to have the second largest enrollment in the Philadelphia area. University President Charles F. Beury made a strong commitment at that time to greater success in intercollegiate athletics.
The Modern Era
What might be called the modern era of Temple football began in 1925 with the hiring of Henry J. Miller as head coach. “Heinie” Miller had been a star player at Penn, earning All-America honors in 1917. His much-hailed arrival promised great success against a much tougher level of competition.
Miller's Owls did well in 1925 and 1926, compiling a record of 10-5-2, the best two-year stretch in the school's short history. Things were about to get much better. Several outstanding players joined the roster in 1927, including future Temple Hall of Famers Tucker “Swede” Hanson, Grover Wearshing and Jack Bonner.
The Owls opened the season with a home game against Blue Ridge College, a small school located in New Windsor, Md. The mismatch was apparent from the opening kickoff. Temple held a 27-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then scored eight touchdowns in the second quarter to establish a 78-0 lead at the half. Unable to move the ball on offense, Blue Ridge actually began punting on first down. The coaches agreed at halftime to shorten the third quarter to eight minutes and later shortened the fourth quarter to six minutes. By the end of the game, three Temple players had switched jerseys to fill in for Blue Ridge. The Owls won by a final score of 110-0. Hanson scored five touchdowns and Wearshing scored three.
Several other one-sided results from the 1927 campaign, against Juniata (58-0), Gallaudet (62-0) and Washington College (75-0), indicated that the Owls were ready for a new level of competition. That competition came from Dartmouth, Brown and Bucknell.
Temple finished 7-1 that season, losing only to Dartmouth, while posting notable victories against Brown (7-0) and Bucknell (19-13). The Bucknell game marked the beginning of a long rivalry with the school located in Lewisburg, Pa. The Owls and the Bison played every year for the next 44 years, often in the last game of the season. Some years later, “The Old Shoe” was dedicated as a prize for the winner of the Temple-Bucknell contest. The bronze statue of a football shoe was awarded to the winning school, which held it until the following year's game.
The 1927 season finale against Bucknell was played at Franklin Field, marking Temple's first appearance on the home field of the Pennsylvania Quakers. The Owls would not need to borrow the facility the following season.
In December of 1927, President Beury announced that the University had received a gift of $100,000 from Philadelphia land developer Charles G. Erny for the construction of a football stadium at Vernon Park. The stadium was to seat between 20,000 and 25,000 and was to be completed in time for the 1928 football season.
Temple Stadium was first referred to as Beury Stadium, and for many years was known as Owl Stadium. The structure was designed by Philadelphia architect Clarence E. Wunder and was built by Erny's development firm. The total cost of construction was $350,000, with a seating capacity of 34,200, including mobile field seats.
The Owls made their debut in the new stadium on Sept. 29, 1928, against St. Thomas College of Scranton. Team captain Howard “Barney” Gugel made it a successful debut, scoring on a 66-yard fumble recovery and a 38-yard interception return for a 12-0 Temple victory witnessed by 10,000 fans.
The stadium's official dedication game came two weeks later against Eastern power Western Maryland. The Owls won that game, 7-0, thanks to a touchdown pass from Wearshing to Hanson. The contest drew 25,000 fans, including several dignitaries from the city of Philadelphia.
The 1928 campaign was another great success, as the Owls finished 7-1-2, losing only to Schuylkill College and posting ties against Bucknell and Villanova. Temple was dominant in the new stadium, winning its first six games by shutout. The only team to score against the Owls was Washington College, which managed a single touchdown in a 73-7 rout. Wearshing and Hanson scored three times apiece in that contest.
The battle against Villanova—a scoreless tie—also marked the beginning of a long rivalry (though the teams had played one another in 1908). The Owls and the Wildcats were both developing strong national reputations, and this was the big game on their schedules for the next 15 years.
Miller continued to field successful teams through the Depression Era, tutoring a new set of future Hall of Famers in Hank Reese, Tony Dougal and Leon Whittock. All three played key roles in 1931, another milestone year for the program.
The Owls finished with a record of 8-1-1 that season, setting a school record for wins that stood for 42 years. Along the way, Temple recorded a 12-0 victory over developing regional power Penn State. It was considered the school's most notable victory to date. The Owls also scored their first-ever victory over Villanova by the score of 13-7. Reese had an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown and Cornelius Bonner scored on a five-yard run to secure the victory. The Wildcats were coached by Harry Stuhldreher, who had gained fame as one of Notre Dame's “Four Horsemen.”
Temple closed the 1931 campaign with its first extended road trip, traveling by train across the Midwest and the Plains to face Denver College and the University of Missouri. The Owls built their national reputation with an 18-0 victory over Denver and a 38-6 triumph over Missouri.
By this time, the University's athletic programs had grown out of their Physical Education Department beginnings. The Owls were administered by Earl Yeomans, Graduate Manager of Athletics, who had replaced James R. Clovis in that position in the mid-1920s. Yeomans would oversee the athletic programs at Temple until 1952. College football continued to grow by leaps and bounds despite the Depression.
The 1930s saw the establishment of several bowl games and the first Associated Press national poll to determine the best teams in the country. The Temple football program continued to grow as well, making a huge national splash with the hiring of college coaching legend Glenn S. Warner.
The Pop Warner Years
“Pop” Warner was one of football's great innovators. He pioneered the use of several offensive formations (the single wing, the double wing, the unbalanced line) while building powerful programs at Pittsburgh and Stanford. After carrying his legend from the East Coast to the West Coast, Warner was lured away from Stanford by Temple in December 1932.
“The Old Fox”—another one of Warner's many nicknames—had a successful 1933 debut at Owl Stadium against South Carolina, a dangerous opponent from the south. Edward Zukas had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter to send the Owls on their way to a 26-6 triumph.
Another round of Hall of Famers took their place under Warner's guidance, most notably Pete Stevens, Dave Smukler, Stan Grayson and Chet Messervey. Stevens joined the team in 1933 and was named team captain in 1934. Smukler was a game-breaking running back who made an immediate impact on the team in 1934.
The Owls won their first two games that season against Virginia Tech (34-0) and Texas A&M (40-6). After a 6-6 tie against Indiana, Warner's squad won five straight against tough competition that included West Virginia, Holy Cross and Carnegie Tech. Temple finished the run with a 22-0 rout of Villanova, and then played Bucknell to a scoreless tie in the regular season finale.
The 1934 backfield quartet of Smukler, quarterback Glenn Frey and running backs Danny Testa and Wilfred H. Longsderff was one of the best in the nation. Their exploits (and the team's 7-0-2 record) drew the attention of the Mid-Winter Sports Association of New Orleans, which was busy planning the first Sugar Bowl. Warner's Owls were invited to play unbeaten Tulane in that contest on Jan. 1, 1935.
Smukler was a one-man show in the first half of the Sugar Bowl, tossing a touchdown pass to Danny Testa and running the ball in for another score. He also converted both extra points to give the Owls a 14-0 lead. Tulane responded to the second touchdown with a huge play from its star, Claude “Monk” Simons, who took a lateral on the ensuing kickoff and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. The Green Wave knotted the score at 14-14 in the third quarter and it seemed for a while that the game would end in a tie. With less than three minutes remaining, though, Tulane scored on a pass that had been deflected by a Temple defender. The Owls blocked the extra point and mounted one last offensive drive, but they could not put the ball in the end zone. They lost, 20-14.
Warner guided the Temple program for the next four years against the nation's toughest competition. The Owls beat tough southern schools Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in 1935 and began a series of games against Michigan State. The 1938 squad played three teams that finished the season in the nation's Top 10 (Pittsburgh, Holy Cross and eventual national champion, Texas Christian).
Temple was a heavy underdog in what would turn out to be Warner's finale, a contest at Florida on Dec. 3, 1938. Florida was coached by Josh Cody, who was just a couple years away from beginning a 15-year career at Temple. Playing in 80-degree heat, the Owls upset the Gators, 20-12, thanks in large part to a 102-yard kickoff return by Jimmy Powers. After missing the entire 1939 season due to injury, Powers returned the opening kickoff against Michigan State 105 yards for a touchdown in 1940. The returns remain the two longest plays in Temple football history.
The Post-Warner Years
Warner's top assistant, Fred H. Swan, took over as head coach in 1939. His tenure may have been doomed from the start. The Owls lost his debut game against Georgetown, 3-2, on a field goal with 25 seconds to go. The field goal had been preceded by a controversial pass interference penalty against the Owls.
The following season, Temple hired Ray Morrison as head coach. Morrison had gained fame as an All-American player at Vanderbilt and head coach at Southern Methodist University. One of Morrison's top assistants was Josh Cody. The new coach promised a wide-open offensive attack that he had developed in the south.
The high-scoring offense was on display in the first game of the 1940 season, a 64-7 victory over Muhlenberg. The Owls jumped to a 45-0 halftime lead in the contest and never looked back. Running back “Handy” Andy Tomasic had a 73-yard touchdown run. Tomasic, nicknamed “The Hokendauqua Hurricane” for his hometown near Allentown, Pa., was one of several Temple Hall of Famers that maintained the program's level of national success in the 1940s.
Tackles Chuck Drulis and Bucko Kilroy were All-East selections and Kilroy was Temple's first Honorable Mention All-American. Running back Phil Slosburg was an All-East pick and was chosen to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game. Other stars for the Cherry and White included Mike Jarmoluk, Joe Nejman and John Rogers.
The Owls fielded particularly strong teams in 1941 and 1945. The team got off to a 6-1 start in 1941, beating rivals Penn State, Bucknell and Villanova. That marks the only time in school history that all three foes were beaten in the same season. Hopes for a bowl bid were dashed though, with a 46-0 loss at Michigan State in the next-to-last game of the season. The following week, the Owls were heavy underdogs on a trip to Eastern power Holy Cross. They responded with a 31-13 upset victory to finish the season at 7-2.
The 1945 campaign held similar promise as Temple defeated Eastern powers Syracuse (7-6) and Pittsburgh (6-0) on the way to a 6-0 start. The Owls were among the favorites to receive an Orange Bowl bid until suffering a 27-0 loss at Penn State. History repeated itself with a visit to heavily favored Holy Cross the following week. Holy Cross was undefeated at the time and had become the Orange Bowl favorite. Temple pulled off one of the greatest upsets in school history, winning 14-6 thanks to touchdown runs by quarterback Jack Burns and running back Gene Zawolski. Holy Cross received the Orange Bowl bid anyway, though the Owls received strong consideration for the Cotton Bowl—partially thanks to Morrison's ties with SMU. Temple's 7-1 squad of 1945 ranks as one of its best ever.
Morrison coached the Owls through 1948, and was followed by Albert P. Kawal. The new coach's first team featured a hard-nosed running back who nearly became the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history. Temple Hall of Famer Bill Bernardo gained 994 yards on the ground in 1949, a school record that stood until 1973. The roster also included Hall of Famer Gavin White, who would later enjoy a successful coaching career and would serve as Temple's director of athletics in the 1980s.
Cody replaced Yeomans as Temple's athletic director in 1952, as the University was entering the first few years of an “administrative de-emphasis” of intercollegiate athletics. By the mid-1950s, the Owls were no longer playing a national schedule, replacing the likes of Michigan State and West Virginia with Lafayette and Gettysburg. Bucknell remained a yearly foe, though Villanova had been dropped from the schedule in 1944.
Kawal coached the Owls through 1954, and then Cody took over for the 1955 campaign. The Owls went 0-8 that season, their first winless mark since 1923, and Cody hired 1934 team captain Pete Stevens to coach the team in 1956. Stevens remains the only former Temple player to have coached the team in the modern era.
Temple went 3-5 in 1956 and opened the 1957 season with two losses. The Owls then beat Lafayette, 13-12, at Temple Stadium. They would not win another game for nearly three years. The Owls lost their final four games of the 1957 campaign and finished 0-8 in 1958 and 0-9 in 1959. The 21-game losing streak is the longest in school history.
Ernie Casale took over as Temple's athletic director in 1959. Years later, he recalled a 12-8 loss that season against Drexel that attracted just 200 fans on a rainy Halloween night in Philadelphia. The Owls had just 24 players in uniform for their 1959 season finale at Gettysburg.
The following year brought a new head coach, George Makris, to North Broad Street. Makris had established a fine coaching reputation at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. The 21-game losing streak came to an end in the 1960 season opener against Kings Point.
The Owls trailed 13-0 in the first half of the contest, but then started their comeback, eventually taking an 18-13 lead on Charlie Lotson's 86-yard interception return for a touchdown. Lotson later recovered a fumble that set up the game-clinching touchdown. Running back Ernie Wayland scored two touchdowns as the Cherry and White posted a 26-13 victory. Many of the 10,000 fans in attendance stormed the field and tore down the goalposts in celebration.
Middle Atlantic Conference
Temple continued to re-establish itself in the 1960s, playing in the University Division of the Middle Atlantic States Conference. The other losing streak that had to be brought to an end was a long skid against conference rival Bucknell. While the Owls dominated the series from 1938 to 1949, compiling a record of 9-1-2 during that stretch, they had not beaten the Bison since 1953. The losing streak had reached eight by 1962.
The game was up for grabs that year. Bucknell took a 7-0 lead, but the Owls responded with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Bill Cosby (who would eventually gain greater fame). The Owls then jumped ahead, 14-7, on a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown by Joe Morelli. Late in the contest, Bucknell went ahead again, 15-14, scoring a TD and converting a two-point play. The Owls came back with a drive to the Bucknell one-yard line, but fumbled the ball away. Temple got one last chance on offense and advanced the ball deep into Bucknell territory. With 15 seconds left, the Owls lined up for a game-winning field goal attempt. It missed, and the Bison kept possession of “The Old Shoe.”
Things got significantly better for the Cherry and White though, as the team posted a 5-3-1 mark in 1963, the school's first winning record since 1951. The Owls finished second in the league standings in 1964 and challenged for the Middle Atlantic title in 1965 and 1966. The 1966 campaign also brought “The Old Shoe” back to North Broad Street.
That season's battle with Bucknell was a blowout from the beginning. Temple held a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and it was 41-7 by halftime. Late in the first half, sophomore quarterback John Waller was substituted in place of starter Tom DeFelice. Waller connected with wide receiver Jim Callahan for a couple of touchdowns, and then a couple more. Entering the fourth quarter, the Owls held a 75-14 lead and Waller had thrown five touchdowns, four of them to Callahan. One more Waller-to-Callahan TD pass set the school's single-game record for touchdown passes and receptions. The Owls won, 82-28, posting the second-highest point total in school history.
“The Old Shoe” stayed in Philadelphia the next season as the Owls beat Bucknell and every other Middle Atlantic Conference foe to win the 1967 league title. Another school record was broken against the Bison, this time as running back Mike Busch carried the ball a record 38 times for a record 176 yards in a 13-8 victory that clinched a tie for the league title. DeFelice guided the squad to a 45-27 victory over Gettysburg the following week to clinch the crown outright. Temple received strong consideration for the Tangerine Bowl that year but was not selected.
Records continued to fall in 1968, especially passing records, as Waller-to-Callahan became one of the most dangerous pass-and-catch duos in the country. Waller set school marks with 35 completions, 62 attempts and 440 yards passing in a 50-40 loss to Buffalo. He finished the year as the first 2,000-yard passer in Temple history and set just about every other single-season and career passing record for the Owls. Callahan’s total of 14 TD receptions in 1968 went unmatched until 2008 [by Bruce Francis]. Amazingly, Callahan's first 10 receptions were all for TDs.
The Owls left the Middle Atlantic Conference after the 1969 season so they could return to playing a full Division I-A schedule. Makris was replaced by Wayne Hardin, a well-known coach who had had six successful seasons at Navy. Hardin's Midshipmen had beaten Army in five of their six meetings. His tenure on North Broad Street did not have such an auspicious beginning.
The Hardin Years
The opponent was Akron in the 1970 season opener. The Zips scored on their first three possessions and never looked back in a 21-0 victory over the Owls. Hardin's team bounced back the following week and beat Bucknell, 10-3, in the last meeting between the two schools. Temple now had possession of “The Old Shoe” trophy for good. The winning ways continued through the 1970 campaign, though the Owls lost their season finale against Villanova, 31-26. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 1943, and it was closely contested from start to finish. Temple-Villanova was the closing game of the regular season every year from 1970 to 1980.
The Owls compiled a record of 18-9-1 during Hardin's first three years as head coach and rolled on from there. Temple beat Villanova, 12-10, in the 1972 season finale. Temple Hall of Fame kicker Nick Mike-Mayer booted two field goals and the game-clinching touchdown was set up on a fumble recovery by Bob Bernardo, the son of Temple Hall of Famer Bill Bernardo. Wide receiver Clint Graves set a school record in 1972 with 63 receptions, and he set the single-game mark with 15 catches against Rhode Island.
Hardin's first few teams featured several other stars, including quarterback Doug Shobert, an Honorable Mention All-American in 1971; tight end Randy Grossman, a Third Team All-American in 1972; and offensive guard Bill Singletary, a First Team All-American in 1972. Singletary is the only football player in Temple history to have his number (64) retired.
The Owls re-established themselves as one of the dominant programs in the East in 1973, finishing the season at 9-1 to set a school record for wins. The team won its final eight games of the season, including a 34-0 shutout of Villanova in which the defense forced 10 turnovers. Hardin's veer offense was almost impossible to stop, as the team surpassed the 30-point mark in eight of 10 games. The backfield tandem of Tom Sloan and Henry Hynoski keyed a powerful rushing attack, and the passing game was left in the capable hands of Steve Joachim. Sloan became the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history, finishing the year with 1,036 yards. Hynoski surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 1974.
The Temple offense was just as tough to stop that season, and the defense was downright stingy. The Owls won their first six games of 1974, running their win streak to 14 games. It was the longest streak in the nation and it still stands as the longest in school history. In a nine-game stretch that spanned two seasons, Temple outscored its opponents, 361-58. The 14th victim of Hardin's Owls was Delaware, which battled hard before losing a 21-17 contest at Veterans Stadium. That marked Temple's first game at the South Philadelphia venue. The win streak was snapped the following week by Cincinnati, 22-20. The Owls finished the season with a record of 8-2, winning their finale against Villanova, 17-7, in another game played at The Vet.
The awards came piling in after the season. Joachim received numerous All-American honors, offensive guard Pat Staub was an All-East choice and defensive tackle Joe Klecko was an Honorable Mention All-American. The accolades culminated in Joachim being selected the Maxwell Award winner as National Player of the Year.
The 1975 season opener provided another milestone for the Owls, as the team faced Penn State for the first time since 1952. Running back Bob Harris shocked the Nittany Lions by breaking through the middle for a 76-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The up-and-back contest tilted toward the Owls in the fourth quarter when Anthony Anderson ran for a touchdown that gave Temple a 23-18 lead. But Penn State would score the last touchdown after a long punt return and win the game, 26-25.
The teams played another one-point game the following year at Veterans Stadium. Beginning in 1976, The Vet became the new home of the Temple football team. Early in the season, the stadium hosted the first meeting between Temple and Grambling, which was coached by the legendary Eddie Robinson. The Owls won the contest, 31-30. That score was reversed when Penn State returned to town in October. Temple scored on the last play of the game to make the score 31-30, and Hardin opted for a two-point conversion attempt to beat the Nittany Lions. The conversion attempt failed.
Klecko ranked as the top tackler in school history following the 1976 season. Another group of stars then arrived on campus that would eventually produce the most successful season in school history. Temple Hall of Famers Anthony Anderson and Steve Watson built that success in 1977 and 1978. The Owls wrapped up both years with a trip to Japan to play in the Mirage Bowl. Tokyo's Korakeun Stadium hosted Temple-Grambling in 1977 and Temple-Boston College in 1978. Running back Zachary Dixon set a single-season school rushing record in the BC game. He finished the year with 1,153 yards on the ground, and the Owls finished with a record of 7-3-1.
The 1979 Season
The 1979 campaign opened with three straight victories before Hardin's squad lost to Pittsburgh, 10-9. The Owls bounced back to rout Rutgers and Syracuse on the way to five straight wins. The 8-1 start had the Owls thinking about a postseason bowl bid in November. A loss to Penn State was followed by a 42-10 rout of Villanova, giving the team a record of 9-2 and securing a berth in the Garden State Bowl. Temple's offense was led by quarterback Brian Broomell, and his top receiving target was Gerald “Sweet Feet” Lucear, who set several records that year. The defense featured record-setting linebacker Steve Conjar, who had 163 tackles that season and surpassed that mark with 174 stops in 1980.
The Garden State Bowl opponent was California and the matchup painted Temple as the defender of Eastern football. The Owls jumped on the Golden Bears for three touchdowns in the first quarter, with running back Kevin Duckett scoring a pair of touchdowns. California chipped away at the 21-0 lead in the second quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to make it 21-14 at the half. A field goal early in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 21-17. Broomell then led the Owls on a 14-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard TD pass to Lucear. Significant credit for Temple's offensive success went to running back Mark Bright, who totaled 112 yards rushing on 19 carries. The Owls won the game, 28-17, and Bright was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. Temple's 10-2 finish to the 1979 season marks the highest single-season win total in school history.
Hardin coached the Owls through the 1982 season, compiling 80 wins in his 13 seasons on North Broad Street. He had the most wins and the longest tenure of any Temple football coach. Bruce Arians took over as head coach in 1983. Arians had been tutored by Alabama coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant.
The 1980s and Bruce Arians
The Owls produced some notable wins and notable players in the 1980s. They beat Pittsburgh three times in a four-year span, including one year (1987) in which the Panthers were invited to a bowl game. They also scored victories against bowl-bound squads West Virginia (1984) and Virginia Tech (1986).
Arians also coached Paul Palmer, the most prolific running back in school history. Palmer broke onto the national scene with a 206-yard rushing effort against Penn State in his junior year and continued to break records throughout the season. He holds virtually every Temple rushing record, including those for career rushing yards (4,895), 100-yard rushing games (21) and rushing touchdowns (39).
Palmer couldn't have set all those records without a solid group of teammates. Temple players who earned All-American mention during the 1980s included fellow running back Todd McNair, wide receiver Willie Marshall, tight end Mike Hinnant, defensive back Todd Bowles, linebacker Loranzo Square and offensive linemen Kevin Jones and John Rienstra, who garnered First Team All-America honors in 1985.
The Big East
Jerry Berndt followed Arians as head coach, taking over in 1989. The Owls struggled to a 1-10 finish that season, but then recorded the biggest turnaround in college football and went 7-4 in 1990. Berndt's squad received consideration for the Independence Bowl while putting together the school's best record since the Garden State Bowl season. The following year, Temple helped found the Big East Football Conference, putting the Owls in league competition for the second time in school history.
Ron Dickerson followed Berndt as head coach in 1993. At the time he was hired, Dickerson was the only African-American head football coach of a Division I-A school. Dickerson coached two of the leading tacklers-linebackers Lance Johnstone and Alshermond Singleton, along with the most prolific passer in school history. Henry Burris set more than a dozen records between 1993 and 1996, including a single-game-best 445 yards passing against Pittsburgh in 1996, and he holds nearly every single-season and career passing mark.
On December 23, 1997, Temple University named Bobby Wallace its 23rd head football coach. The Mississippi native arrived on North Broad Street as the winningest coach in NCAA Division II playoff history after capturing three consecutive national titles at the University of North Alabama from 1993-95. In his first season, Wallace assembled a staff collectively holding 18 national championship rings and persevered through an injury-plagued season with 25 first-year players in the lineup en route to a 2-9 finish.
One of those victories occurred on October 17, 1998, and is arguably one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Before a homecoming crowd the 0-6 Owls traveled to No. 10/14 Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies' top ranked defense. Substituting for 12 defensive players who exited the game due to injury and with 20 first-year players on the field, Temple overcame a 17-0 deficit en route to a 28-24 win. The victory marked the Owls' first-ever Big East road win and first triumph over a ranked opponent in 11 years. Two games later the Owls proved the win was not an aberration. Trailing 20-0 at Pittsburgh, Temple ground out a 34-33 victory to ensure the program's largest comeback win in the modern era.
With a new, pass-oriented offense, the 1999 team posted a 2-9 record and finished tied for sixth in the Big East. The Owls struggled early with a schedule that allowed only two home dates in the first seven games and ranked 13th in difficulty. A come-from-behind, 17-14, homecoming win against then undefeated Boston College and a 56-28 offensive explosion over Rutgers were the highlights. Devin Scott completed 36 of 45 passes versus Rutgers to set both school and Big East records for completions in a game. Defensively, true freshman Dan Klecko earned All-America honors from various publications while linebackers Taylor Suman and LeVar Talley ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the conference in tackles.
The 2000 season began with much anticipation. With its new state-of-the-art practice facility under construction, Temple began the campaign with a 3-1 mark, its best start in 10 years. For the first time in a long time, the Owls had something to play for in November. Unfortunately, Temple lost many tight contests and could muster only one conference victory. Although the goal of a bowl game was not reached, the Owls finished with a 4-7 mark, the program's best since 1990. Sophomore running back Tanardo Sharps became the first Owl since 1987 to rush for over 1,000 yards, accumulating 1,038.
In 2001, Temple battled through a tough schedule en route to its second straight 4-7 record and a 2-5 Big East mark to finish in sixth place. All seven of the Owls' losses were to teams that ended their respective seasons bowl eligible, with a combined .750 (63-21) winning percentage. The strength of the 2001 squad was on defense, where Temple limited opponents to 312.64 yards per game to finish 19th nationally in total defense. The Owls concluded the season with two consecutive wins, including a 17-14 win in Morgantown, W.V., to break a 10-game drought against the Mountaineers. Juniors Dan Klecko and Sean Dillard earned first and second team All-Big East honors, respectively. Klecko was a unanimous choice, becoming Temple's first unanimous All-Big East honoree since the school joined the league as a charter member in 1991.
The 2002 Temple football team was composed entirely of players recruited during Wallace's tenure at Temple University. The Owls concluded the campaign with a 4-8 record, including a 2-5 mark in Big East play to finish tied for sixth place. Seven of Temple's eight losses were against opponents that concluded their respective seasons by playing in bowl games.
Once again, the defense paved the way, leading the Big East and placing 15th nationally in run defense, allowing just 108.3 yards on the ground per game. Temple also made its mark in total defense, placing 18th among all Division I programs by allowing just 315.67 yards per contest. Defensive tackle Dan Klecko was a major cog in TU's defensive machine and capped his senior campaign by being named the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an AP Second Team All-American.
Tanardo Sharps gained 1,267 yards on the ground to conclude his career ranked second to Paul Palmer in virtually every Temple rushing category while Sean Dillard exited Owl Country as the team's all-time reception leader.
Despite one victory, there were many positives to the 2003 campaign under Wallace. First and foremost was the University's agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles for Temple to play its home games at Lincoln Financial Field. It marked the first time since 1991 the Owls played all their home games at the same site. Temple's five games at the venue drew an average 24,147 fans, a 21 percent increase from the prior season's average.
After battling through a school-record three overtime defeats in the early season, the Owls concluded the year with three, hard-fought losses to nationally-ranked opponents. Highlighting the final trio of games was the performance of sophomore quarterback Walter Washington, who averaged 315 yards of total offense and was responsible for eight touchdowns.
Along the way, Washington tied the school record for rushing scores with four at West Virginia and also set the Big East mark for total plays with 69 against the Mountaineers. He also became the first Temple signal caller to rush for over 100 yards in a game, eclipsing the mark versus Virginia Tech and at WVU.
Among the postseason honors to come to North Broad Street was a Second Team All-America citation for sophomore linebacker Rian Wallace from CollegeFootballNews.com. The Pottstown, Pa., native had the sixth-best single-season tackle output in Temple history, posting 148 tackles (97 solo) while also registering 19.5 TFLs.
Wallace was also a Second Team All-Big East honoree and was joined by senior wide receiver Zamir Cobb, who was a first team selection. Cobb, the Owls' all-time reception leader with 165 career catches, set the school's single-season reception mark with 74 catches for 866 yards and five TDs in 2003.
Temple concluded its 2004 campaign with a 2-9 mark, including a 1-5 league record in its final season as a member of the Big East Conference. Final NCAA rankings rated the Owls' schedule the 16th toughest in major football (60-43, .583). Six of 11 opponents were nationally-ranked at some point during the season and 10 were at least in the “receiving votes” category. Eight opponents concluded their 2004 campaigns by playing in bowl games.
Despite a multitude of adversity, Temple gave its fans reason to cheer. Many of those cheers were in response to performances turned-in by QB Walter Washington. The junior was the top scorer among Division I-A QBs with an 8.36 scoring average and led the nation in rushing TDs by a signal-caller during the regular season with 15, setting the Big East record for a QB and tying the Temple mark for total scores in a season.
Washington led the Big East with a 281.5 total yards-per-game average (3,096 total), to become Temple's first 3,000-yard player. He set a Big East and Temple record for yards rushing by a QB in a season with 889 net yards (1,104 total) and was responsible for the Owls' final 16 TDs, while accounting for 25 of 29 (86%) overall. Washington led the Big East and ranked 11th nationally in total offense (281.5), 22nd in point responsibility (13.82) and 21st in scoring. He set the Big East and Temple record for total plays with 554.
Washington, the Big East 2004 Player of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com, was named to the All-Big East Second Team in a vote by the league's head coaches. He was joined on the all-conference squad by fellow juniors Rian “Goo” Wallace and Mike Mendenhall, who earned first and second team honors, respectively. After the season, Washington and Wallace both decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the 2005 NFL Draft.
A Difficult Independence
Temple faced the 11th most difficult schedule in Division I-A in 2005 according to the NCAA statistical rankings, and was winless for the first time since 1959 (0-9) with a 0-11 record. It marked the final season at the helm for head coach Bobby Wallace, who concluded his eight-year Temple tenure with a 19-71 overall mark. The Owls played as a I-A independent.
Prior to the start of the season, the Owls’ schedule was recognized for its degree of difficulty on a national scale in the pages of Sports Illustrated. A four-page spread penned by Franz Lidz deemed the docket as “arguably the most brutal in the country.” Unfortunately for the Cherry & White faithful, the proclamation held true. The combined record of Temple’s 11 opponents was 83-46 and seven played in postseason bowls, with six earning victories. Ten opponents concluded their regular season bowl eligible. The only Temple foe to post a losing record was ACC member Maryland at 5-6.
The Golden Years
Temple named Al Golden the 24th head coach in the history of the program on December 6, 2005. A Colts Neck, N.J., native and Penn State gridiron alumnus, Golden arrived on North Broad Street after having spent the previous five seasons as defensive coordinator at Virginia. At age 37, he entered his first season on the Cherry & White sideline as the fourth-youngest head coach in Division I-A football.
The 2006 season was difficult but beneficial. The team played the most true freshmen in the nation, with 22 taking the field. In total, 39 players saw their first major college football action, including 27 freshmen overall. These rookies did so against an ambitious schedule that ranked as the third toughest in the nation, with eight foes earning bowl invitations.
The first win of the Golden Era happened on Saturday, October 28 against Bowling Green at Lincoln Financial Field. The 28-14 victory earned Temple runner-up for Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors behind Oregon State. The Owls snapped a 20-game game losing streak with a gutsy performance highlighted by a multitude of big plays.
The Mid-American Conference
In his second season in 2007, Golden once again played the nation’s most freshmen while guiding the Owls to four wins on the season, all in conference play, during their inaugural season of Mid-American Conference play. Temple won four games, the most wins since the 2002 season and equal to the wins from the prior four seasons combined. The four league wins were the most for Temple in 40 years. The Owls finished the 2007 campaign at 4-8 overall and 4-4 in MAC play.
Led by All-MAC honorees Andre Neblett and Dominque Harris, the Temple defense ranked atop the MAC in five statistical categories, including total defense, and finished ranked No. 1 nationally in red zone defense.
In 2008, Golden led the Owls to their most wins in nearly two decades, finishing at 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the MAC?to tie for second in the East Division. Temple out-scored its opponents for the season for the first time since 1990 and was so close to eight wins, falling in three games on the very last play.
The Owls led the nation in kickoff returns as a team, and senior All-MAC?KOR Travis Shelton was the national leader individually.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Al Golden, Temple recorded one of the best seasons in school history in 2009. The Owls finished 9-4 overall while tying for first place in the Mid-American Conference?East Division at 7-1. TU advanced to the 2009 EagleBank Bowl against UCLA.
TU made school history with nine consecutive wins in a single season. Recording its first winning season since 1990 and becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 1990, Temple made its third bowl appearance in school history and first in 30 years.
The 2009 squad, featuring Golden’s first recruiting class as seniors, set the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 29, surpassing 26 rushing TDs by the 1973 and 1979 teams. In all, Temple re-wrote 18 school season records and 11 game records in 2009.
Rookie RB Bernard Pierce earned several All-America honors during his freshman campaign, including CollegeFootballNews.com Honorable Mention All-American and College FootballNews.com Freshman All-American.
The Owls swept the Mid-American Conference honors as well. Pierce was named the Freshman of the Year, sophomore DE Adrian Robinson was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and head coach Al Golden was named the Coach of the Year. A school record 15 Temple football players were named All-MAC, including a school record eight first-team honorees.
In his fifth and final season with the Owls, Al Golden guided Temple to an 8-4 overall record and 5-3 in the MAC?in 2010. Recording its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1978-79, Temple became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year for the first time in program history. However, despite a winning record, the Owls did not receive an at-large bowl invitation.
The Owls’ 10-game home win streak at Lincoln Financial Field was the longest since the stadium opened in 2003 and tied the longest home win streak in school history of 10 games from the 1972-74 seasons at Temple and Veterans Stadiums.
For the second consecutive year, a school record eight Temple Owls earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.
Following the season, Golden was named the head coach at the University of Miami.
The Addazio Era
On December 23, 2010, Steve Addazio was named Temple University's 25th head football coach.
In his first season in 2011, Addazio guided the Owls to an 9-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the Mid-American Conference East Division en route to their second bowl appearance in three years. Temple defeated Wyoming, 37-15, in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
The all-time winningest first-year coach in school history, Addazio mentored 10 All-MAC?selections, including first-team honorees OL Pat Boyle, RB Bernard Pierce, DE Adrian Robinson, and TE Evan Rodriguez. The Owls’ defense dominated the MAC, leading all teams in five categories while ranking No. 3 nationally in scoring defense.
Addazio’s offense set the school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season as well behind the explosive efforts of All-MAC?honorees Pierce and Matt Brown. Pierce became Temple’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (53), total touchdowns (54), and points scored (324).
Off the field, the Temple football players were recognized as the 2011 Most Valuable Players by the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for their community service efforts.
A Return to the Big East
On March 7, 2012, the Big East Conference announced that Temple would begin play in the league beginning with the 2012 football season. All other sports, including Temple’s men’s and women’s basketball programs, will leave the Atlantic 10 Conference and begin play in the confernce starting in 2013-14.
In his second season in 2012, Addazio led Temple to a 4-7 overall record and 2-5 (tie for 6th) record in Big East play. The Owls returned to the Big East Conference after a seven-year absence and won back-to-back league games for a 2-0 start in Big East play, both for the first time in school history.
True freshman LB Tyler Matakevich was named to the 2012 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.
Six Temple Owls earned 2012 All-Big East honors, including senior Matt Brown who was named the Special Teams Player of the Year, and true freshman LB Tyler Matakevich who took home Rookie of the Year honors. Earning first team All-Conference honors were senior RB Montel Harris, Brown at return specialist, and senior Brandon McManus at punter. Second-team accolades went to senior OL Martin Wallace, McManus at placekicker, senior DL John Youboty, and Matakevich. A total of 31 Temple Owls were named to the 2012 Big East All-Academic Team.
The Owls made history in their final non-conference game. Senior RB Montel Harris had a career day, rushing for 351 yards and seven touchdowns — both Big East and school records — to lead the Owls to a 63-32 win at Army. The 63 points scored tied the Temple NCAA Division I-A record set back in 1973 in a win over Holy Cross. The Owls also established a new team record for rushing yards with 534, breaking the old mark set in 1977 against Drake (477 yards), just two yards shy of the Big East mark. The nine rushing touchdowns were a new Big East and school record.
Harris was not the only record-breaking Owl as senior PK Brandon McManus surpassed Bernard Pierce as the Owls’ all-time scoring leader.
Following the season, Addazio was named the head coach at Boston College.
Rhule Returns
On December 17, 2012, Matt Rhule was named Temple University’s 26th head football coach. No stranger to Temple after six seasons as an assistant under Golden and Addazio, Rhule returned to take the reins after eight months in the NFL coaching ranks.
American Athletic Conference
In March 2013, the Big East formally announced a separation with its basketball schools. On September 6, 2013, when Temple hosted the University of Houston, the football schools began play under a new name, the American Athletic Conference.
The Early Years
Football at Temple first planted its roots in 1894, a decade after Russell Conwell founded the night school on North Broad Street. Nearly every college in and around Philadelphia had some sort of football squad at that time, though it may be a stretch to call them organized. The serious football powers of the east included Pennsylvania, Princeton, Harvard and Yale.
Temple's 11-man squad was technically a part of the school's Physical Education Department. The 1894 team was organized by physical education instructor Charles M. Williams, who also coached the basketball team. The Owls won their first game that fall against Philadelphia Dental College, 14-6.There is almost no record of the first two decades of Temple football. The games were rarely reported in the newspapers, and the opposition usually consisted of small schools such as Pratt Institute or Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University). After the turn of the century, the Owls began playing regularly against city schools La Salle and Saint Joseph’s.
The school mascot had already been established though, along with the school colors—Cherry and White. For many years, the football team had no official home field. Eventually it settled into Vernon Park, a spacious green located on the city limits beyond Germantown.
The most notable person associated with the Temple football program prior to World War I was Elwood Geiges, who was supposed to coach the varsity team in 1917. But the Owls forfeited every regular game on the schedule that season because of the war. Late that fall, the varsity squad matched up with the freshman squad in a game to benefit the war effort. The contest finished in a 6-6 tie.
Geiges began his career as a college football official the following season. He officiated games for 27 years, advancing to the head of the profession. Geiges is credited with inventing the signals for holding, offsides, illegal shift and timeout. He was elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
The Temple football program was administered by the Physical Education Department until well into the 20th century. For many years, the department was headed by Dr. Charles Prohaska, who was largely responsible for the expansion of the intercollegiate athletic program following World War I.
The Owls did not field a varsity football team between 1918 and 1921 due to the war. In the years that followed, Temple grew to have the second largest enrollment in the Philadelphia area. University President Charles F. Beury made a strong commitment at that time to greater success in intercollegiate athletics.
The Modern Era
What might be called the modern era of Temple football began in 1925 with the hiring of Henry J. Miller as head coach. “Heinie” Miller had been a star player at Penn, earning All-America honors in 1917. His much-hailed arrival promised great success against a much tougher level of competition.
Miller's Owls did well in 1925 and 1926, compiling a record of 10-5-2, the best two-year stretch in the school's short history. Things were about to get much better. Several outstanding players joined the roster in 1927, including future Temple Hall of Famers Tucker “Swede” Hanson, Grover Wearshing and Jack Bonner.
The Owls opened the season with a home game against Blue Ridge College, a small school located in New Windsor, Md. The mismatch was apparent from the opening kickoff. Temple held a 27-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then scored eight touchdowns in the second quarter to establish a 78-0 lead at the half. Unable to move the ball on offense, Blue Ridge actually began punting on first down. The coaches agreed at halftime to shorten the third quarter to eight minutes and later shortened the fourth quarter to six minutes. By the end of the game, three Temple players had switched jerseys to fill in for Blue Ridge. The Owls won by a final score of 110-0. Hanson scored five touchdowns and Wearshing scored three.
Several other one-sided results from the 1927 campaign, against Juniata (58-0), Gallaudet (62-0) and Washington College (75-0), indicated that the Owls were ready for a new level of competition. That competition came from Dartmouth, Brown and Bucknell.
Temple finished 7-1 that season, losing only to Dartmouth, while posting notable victories against Brown (7-0) and Bucknell (19-13). The Bucknell game marked the beginning of a long rivalry with the school located in Lewisburg, Pa. The Owls and the Bison played every year for the next 44 years, often in the last game of the season. Some years later, “The Old Shoe” was dedicated as a prize for the winner of the Temple-Bucknell contest. The bronze statue of a football shoe was awarded to the winning school, which held it until the following year's game.
The 1927 season finale against Bucknell was played at Franklin Field, marking Temple's first appearance on the home field of the Pennsylvania Quakers. The Owls would not need to borrow the facility the following season.
In December of 1927, President Beury announced that the University had received a gift of $100,000 from Philadelphia land developer Charles G. Erny for the construction of a football stadium at Vernon Park. The stadium was to seat between 20,000 and 25,000 and was to be completed in time for the 1928 football season.
Temple Stadium was first referred to as Beury Stadium, and for many years was known as Owl Stadium. The structure was designed by Philadelphia architect Clarence E. Wunder and was built by Erny's development firm. The total cost of construction was $350,000, with a seating capacity of 34,200, including mobile field seats.
The Owls made their debut in the new stadium on Sept. 29, 1928, against St. Thomas College of Scranton. Team captain Howard “Barney” Gugel made it a successful debut, scoring on a 66-yard fumble recovery and a 38-yard interception return for a 12-0 Temple victory witnessed by 10,000 fans.
The stadium's official dedication game came two weeks later against Eastern power Western Maryland. The Owls won that game, 7-0, thanks to a touchdown pass from Wearshing to Hanson. The contest drew 25,000 fans, including several dignitaries from the city of Philadelphia.
The 1928 campaign was another great success, as the Owls finished 7-1-2, losing only to Schuylkill College and posting ties against Bucknell and Villanova. Temple was dominant in the new stadium, winning its first six games by shutout. The only team to score against the Owls was Washington College, which managed a single touchdown in a 73-7 rout. Wearshing and Hanson scored three times apiece in that contest.
The battle against Villanova—a scoreless tie—also marked the beginning of a long rivalry (though the teams had played one another in 1908). The Owls and the Wildcats were both developing strong national reputations, and this was the big game on their schedules for the next 15 years.
Miller continued to field successful teams through the Depression Era, tutoring a new set of future Hall of Famers in Hank Reese, Tony Dougal and Leon Whittock. All three played key roles in 1931, another milestone year for the program.
The Owls finished with a record of 8-1-1 that season, setting a school record for wins that stood for 42 years. Along the way, Temple recorded a 12-0 victory over developing regional power Penn State. It was considered the school's most notable victory to date. The Owls also scored their first-ever victory over Villanova by the score of 13-7. Reese had an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown and Cornelius Bonner scored on a five-yard run to secure the victory. The Wildcats were coached by Harry Stuhldreher, who had gained fame as one of Notre Dame's “Four Horsemen.”
Temple closed the 1931 campaign with its first extended road trip, traveling by train across the Midwest and the Plains to face Denver College and the University of Missouri. The Owls built their national reputation with an 18-0 victory over Denver and a 38-6 triumph over Missouri.
By this time, the University's athletic programs had grown out of their Physical Education Department beginnings. The Owls were administered by Earl Yeomans, Graduate Manager of Athletics, who had replaced James R. Clovis in that position in the mid-1920s. Yeomans would oversee the athletic programs at Temple until 1952. College football continued to grow by leaps and bounds despite the Depression.
The 1930s saw the establishment of several bowl games and the first Associated Press national poll to determine the best teams in the country. The Temple football program continued to grow as well, making a huge national splash with the hiring of college coaching legend Glenn S. Warner.
The Pop Warner Years
“Pop” Warner was one of football's great innovators. He pioneered the use of several offensive formations (the single wing, the double wing, the unbalanced line) while building powerful programs at Pittsburgh and Stanford. After carrying his legend from the East Coast to the West Coast, Warner was lured away from Stanford by Temple in December 1932.
“The Old Fox”—another one of Warner's many nicknames—had a successful 1933 debut at Owl Stadium against South Carolina, a dangerous opponent from the south. Edward Zukas had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter to send the Owls on their way to a 26-6 triumph.
Another round of Hall of Famers took their place under Warner's guidance, most notably Pete Stevens, Dave Smukler, Stan Grayson and Chet Messervey. Stevens joined the team in 1933 and was named team captain in 1934. Smukler was a game-breaking running back who made an immediate impact on the team in 1934.
The Owls won their first two games that season against Virginia Tech (34-0) and Texas A&M (40-6). After a 6-6 tie against Indiana, Warner's squad won five straight against tough competition that included West Virginia, Holy Cross and Carnegie Tech. Temple finished the run with a 22-0 rout of Villanova, and then played Bucknell to a scoreless tie in the regular season finale.
The 1934 backfield quartet of Smukler, quarterback Glenn Frey and running backs Danny Testa and Wilfred H. Longsderff was one of the best in the nation. Their exploits (and the team's 7-0-2 record) drew the attention of the Mid-Winter Sports Association of New Orleans, which was busy planning the first Sugar Bowl. Warner's Owls were invited to play unbeaten Tulane in that contest on Jan. 1, 1935.
Smukler was a one-man show in the first half of the Sugar Bowl, tossing a touchdown pass to Danny Testa and running the ball in for another score. He also converted both extra points to give the Owls a 14-0 lead. Tulane responded to the second touchdown with a huge play from its star, Claude “Monk” Simons, who took a lateral on the ensuing kickoff and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. The Green Wave knotted the score at 14-14 in the third quarter and it seemed for a while that the game would end in a tie. With less than three minutes remaining, though, Tulane scored on a pass that had been deflected by a Temple defender. The Owls blocked the extra point and mounted one last offensive drive, but they could not put the ball in the end zone. They lost, 20-14.
Warner guided the Temple program for the next four years against the nation's toughest competition. The Owls beat tough southern schools Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in 1935 and began a series of games against Michigan State. The 1938 squad played three teams that finished the season in the nation's Top 10 (Pittsburgh, Holy Cross and eventual national champion, Texas Christian).
Temple was a heavy underdog in what would turn out to be Warner's finale, a contest at Florida on Dec. 3, 1938. Florida was coached by Josh Cody, who was just a couple years away from beginning a 15-year career at Temple. Playing in 80-degree heat, the Owls upset the Gators, 20-12, thanks in large part to a 102-yard kickoff return by Jimmy Powers. After missing the entire 1939 season due to injury, Powers returned the opening kickoff against Michigan State 105 yards for a touchdown in 1940. The returns remain the two longest plays in Temple football history.
The Post-Warner Years
Warner's top assistant, Fred H. Swan, took over as head coach in 1939. His tenure may have been doomed from the start. The Owls lost his debut game against Georgetown, 3-2, on a field goal with 25 seconds to go. The field goal had been preceded by a controversial pass interference penalty against the Owls.
The following season, Temple hired Ray Morrison as head coach. Morrison had gained fame as an All-American player at Vanderbilt and head coach at Southern Methodist University. One of Morrison's top assistants was Josh Cody. The new coach promised a wide-open offensive attack that he had developed in the south.
The high-scoring offense was on display in the first game of the 1940 season, a 64-7 victory over Muhlenberg. The Owls jumped to a 45-0 halftime lead in the contest and never looked back. Running back “Handy” Andy Tomasic had a 73-yard touchdown run. Tomasic, nicknamed “The Hokendauqua Hurricane” for his hometown near Allentown, Pa., was one of several Temple Hall of Famers that maintained the program's level of national success in the 1940s.
Tackles Chuck Drulis and Bucko Kilroy were All-East selections and Kilroy was Temple's first Honorable Mention All-American. Running back Phil Slosburg was an All-East pick and was chosen to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game. Other stars for the Cherry and White included Mike Jarmoluk, Joe Nejman and John Rogers.
The Owls fielded particularly strong teams in 1941 and 1945. The team got off to a 6-1 start in 1941, beating rivals Penn State, Bucknell and Villanova. That marks the only time in school history that all three foes were beaten in the same season. Hopes for a bowl bid were dashed though, with a 46-0 loss at Michigan State in the next-to-last game of the season. The following week, the Owls were heavy underdogs on a trip to Eastern power Holy Cross. They responded with a 31-13 upset victory to finish the season at 7-2.
The 1945 campaign held similar promise as Temple defeated Eastern powers Syracuse (7-6) and Pittsburgh (6-0) on the way to a 6-0 start. The Owls were among the favorites to receive an Orange Bowl bid until suffering a 27-0 loss at Penn State. History repeated itself with a visit to heavily favored Holy Cross the following week. Holy Cross was undefeated at the time and had become the Orange Bowl favorite. Temple pulled off one of the greatest upsets in school history, winning 14-6 thanks to touchdown runs by quarterback Jack Burns and running back Gene Zawolski. Holy Cross received the Orange Bowl bid anyway, though the Owls received strong consideration for the Cotton Bowl—partially thanks to Morrison's ties with SMU. Temple's 7-1 squad of 1945 ranks as one of its best ever.
Morrison coached the Owls through 1948, and was followed by Albert P. Kawal. The new coach's first team featured a hard-nosed running back who nearly became the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history. Temple Hall of Famer Bill Bernardo gained 994 yards on the ground in 1949, a school record that stood until 1973. The roster also included Hall of Famer Gavin White, who would later enjoy a successful coaching career and would serve as Temple's director of athletics in the 1980s.
Cody replaced Yeomans as Temple's athletic director in 1952, as the University was entering the first few years of an “administrative de-emphasis” of intercollegiate athletics. By the mid-1950s, the Owls were no longer playing a national schedule, replacing the likes of Michigan State and West Virginia with Lafayette and Gettysburg. Bucknell remained a yearly foe, though Villanova had been dropped from the schedule in 1944.
Kawal coached the Owls through 1954, and then Cody took over for the 1955 campaign. The Owls went 0-8 that season, their first winless mark since 1923, and Cody hired 1934 team captain Pete Stevens to coach the team in 1956. Stevens remains the only former Temple player to have coached the team in the modern era.
Temple went 3-5 in 1956 and opened the 1957 season with two losses. The Owls then beat Lafayette, 13-12, at Temple Stadium. They would not win another game for nearly three years. The Owls lost their final four games of the 1957 campaign and finished 0-8 in 1958 and 0-9 in 1959. The 21-game losing streak is the longest in school history.
Ernie Casale took over as Temple's athletic director in 1959. Years later, he recalled a 12-8 loss that season against Drexel that attracted just 200 fans on a rainy Halloween night in Philadelphia. The Owls had just 24 players in uniform for their 1959 season finale at Gettysburg.
The following year brought a new head coach, George Makris, to North Broad Street. Makris had established a fine coaching reputation at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. The 21-game losing streak came to an end in the 1960 season opener against Kings Point.
The Owls trailed 13-0 in the first half of the contest, but then started their comeback, eventually taking an 18-13 lead on Charlie Lotson's 86-yard interception return for a touchdown. Lotson later recovered a fumble that set up the game-clinching touchdown. Running back Ernie Wayland scored two touchdowns as the Cherry and White posted a 26-13 victory. Many of the 10,000 fans in attendance stormed the field and tore down the goalposts in celebration.
Middle Atlantic Conference
Temple continued to re-establish itself in the 1960s, playing in the University Division of the Middle Atlantic States Conference. The other losing streak that had to be brought to an end was a long skid against conference rival Bucknell. While the Owls dominated the series from 1938 to 1949, compiling a record of 9-1-2 during that stretch, they had not beaten the Bison since 1953. The losing streak had reached eight by 1962.
The game was up for grabs that year. Bucknell took a 7-0 lead, but the Owls responded with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Bill Cosby (who would eventually gain greater fame). The Owls then jumped ahead, 14-7, on a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown by Joe Morelli. Late in the contest, Bucknell went ahead again, 15-14, scoring a TD and converting a two-point play. The Owls came back with a drive to the Bucknell one-yard line, but fumbled the ball away. Temple got one last chance on offense and advanced the ball deep into Bucknell territory. With 15 seconds left, the Owls lined up for a game-winning field goal attempt. It missed, and the Bison kept possession of “The Old Shoe.”
Things got significantly better for the Cherry and White though, as the team posted a 5-3-1 mark in 1963, the school's first winning record since 1951. The Owls finished second in the league standings in 1964 and challenged for the Middle Atlantic title in 1965 and 1966. The 1966 campaign also brought “The Old Shoe” back to North Broad Street.
That season's battle with Bucknell was a blowout from the beginning. Temple held a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, and it was 41-7 by halftime. Late in the first half, sophomore quarterback John Waller was substituted in place of starter Tom DeFelice. Waller connected with wide receiver Jim Callahan for a couple of touchdowns, and then a couple more. Entering the fourth quarter, the Owls held a 75-14 lead and Waller had thrown five touchdowns, four of them to Callahan. One more Waller-to-Callahan TD pass set the school's single-game record for touchdown passes and receptions. The Owls won, 82-28, posting the second-highest point total in school history.
“The Old Shoe” stayed in Philadelphia the next season as the Owls beat Bucknell and every other Middle Atlantic Conference foe to win the 1967 league title. Another school record was broken against the Bison, this time as running back Mike Busch carried the ball a record 38 times for a record 176 yards in a 13-8 victory that clinched a tie for the league title. DeFelice guided the squad to a 45-27 victory over Gettysburg the following week to clinch the crown outright. Temple received strong consideration for the Tangerine Bowl that year but was not selected.
Records continued to fall in 1968, especially passing records, as Waller-to-Callahan became one of the most dangerous pass-and-catch duos in the country. Waller set school marks with 35 completions, 62 attempts and 440 yards passing in a 50-40 loss to Buffalo. He finished the year as the first 2,000-yard passer in Temple history and set just about every other single-season and career passing record for the Owls. Callahan’s total of 14 TD receptions in 1968 went unmatched until 2008 [by Bruce Francis]. Amazingly, Callahan's first 10 receptions were all for TDs.
The Owls left the Middle Atlantic Conference after the 1969 season so they could return to playing a full Division I-A schedule. Makris was replaced by Wayne Hardin, a well-known coach who had had six successful seasons at Navy. Hardin's Midshipmen had beaten Army in five of their six meetings. His tenure on North Broad Street did not have such an auspicious beginning.
The Hardin Years
The opponent was Akron in the 1970 season opener. The Zips scored on their first three possessions and never looked back in a 21-0 victory over the Owls. Hardin's team bounced back the following week and beat Bucknell, 10-3, in the last meeting between the two schools. Temple now had possession of “The Old Shoe” trophy for good. The winning ways continued through the 1970 campaign, though the Owls lost their season finale against Villanova, 31-26. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 1943, and it was closely contested from start to finish. Temple-Villanova was the closing game of the regular season every year from 1970 to 1980.
The Owls compiled a record of 18-9-1 during Hardin's first three years as head coach and rolled on from there. Temple beat Villanova, 12-10, in the 1972 season finale. Temple Hall of Fame kicker Nick Mike-Mayer booted two field goals and the game-clinching touchdown was set up on a fumble recovery by Bob Bernardo, the son of Temple Hall of Famer Bill Bernardo. Wide receiver Clint Graves set a school record in 1972 with 63 receptions, and he set the single-game mark with 15 catches against Rhode Island.
Hardin's first few teams featured several other stars, including quarterback Doug Shobert, an Honorable Mention All-American in 1971; tight end Randy Grossman, a Third Team All-American in 1972; and offensive guard Bill Singletary, a First Team All-American in 1972. Singletary is the only football player in Temple history to have his number (64) retired.
The Owls re-established themselves as one of the dominant programs in the East in 1973, finishing the season at 9-1 to set a school record for wins. The team won its final eight games of the season, including a 34-0 shutout of Villanova in which the defense forced 10 turnovers. Hardin's veer offense was almost impossible to stop, as the team surpassed the 30-point mark in eight of 10 games. The backfield tandem of Tom Sloan and Henry Hynoski keyed a powerful rushing attack, and the passing game was left in the capable hands of Steve Joachim. Sloan became the first 1,000-yard rusher in school history, finishing the year with 1,036 yards. Hynoski surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 1974.
The Temple offense was just as tough to stop that season, and the defense was downright stingy. The Owls won their first six games of 1974, running their win streak to 14 games. It was the longest streak in the nation and it still stands as the longest in school history. In a nine-game stretch that spanned two seasons, Temple outscored its opponents, 361-58. The 14th victim of Hardin's Owls was Delaware, which battled hard before losing a 21-17 contest at Veterans Stadium. That marked Temple's first game at the South Philadelphia venue. The win streak was snapped the following week by Cincinnati, 22-20. The Owls finished the season with a record of 8-2, winning their finale against Villanova, 17-7, in another game played at The Vet.
The awards came piling in after the season. Joachim received numerous All-American honors, offensive guard Pat Staub was an All-East choice and defensive tackle Joe Klecko was an Honorable Mention All-American. The accolades culminated in Joachim being selected the Maxwell Award winner as National Player of the Year.
The 1975 season opener provided another milestone for the Owls, as the team faced Penn State for the first time since 1952. Running back Bob Harris shocked the Nittany Lions by breaking through the middle for a 76-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The up-and-back contest tilted toward the Owls in the fourth quarter when Anthony Anderson ran for a touchdown that gave Temple a 23-18 lead. But Penn State would score the last touchdown after a long punt return and win the game, 26-25.
The teams played another one-point game the following year at Veterans Stadium. Beginning in 1976, The Vet became the new home of the Temple football team. Early in the season, the stadium hosted the first meeting between Temple and Grambling, which was coached by the legendary Eddie Robinson. The Owls won the contest, 31-30. That score was reversed when Penn State returned to town in October. Temple scored on the last play of the game to make the score 31-30, and Hardin opted for a two-point conversion attempt to beat the Nittany Lions. The conversion attempt failed.
Klecko ranked as the top tackler in school history following the 1976 season. Another group of stars then arrived on campus that would eventually produce the most successful season in school history. Temple Hall of Famers Anthony Anderson and Steve Watson built that success in 1977 and 1978. The Owls wrapped up both years with a trip to Japan to play in the Mirage Bowl. Tokyo's Korakeun Stadium hosted Temple-Grambling in 1977 and Temple-Boston College in 1978. Running back Zachary Dixon set a single-season school rushing record in the BC game. He finished the year with 1,153 yards on the ground, and the Owls finished with a record of 7-3-1.
The 1979 Season
The 1979 campaign opened with three straight victories before Hardin's squad lost to Pittsburgh, 10-9. The Owls bounced back to rout Rutgers and Syracuse on the way to five straight wins. The 8-1 start had the Owls thinking about a postseason bowl bid in November. A loss to Penn State was followed by a 42-10 rout of Villanova, giving the team a record of 9-2 and securing a berth in the Garden State Bowl. Temple's offense was led by quarterback Brian Broomell, and his top receiving target was Gerald “Sweet Feet” Lucear, who set several records that year. The defense featured record-setting linebacker Steve Conjar, who had 163 tackles that season and surpassed that mark with 174 stops in 1980.
The Garden State Bowl opponent was California and the matchup painted Temple as the defender of Eastern football. The Owls jumped on the Golden Bears for three touchdowns in the first quarter, with running back Kevin Duckett scoring a pair of touchdowns. California chipped away at the 21-0 lead in the second quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to make it 21-14 at the half. A field goal early in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 21-17. Broomell then led the Owls on a 14-play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard TD pass to Lucear. Significant credit for Temple's offensive success went to running back Mark Bright, who totaled 112 yards rushing on 19 carries. The Owls won the game, 28-17, and Bright was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. Temple's 10-2 finish to the 1979 season marks the highest single-season win total in school history.
Hardin coached the Owls through the 1982 season, compiling 80 wins in his 13 seasons on North Broad Street. He had the most wins and the longest tenure of any Temple football coach. Bruce Arians took over as head coach in 1983. Arians had been tutored by Alabama coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant.
The 1980s and Bruce Arians
The Owls produced some notable wins and notable players in the 1980s. They beat Pittsburgh three times in a four-year span, including one year (1987) in which the Panthers were invited to a bowl game. They also scored victories against bowl-bound squads West Virginia (1984) and Virginia Tech (1986).
Arians also coached Paul Palmer, the most prolific running back in school history. Palmer broke onto the national scene with a 206-yard rushing effort against Penn State in his junior year and continued to break records throughout the season. He holds virtually every Temple rushing record, including those for career rushing yards (4,895), 100-yard rushing games (21) and rushing touchdowns (39).
Palmer couldn't have set all those records without a solid group of teammates. Temple players who earned All-American mention during the 1980s included fellow running back Todd McNair, wide receiver Willie Marshall, tight end Mike Hinnant, defensive back Todd Bowles, linebacker Loranzo Square and offensive linemen Kevin Jones and John Rienstra, who garnered First Team All-America honors in 1985.
The Big East
Jerry Berndt followed Arians as head coach, taking over in 1989. The Owls struggled to a 1-10 finish that season, but then recorded the biggest turnaround in college football and went 7-4 in 1990. Berndt's squad received consideration for the Independence Bowl while putting together the school's best record since the Garden State Bowl season. The following year, Temple helped found the Big East Football Conference, putting the Owls in league competition for the second time in school history.
Ron Dickerson followed Berndt as head coach in 1993. At the time he was hired, Dickerson was the only African-American head football coach of a Division I-A school. Dickerson coached two of the leading tacklers-linebackers Lance Johnstone and Alshermond Singleton, along with the most prolific passer in school history. Henry Burris set more than a dozen records between 1993 and 1996, including a single-game-best 445 yards passing against Pittsburgh in 1996, and he holds nearly every single-season and career passing mark.
On December 23, 1997, Temple University named Bobby Wallace its 23rd head football coach. The Mississippi native arrived on North Broad Street as the winningest coach in NCAA Division II playoff history after capturing three consecutive national titles at the University of North Alabama from 1993-95. In his first season, Wallace assembled a staff collectively holding 18 national championship rings and persevered through an injury-plagued season with 25 first-year players in the lineup en route to a 2-9 finish.
One of those victories occurred on October 17, 1998, and is arguably one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Before a homecoming crowd the 0-6 Owls traveled to No. 10/14 Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies' top ranked defense. Substituting for 12 defensive players who exited the game due to injury and with 20 first-year players on the field, Temple overcame a 17-0 deficit en route to a 28-24 win. The victory marked the Owls' first-ever Big East road win and first triumph over a ranked opponent in 11 years. Two games later the Owls proved the win was not an aberration. Trailing 20-0 at Pittsburgh, Temple ground out a 34-33 victory to ensure the program's largest comeback win in the modern era.
With a new, pass-oriented offense, the 1999 team posted a 2-9 record and finished tied for sixth in the Big East. The Owls struggled early with a schedule that allowed only two home dates in the first seven games and ranked 13th in difficulty. A come-from-behind, 17-14, homecoming win against then undefeated Boston College and a 56-28 offensive explosion over Rutgers were the highlights. Devin Scott completed 36 of 45 passes versus Rutgers to set both school and Big East records for completions in a game. Defensively, true freshman Dan Klecko earned All-America honors from various publications while linebackers Taylor Suman and LeVar Talley ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the conference in tackles.
The 2000 season began with much anticipation. With its new state-of-the-art practice facility under construction, Temple began the campaign with a 3-1 mark, its best start in 10 years. For the first time in a long time, the Owls had something to play for in November. Unfortunately, Temple lost many tight contests and could muster only one conference victory. Although the goal of a bowl game was not reached, the Owls finished with a 4-7 mark, the program's best since 1990. Sophomore running back Tanardo Sharps became the first Owl since 1987 to rush for over 1,000 yards, accumulating 1,038.
In 2001, Temple battled through a tough schedule en route to its second straight 4-7 record and a 2-5 Big East mark to finish in sixth place. All seven of the Owls' losses were to teams that ended their respective seasons bowl eligible, with a combined .750 (63-21) winning percentage. The strength of the 2001 squad was on defense, where Temple limited opponents to 312.64 yards per game to finish 19th nationally in total defense. The Owls concluded the season with two consecutive wins, including a 17-14 win in Morgantown, W.V., to break a 10-game drought against the Mountaineers. Juniors Dan Klecko and Sean Dillard earned first and second team All-Big East honors, respectively. Klecko was a unanimous choice, becoming Temple's first unanimous All-Big East honoree since the school joined the league as a charter member in 1991.
The 2002 Temple football team was composed entirely of players recruited during Wallace's tenure at Temple University. The Owls concluded the campaign with a 4-8 record, including a 2-5 mark in Big East play to finish tied for sixth place. Seven of Temple's eight losses were against opponents that concluded their respective seasons by playing in bowl games.
Once again, the defense paved the way, leading the Big East and placing 15th nationally in run defense, allowing just 108.3 yards on the ground per game. Temple also made its mark in total defense, placing 18th among all Division I programs by allowing just 315.67 yards per contest. Defensive tackle Dan Klecko was a major cog in TU's defensive machine and capped his senior campaign by being named the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an AP Second Team All-American.
Tanardo Sharps gained 1,267 yards on the ground to conclude his career ranked second to Paul Palmer in virtually every Temple rushing category while Sean Dillard exited Owl Country as the team's all-time reception leader.
Despite one victory, there were many positives to the 2003 campaign under Wallace. First and foremost was the University's agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles for Temple to play its home games at Lincoln Financial Field. It marked the first time since 1991 the Owls played all their home games at the same site. Temple's five games at the venue drew an average 24,147 fans, a 21 percent increase from the prior season's average.
After battling through a school-record three overtime defeats in the early season, the Owls concluded the year with three, hard-fought losses to nationally-ranked opponents. Highlighting the final trio of games was the performance of sophomore quarterback Walter Washington, who averaged 315 yards of total offense and was responsible for eight touchdowns.
Along the way, Washington tied the school record for rushing scores with four at West Virginia and also set the Big East mark for total plays with 69 against the Mountaineers. He also became the first Temple signal caller to rush for over 100 yards in a game, eclipsing the mark versus Virginia Tech and at WVU.
Among the postseason honors to come to North Broad Street was a Second Team All-America citation for sophomore linebacker Rian Wallace from CollegeFootballNews.com. The Pottstown, Pa., native had the sixth-best single-season tackle output in Temple history, posting 148 tackles (97 solo) while also registering 19.5 TFLs.
Wallace was also a Second Team All-Big East honoree and was joined by senior wide receiver Zamir Cobb, who was a first team selection. Cobb, the Owls' all-time reception leader with 165 career catches, set the school's single-season reception mark with 74 catches for 866 yards and five TDs in 2003.
Temple concluded its 2004 campaign with a 2-9 mark, including a 1-5 league record in its final season as a member of the Big East Conference. Final NCAA rankings rated the Owls' schedule the 16th toughest in major football (60-43, .583). Six of 11 opponents were nationally-ranked at some point during the season and 10 were at least in the “receiving votes” category. Eight opponents concluded their 2004 campaigns by playing in bowl games.
Despite a multitude of adversity, Temple gave its fans reason to cheer. Many of those cheers were in response to performances turned-in by QB Walter Washington. The junior was the top scorer among Division I-A QBs with an 8.36 scoring average and led the nation in rushing TDs by a signal-caller during the regular season with 15, setting the Big East record for a QB and tying the Temple mark for total scores in a season.
Washington led the Big East with a 281.5 total yards-per-game average (3,096 total), to become Temple's first 3,000-yard player. He set a Big East and Temple record for yards rushing by a QB in a season with 889 net yards (1,104 total) and was responsible for the Owls' final 16 TDs, while accounting for 25 of 29 (86%) overall. Washington led the Big East and ranked 11th nationally in total offense (281.5), 22nd in point responsibility (13.82) and 21st in scoring. He set the Big East and Temple record for total plays with 554.
Washington, the Big East 2004 Player of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com, was named to the All-Big East Second Team in a vote by the league's head coaches. He was joined on the all-conference squad by fellow juniors Rian “Goo” Wallace and Mike Mendenhall, who earned first and second team honors, respectively. After the season, Washington and Wallace both decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the 2005 NFL Draft.
A Difficult Independence
Temple faced the 11th most difficult schedule in Division I-A in 2005 according to the NCAA statistical rankings, and was winless for the first time since 1959 (0-9) with a 0-11 record. It marked the final season at the helm for head coach Bobby Wallace, who concluded his eight-year Temple tenure with a 19-71 overall mark. The Owls played as a I-A independent.
Prior to the start of the season, the Owls’ schedule was recognized for its degree of difficulty on a national scale in the pages of Sports Illustrated. A four-page spread penned by Franz Lidz deemed the docket as “arguably the most brutal in the country.” Unfortunately for the Cherry & White faithful, the proclamation held true. The combined record of Temple’s 11 opponents was 83-46 and seven played in postseason bowls, with six earning victories. Ten opponents concluded their regular season bowl eligible. The only Temple foe to post a losing record was ACC member Maryland at 5-6.
The Golden Years
Temple named Al Golden the 24th head coach in the history of the program on December 6, 2005. A Colts Neck, N.J., native and Penn State gridiron alumnus, Golden arrived on North Broad Street after having spent the previous five seasons as defensive coordinator at Virginia. At age 37, he entered his first season on the Cherry & White sideline as the fourth-youngest head coach in Division I-A football.
The 2006 season was difficult but beneficial. The team played the most true freshmen in the nation, with 22 taking the field. In total, 39 players saw their first major college football action, including 27 freshmen overall. These rookies did so against an ambitious schedule that ranked as the third toughest in the nation, with eight foes earning bowl invitations.
The first win of the Golden Era happened on Saturday, October 28 against Bowling Green at Lincoln Financial Field. The 28-14 victory earned Temple runner-up for Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors behind Oregon State. The Owls snapped a 20-game game losing streak with a gutsy performance highlighted by a multitude of big plays.
The Mid-American Conference
In his second season in 2007, Golden once again played the nation’s most freshmen while guiding the Owls to four wins on the season, all in conference play, during their inaugural season of Mid-American Conference play. Temple won four games, the most wins since the 2002 season and equal to the wins from the prior four seasons combined. The four league wins were the most for Temple in 40 years. The Owls finished the 2007 campaign at 4-8 overall and 4-4 in MAC play.
Led by All-MAC honorees Andre Neblett and Dominque Harris, the Temple defense ranked atop the MAC in five statistical categories, including total defense, and finished ranked No. 1 nationally in red zone defense.
In 2008, Golden led the Owls to their most wins in nearly two decades, finishing at 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the MAC?to tie for second in the East Division. Temple out-scored its opponents for the season for the first time since 1990 and was so close to eight wins, falling in three games on the very last play.
The Owls led the nation in kickoff returns as a team, and senior All-MAC?KOR Travis Shelton was the national leader individually.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Al Golden, Temple recorded one of the best seasons in school history in 2009. The Owls finished 9-4 overall while tying for first place in the Mid-American Conference?East Division at 7-1. TU advanced to the 2009 EagleBank Bowl against UCLA.
TU made school history with nine consecutive wins in a single season. Recording its first winning season since 1990 and becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 1990, Temple made its third bowl appearance in school history and first in 30 years.
The 2009 squad, featuring Golden’s first recruiting class as seniors, set the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 29, surpassing 26 rushing TDs by the 1973 and 1979 teams. In all, Temple re-wrote 18 school season records and 11 game records in 2009.
Rookie RB Bernard Pierce earned several All-America honors during his freshman campaign, including CollegeFootballNews.com Honorable Mention All-American and College FootballNews.com Freshman All-American.
The Owls swept the Mid-American Conference honors as well. Pierce was named the Freshman of the Year, sophomore DE Adrian Robinson was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and head coach Al Golden was named the Coach of the Year. A school record 15 Temple football players were named All-MAC, including a school record eight first-team honorees.
In his fifth and final season with the Owls, Al Golden guided Temple to an 8-4 overall record and 5-3 in the MAC?in 2010. Recording its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1978-79, Temple became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year for the first time in program history. However, despite a winning record, the Owls did not receive an at-large bowl invitation.
The Owls’ 10-game home win streak at Lincoln Financial Field was the longest since the stadium opened in 2003 and tied the longest home win streak in school history of 10 games from the 1972-74 seasons at Temple and Veterans Stadiums.
For the second consecutive year, a school record eight Temple Owls earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors.
Following the season, Golden was named the head coach at the University of Miami.
The Addazio Era
On December 23, 2010, Steve Addazio was named Temple University's 25th head football coach.
In his first season in 2011, Addazio guided the Owls to an 9-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the Mid-American Conference East Division en route to their second bowl appearance in three years. Temple defeated Wyoming, 37-15, in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
The all-time winningest first-year coach in school history, Addazio mentored 10 All-MAC?selections, including first-team honorees OL Pat Boyle, RB Bernard Pierce, DE Adrian Robinson, and TE Evan Rodriguez. The Owls’ defense dominated the MAC, leading all teams in five categories while ranking No. 3 nationally in scoring defense.
Addazio’s offense set the school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season as well behind the explosive efforts of All-MAC?honorees Pierce and Matt Brown. Pierce became Temple’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (53), total touchdowns (54), and points scored (324).
Off the field, the Temple football players were recognized as the 2011 Most Valuable Players by the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for their community service efforts.
A Return to the Big East
On March 7, 2012, the Big East Conference announced that Temple would begin play in the league beginning with the 2012 football season. All other sports, including Temple’s men’s and women’s basketball programs, will leave the Atlantic 10 Conference and begin play in the confernce starting in 2013-14.
In his second season in 2012, Addazio led Temple to a 4-7 overall record and 2-5 (tie for 6th) record in Big East play. The Owls returned to the Big East Conference after a seven-year absence and won back-to-back league games for a 2-0 start in Big East play, both for the first time in school history.
True freshman LB Tyler Matakevich was named to the 2012 Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.
Six Temple Owls earned 2012 All-Big East honors, including senior Matt Brown who was named the Special Teams Player of the Year, and true freshman LB Tyler Matakevich who took home Rookie of the Year honors. Earning first team All-Conference honors were senior RB Montel Harris, Brown at return specialist, and senior Brandon McManus at punter. Second-team accolades went to senior OL Martin Wallace, McManus at placekicker, senior DL John Youboty, and Matakevich. A total of 31 Temple Owls were named to the 2012 Big East All-Academic Team.
The Owls made history in their final non-conference game. Senior RB Montel Harris had a career day, rushing for 351 yards and seven touchdowns — both Big East and school records — to lead the Owls to a 63-32 win at Army. The 63 points scored tied the Temple NCAA Division I-A record set back in 1973 in a win over Holy Cross. The Owls also established a new team record for rushing yards with 534, breaking the old mark set in 1977 against Drake (477 yards), just two yards shy of the Big East mark. The nine rushing touchdowns were a new Big East and school record.
Harris was not the only record-breaking Owl as senior PK Brandon McManus surpassed Bernard Pierce as the Owls’ all-time scoring leader.
Following the season, Addazio was named the head coach at Boston College.
Rhule Returns
On December 17, 2012, Matt Rhule was named Temple University’s 26th head football coach. No stranger to Temple after six seasons as an assistant under Golden and Addazio, Rhule returned to take the reins after eight months in the NFL coaching ranks.
American Athletic Conference
In March 2013, the Big East formally announced a separation with its basketball schools. On September 6, 2013, when Temple hosted the University of Houston, the football schools began play under a new name, the American Athletic Conference.
