Temple Owls
Encyclopedia
Temple University
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owl
s, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw.
The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 1880s. Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol or mascot. The owl, a nocturnal hunter, was initially adopted as a symbol because Temple University began as a night school for young people of limited means. Russell Conwell, Temple's founder, encouraged these students with the remark: "The owl of the night makes the eagle of the day."
(MAC). Since their football
team participates in the NCAA
's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, and the now-defunct A-10 Football Conference (1997–2006) played at the Division I-AA level, they must maintain separate league affiliation for that sport. The football program was a member of the Big East Conference
until its expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings. Temple played a limited MAC schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming an affiliated football-only member and playing a full 8-game league schedule in 2007. The school's men's basketball
team is part of the Big Five
, the traditional designation for the rivalries between the Owls and their Philadelphia rivals: Penn
, Saint Joseph's
, Villanova
, and La Salle
. Temple considers the rivalry with St. Joe's
to be the most intense, especially in basketball. St. Joe's, however, considers this rivalry to be secondary to their rivalry with Villanova.
• 1904, St. Louis Olympics, a Philadelphia-based team (Turngemeinde gymnastics club) captured the first-ever gold medal in team competition for the United States.
• 1932, Los Angeles Olympics, Philadelphian Bill Hermann Jr., wins bronze medal for tumbling.
• 1948, London Olympics, Temple University gymnasts Marian Barone and Clara Schroth-Lomady help the United States win its first medal for women in team competition with the bronze. Schroth is also noted for holding two U.S. national gymnastics records – the most titles with 39 and the most consecutive championships with 11 straight on the balance beam between 1941-52.
• 1952, Helsinki Olympics, Philadelphia native and Temple University product Bob Stout becomes the first gymnast ever to complete a back somersault with a full twist when he landed the move during the floor exercises.
• 1992, Barcelona Olympics, Temple men’s coach Fred Turoff is an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team.
• 2000, Sydney Olympics, Kristen Maloney, who competed with the Parkettes program based in Allentown, participates and has a move named after her on the uneven bars, “the Maloney,” which is listed in the International Code of Points.
• 2004, Athens Olympics, Miles Avery (Philadelphia native and Temple graduate) is an assistant coach on the Olympic Team and personal coach of All-Around Champion Paul Hamm.
• 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, Sean Golden, Camden, N.J., and Kevin Tan, Penn State, will compete in the Trials. The women’s participants will be named shortly.
by routing Colorado
60-36 in the championship final. Because the NCAA Tournament
was not held until the following year, Temple's NIT championship earned the Owls national title recognition. During the 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four
appearances (1956, 1958) under legendary Head Coach Harry Litwack. Litwack would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins. Head Coach John Chaney, also a Hall of Famer, won a total of 724 career games and took Temple to the NCAA tournament 17 times. His 1987-88 Owls team entered the NCAA tournament ranked #1 in the country, and he has reached the Elite Eight
on five different occasions. He was consensus national coach of the year in 1988. Former NBA players Eddie Jones
of the Miami Heat
, Aaron McKie
of the Los Angeles Lakers
, Rick Brunson
of the New York Knicks
, and Mardy Collins of the Los Angeles Clippers
are also part of Temple's basketball
heritage.
On March 13, 2006, Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney retired.
On April 10, 2006, University of Pennsylvania
head coach and La Salle University
alumnus Fran Dunphy
was named the new Temple's Men's Head Basketball coach. Dunphy had coached the Quakers for 17 straight seasons prior to the move. Dunphy and his Owls won the Atlantic-10 tournament in 2008 beating St. Joseph's University. The Owls were rewarded with a 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament
and paired against 5th-seeded Michigan State
, losing that game 72-61. In 2009, the Owls won their second consecutive Atlantic-10 tournament against Duquesne
, for their conference leading 13th title.
Entering the 2009-2010 season, Temple Men's Basketball program ranked sixth in NCAA All-Time wins with 1711.
The Owls football team
participates in the NCAA
's Division I-A; because the A-10 supported football only at the Division I-AA level (1997–2006), they must maintain separate league affiliation for football. They were a member of the Big East Conference
until their expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings; they played a limited Mid-American Conference
schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming a completely affiliated football-only member and playing a full MAC 8-game league schedule in 2007. In December 2005, Al Golden
, the defensive coordinator for the University of Virginia
, was named the new head coach; he replaced Bobby Wallace
. He would accumulate a 27-34 record before being hired as the new head coach at Miami (FL)
. On December 23rd, Steve Addazio
, then offensive coordinator at the University of Florida
, was named the new head coach to continue and build upon the foundation Golden had left.
and its coach, James "Skip" Wilson, has guided the Owls to 901 career wins, including a recent trip to the Atlantic 10
championship. Temple has played its home games at Skip Wilson Field
in Ambler
, a Philadelphia-suburb, since the 2004 season.
championships. Recently Darin Gerlach won an individual event national championship in 1998.
Coach Gavin White's Temple crews of the past 17 years have won with regularity at Philadelphia's Dad Vail Regatta, in addition to several other events.
Additional men's program include soccer, golf and track and field. The soccer program, also established in 1926, produced five Olympians
en route to surpassing the 500-win milestone in the fall of 1996.
The Temple golf program, inaugurated in 1931, has participated in 20 NCAA
championship tournaments, produced 22 All-America
n citations and won 15 conference championships.
In track and field, Eulace Peacock remains a giant in the history of the sport. In the mid-1930s, Peacock brought national attention to himself and the Temple program with a string of sprinting victories over famed Ohio State and Olympic Games
star Jesse Owens
.
The modern era took root in 1974, when Temple named physical education instructor Veronica "Ronnie" Maurek to the dual role of head basketball and softball coach. When Maurek chose to coach only softball three years later, the University went outside the physical education department for the first time to hire its first modern-day full-time women's basketball coach, Andy McGovern. McGovern produced the Owls' first winning season of the modern era with a 14-10 mark in the 1979-80 season. Prior to the 1980-81 season, Temple named Linda MacDonald as its second full-time head coach and began the process of national recruiting and scheduling. By the 1988-89 season, MacDonald had produced the Owls' first team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In the 1983-84 campaign, Marilyn Stephens was named to the Kodak All-America team.
Under the direction of Tina Sloan-Green, and beginning in 1975, the Temple lacrosse program captured three national championships and has had individuals earn 43 All-American certificates. The tradition of excellence is carried on by current head coach Kim Ciarrocca, who was a member of the Owls' 1988 national championship club and guided her 1997 team into the NCAA
Final Four.
Temple field hockey teams have finished among the NCAA's top 20 no less than 13 times in the last 15 seasons, while producing 24 All-Americans. Jane Catanzaro, a four-time All-American between 1987 and 1990, won the prestigious Honda Award in the 1990-91 academic year, for outstanding achievement and excellence in intercollegiate athletics.
Temple's fencing team operates under head coach Nikki Franke. Between 1983 and 1995, Owl fencers competed in the NCAA
championships every year and never finished lower than fifth. In 1992, Coach Franke's squad was crowned the NCAA champion in foil competition. Franke has been honored as national Coach of the Year on four occasions.
In 2005, by winning 25 straight games, a #15 national ranking and a trip to the NCAA Second Round for just the second time in school history, Temple Women's Basketball also upholds the reputation of Temple athletics. Women's Basketball coach Dawn Staley
was the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, has won 74 games in her first four seasons, captured Temple’s only two conference championships and earned three postseason bids. In the summer of 2004 she captured her third Olympic Gold Medal, playing for team USA in the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece and was selected as the United States flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.
The Temple volleyball team is also a women's sport at the University, led by one of the "architects of the game," Bob Bertucci.
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw.
The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 1880s. Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol or mascot. The owl, a nocturnal hunter, was initially adopted as a symbol because Temple University began as a night school for young people of limited means. Russell Conwell, Temple's founder, encouraged these students with the remark: "The owl of the night makes the eagle of the day."
Affiliation
The Owls are primarily members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), with the exception of football, where they are an affiliate of the Mid-American ConferenceMid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
(MAC). Since their football
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
team participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, and the now-defunct A-10 Football Conference (1997–2006) played at the Division I-AA level, they must maintain separate league affiliation for that sport. The football program was a member of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
until its expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings. Temple played a limited MAC schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming an affiliated football-only member and playing a full 8-game league schedule in 2007. The school's men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team is part of the Big Five
Philadelphia Big 5
The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...
, the traditional designation for the rivalries between the Owls and their Philadelphia rivals: Penn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...
, Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, and La Salle
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
. Temple considers the rivalry with St. Joe's
Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...
to be the most intense, especially in basketball. St. Joe's, however, considers this rivalry to be secondary to their rivalry with Villanova.
Achievements
Temple University was among the first institutions in the United States to sponsor extracurricular athletic activities for its students. Both the football and basketball programs were inaugurated back in 1894 under the direction of Coach Charles M. Williams.• 1932, Los Angeles Olympics, Philadelphian Bill Hermann Jr., wins bronze medal for tumbling.
• 1948, London Olympics, Temple University gymnasts Marian Barone and Clara Schroth-Lomady help the United States win its first medal for women in team competition with the bronze. Schroth is also noted for holding two U.S. national gymnastics records – the most titles with 39 and the most consecutive championships with 11 straight on the balance beam between 1941-52.
• 1952, Helsinki Olympics, Philadelphia native and Temple University product Bob Stout becomes the first gymnast ever to complete a back somersault with a full twist when he landed the move during the floor exercises.
• 1992, Barcelona Olympics, Temple men’s coach Fred Turoff is an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team.
• 2000, Sydney Olympics, Kristen Maloney, who competed with the Parkettes program based in Allentown, participates and has a move named after her on the uneven bars, “the Maloney,” which is listed in the International Code of Points.
• 2004, Athens Olympics, Miles Avery (Philadelphia native and Temple graduate) is an assistant coach on the Olympic Team and personal coach of All-Around Champion Paul Hamm.
• 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, Sean Golden, Camden, N.J., and Kevin Tan, Penn State, will compete in the Trials. The women’s participants will be named shortly.
Basketball
That Owls team, which finished with a 23-2 record, won the inaugural National Invitation TournamentNational Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
by routing Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
60-36 in the championship final. Because the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
was not held until the following year, Temple's NIT championship earned the Owls national title recognition. During the 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
appearances (1956, 1958) under legendary Head Coach Harry Litwack. Litwack would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins. Head Coach John Chaney, also a Hall of Famer, won a total of 724 career games and took Temple to the NCAA tournament 17 times. His 1987-88 Owls team entered the NCAA tournament ranked #1 in the country, and he has reached the Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...
on five different occasions. He was consensus national coach of the year in 1988. Former NBA players Eddie Jones
Eddie Jones (basketball)
Eddie Charles Jones is an American former professional basketball player. Jones played college basketball at Temple University and was the 1993–94 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year...
of the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, Aaron McKie
Aaron McKie
Aaron Fitzgerald McKie is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA and currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers...
of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Rick Brunson
Rick Brunson
Eric Daniel Brunson , is a retired American professional basketball player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls.-Professional playing career:...
of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and Mardy Collins of the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
are also part of Temple's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
heritage.
On March 13, 2006, Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney retired.
On April 10, 2006, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
head coach and La Salle University
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
alumnus Fran Dunphy
Fran Dunphy
Fran Dunphy is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at Temple University. He succeeded John Chaney in 2006.- Coaching career :...
was named the new Temple's Men's Head Basketball coach. Dunphy had coached the Quakers for 17 straight seasons prior to the move. Dunphy and his Owls won the Atlantic-10 tournament in 2008 beating St. Joseph's University. The Owls were rewarded with a 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
and paired against 5th-seeded Michigan State
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, losing that game 72-61. In 2009, the Owls won their second consecutive Atlantic-10 tournament against Duquesne
Duquesne
-Individuals:* Abraham de Bellebat, marquis du Quesne, governor of Martinique in 1716* Abraham Duquesne, French admiral* Calleigh Duquesne, a character in the television series CSI: Miami...
, for their conference leading 13th title.
Entering the 2009-2010 season, Temple Men's Basketball program ranked sixth in NCAA All-Time wins with 1711.
Football
The Owls football team
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I-A; because the A-10 supported football only at the Division I-AA level (1997–2006), they must maintain separate league affiliation for football. They were a member of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
until their expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings; they played a limited Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming a completely affiliated football-only member and playing a full MAC 8-game league schedule in 2007. In December 2005, Al Golden
Al Golden (football)
Alfred James Golden is the head football coach at the University of Miami, a position he has held since December 2010. Prior to joining the University of Miami, he served for five years as defensive coordinator at Virginia and five years as the head coach at Temple...
, the defensive coordinator for the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, was named the new head coach; he replaced Bobby Wallace
Bobby Wallace (football coach)
Bobby Wallace is a former college football coach. During his time as a head coach he served at North Alabama, Temple and West Alabama...
. He would accumulate a 27-34 record before being hired as the new head coach at Miami (FL)
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. On December 23rd, Steve Addazio
Steve Addazio
Steve Addazio is an American college football coach and former player, and is head coach of the Temple Owls football team that represents Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, then offensive coordinator at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, was named the new head coach to continue and build upon the foundation Golden had left.
Baseball
Temple's baseball program has played in two College World SeriesCollege World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
and its coach, James "Skip" Wilson, has guided the Owls to 901 career wins, including a recent trip to the Atlantic 10
Atlantic Ten Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference is a college athletic conference which operates mostly on the United States' eastern seaboard. It also has two member schools in Ohio: Dayton and Xavier, located in Dayton and Cincinnati, respectively. Another member, Saint Louis is located in St. Louis, Missouri...
championship. Temple has played its home games at Skip Wilson Field
Skip Wilson Field
Skip Wilson Field is a baseball stadium in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Home plate faces Meetinghouse Road. It is the home field of the Temple University Owls college baseball team. The stadium holds 1,000 spectators and opened in 2004...
in Ambler
Ambler, Pennsylvania
Ambler is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, approximately 16 miles north of Philadelphia.- Village of Wissahickon:...
, a Philadelphia-suburb, since the 2004 season.
Other Men's Sports
Under Fred Turoff, the men's gymnastics team has won 12 ECAC/EIGLEastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League
The Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference which sponsors men’s gymnastics. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:*Army Black Knights*Navy Midshipmen...
championships. Recently Darin Gerlach won an individual event national championship in 1998.
Coach Gavin White's Temple crews of the past 17 years have won with regularity at Philadelphia's Dad Vail Regatta, in addition to several other events.
Additional men's program include soccer, golf and track and field. The soccer program, also established in 1926, produced five Olympians
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
en route to surpassing the 500-win milestone in the fall of 1996.
The Temple golf program, inaugurated in 1931, has participated in 20 NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
championship tournaments, produced 22 All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n citations and won 15 conference championships.
In track and field, Eulace Peacock remains a giant in the history of the sport. In the mid-1930s, Peacock brought national attention to himself and the Temple program with a string of sprinting victories over famed Ohio State and Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
star Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
.
Women's Sports
As early as 1923, the University's women began participating on club sport teams. In fact, that year, Coach Blanche Voorhees guided an Owl basketball team to a perfect 12-0 record and also started a field hockey program. Additional sports for women followed: swimming in 1926, tennis in 1939, fencing in 1946, softball in 1949, lacrosse in 1957, and finally volleyball, track and field and gymnastics in 1975.The modern era took root in 1974, when Temple named physical education instructor Veronica "Ronnie" Maurek to the dual role of head basketball and softball coach. When Maurek chose to coach only softball three years later, the University went outside the physical education department for the first time to hire its first modern-day full-time women's basketball coach, Andy McGovern. McGovern produced the Owls' first winning season of the modern era with a 14-10 mark in the 1979-80 season. Prior to the 1980-81 season, Temple named Linda MacDonald as its second full-time head coach and began the process of national recruiting and scheduling. By the 1988-89 season, MacDonald had produced the Owls' first team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In the 1983-84 campaign, Marilyn Stephens was named to the Kodak All-America team.
Under the direction of Tina Sloan-Green, and beginning in 1975, the Temple lacrosse program captured three national championships and has had individuals earn 43 All-American certificates. The tradition of excellence is carried on by current head coach Kim Ciarrocca, who was a member of the Owls' 1988 national championship club and guided her 1997 team into the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Final Four.
Temple field hockey teams have finished among the NCAA's top 20 no less than 13 times in the last 15 seasons, while producing 24 All-Americans. Jane Catanzaro, a four-time All-American between 1987 and 1990, won the prestigious Honda Award in the 1990-91 academic year, for outstanding achievement and excellence in intercollegiate athletics.
Temple's fencing team operates under head coach Nikki Franke. Between 1983 and 1995, Owl fencers competed in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
championships every year and never finished lower than fifth. In 1992, Coach Franke's squad was crowned the NCAA champion in foil competition. Franke has been honored as national Coach of the Year on four occasions.
In 2005, by winning 25 straight games, a #15 national ranking and a trip to the NCAA Second Round for just the second time in school history, Temple Women's Basketball also upholds the reputation of Temple athletics. Women's Basketball coach Dawn Staley
Dawn Staley
Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball player and coach. Staley is a three-time Olympian and was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was named the University of South Carolina women's head basketball coach on May 7, 2008...
was the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, has won 74 games in her first four seasons, captured Temple’s only two conference championships and earned three postseason bids. In the summer of 2004 she captured her third Olympic Gold Medal, playing for team USA in the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece and was selected as the United States flag bearer for the opening ceremonies.
The Temple volleyball team is also a women's sport at the University, led by one of the "architects of the game," Bob Bertucci.
Sources
- "Longtime Temple coach Chaney retires", ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
, March 13, 2006 - "Temple Coach Chaney Announcing Retirement Today", The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, March 13, 2006 - "Dunphy leaves Penn, takes over at Temple", The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
/Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, April 10, 2006 - "The Bottom 10 goes punk", ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
, October 18, 2006