This Saturday at noon, Temple University of Philadelphia, having split their 1st 2 football games of the 2021 season by losing to Rutgers 61-14, and beating the University of Akron 45-24, play their 1st home game of the season, against Boston College.
Most of you know Temple as a school with a good basketball program. Some of you might not know they even have a football team.
Before You Go. Philadelphia is just down the road, so it's in the Eastern Time Zone, and you don't have to worry about fiddling with various timepieces. And the weather will be almost identical to what you'd have on the same day in New York. Still, check the combined website for the Philadelphia newspapers, the Inquirer and the Daily News, before you head out.
For the moment, it looks like, for tomorrow, temperatures in Philly will be in the mid-80s in the afternoon, and in the high 60s, with no rain being predicted.
For the moment, it looks like, for tomorrow, temperatures in Philly will be in the mid-80s in the afternoon, and in the high 60s, with no rain being predicted.
Tickets. Temple are not going to sell this game out. You can sit pretty much in whatever seat you're willing to pay for. Their biggest crowd of 2019, the last pre-COVID season, was 34,253. The only time they've ever sold The Linc out, 69,280 strong, was on Halloween 2015, and that's because they were hosting Notre Dame, and since Philly is a city with a huge Catholic community, most of the fans were rooting for Notre Dame. (The Fighting Irish won, but only 24-20.)
In fact, the University is only opening the lower level, and not even all of that. Midfield tickets are $60, and they're only opening one end zone, at $35.
Getting There. It's 99 miles from Times Square in Manhattan to City Hall in Center City Philadelphia. (In fact, there's a cheesesteak place on 3rd Avenue in the East Village named "99 Miles to Philly.") This is close enough that you could spend an entire day in Philadelphia, and, hopefully, you've already done this. Having done so many times myself, I can tell you that it's well worth it.
If you are driving, you'll need to get on the New Jersey Turnpike. If you're not "doing the city," but just going to the game, take the Turnpike's Exit 4 to NJ Route 73 West, to NJ Route 90, over the Betsy Ross Bridge. Then take Interstate 95 South to Center City.
From anywhere in New York City, allow 2½ hours for the actual drive, though from North Jersey you might need only 2, and from Central Jersey an hour and a half might suffice. But you'll need at least another half-hour to negotiate the last mile or so, including the parking lot itself.
If you don't want to drive, there are other options, but the best one is the train. Philadelphia is too close to fly, just as flying from New York (from JFK, LaGuardia or Newark) to Boston, Baltimore and Washington, once you factor in fooling around with everything you gotta do at each airport, doesn't really save you much time compared to driving, the bus or the train.
And I strongly recommend not taking the bus. If you do, once you see Philadelphia's Greyhound terminal, at 10th & Filbert Streets in Center City, the nation's 2nd-busiest behind New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal, you'll say to yourself, "I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for Port Authority!"
If you can afford Amtrak, and that will be $132 round-trip between New York and Philly, it takes about 2 hours to get from Penn Station to the 30th Street Station at 30th & Market Streets, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City.
Unlike the dull post-1963 Penn Station, this building is an Art Deco masterpiece from 1933, and is the former corporate headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Ironically, it never had the official name "Pennsylvania Station" or the nickname "Penn Station." You might recognize its interior from the Eddie Murphy film Trading Places. (If you can't afford Amtrak, or if you can but you'd rather save money, I'll get to what to do in a minute.)
In 2020, it was renamed the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, in honor of the Rev. Bill Gray, a Congressman from 1979 to 1991, and then the president of the United Negro College Fund until 2004. There had been a movement to rename it Ben Franklin Station, but this was discarded, because it was presumed people would call it "Ben Station," and this would sound too much like "Penn Station," of which there were already several on the Northeast Corridor.
West front of 30th Street Station
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Interior of 30th Street Station
Like Philly's commuter-rail and bus systems, their subway system is run by SEPTA, the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. You might recognize their "S" logo from Trading Places, and the bus that hits Tommy Morrison at the end of Rocky V. You'll have to exit 30th Street Station and cross 30th Street itself to get into the 30th St. station on the Market-Frankford Line.
Philadelphia was the last city in the U.S. that still used tokens rather than farecards or tickets for their subways, switching in 2018. One ride on a SEPTA subway train is $2.50, and a one-day KeyCard, good for 8 rides, is $9.00.
If you don't want to take Amtrak, your other rail option is local. At Newark Penn, you can buy a combined New Jersey Transit/SEPTA ticket to get to Center City Philadelphia. Take NJT's Northeast Corridor Line out of Penn Station to the Trenton Transit Center. This station recently completed a renovation that has already turned it from an absolute hole (it was so bad, it made Philly's bus station look like Grand Central) into a modern multimodal transport facility.
At Trenton, transfer to the SEPTA commuter rail train that will terminate at Chestnut Hill East, and get off at Suburban Station, at 17th Street & John F. Kennedy Blvd. (which is what Filbert Street is called west of Broad Street). Getting off there, a pedestrian concourse will lead you to the City Hall station on the Broad Street Line, and then just take that to Pattison.
Because there will be a lot more stops than there are on Amtrak (especially the SEPTA part), it will take 2 hours and 10 minutes, but you'll spend $50 round-trip, about what you'd spend on a same-day purchase on Greyhound, and less than half of what you'd be likely to spend on Amtrak. However, again, time will be an issue: The last SEPTA Trenton Line train of the night that will connect to an NJT train leaves Suburban Station at 11:57 PM (and the NJT train it will connect to won't get to Penn Station until 2:46 AM), so this might not be an option for you this time, either.
A SEPTA train at 30th Street Station
Because there will be a lot more stops than there are on Amtrak (especially the SEPTA part), it will take 2 hours and 10 minutes, but you'll spend $50 round-trip, about what you'd spend on a same-day purchase on Greyhound, and less than half of what you'd be likely to spend on Amtrak. However, again, time will be an issue: The last SEPTA Trenton Line train of the night that will connect to an NJT train leaves Suburban Station at 11:57 PM (and the NJT train it will connect to won't get to Penn Station until 2:46 AM), so this might not be an option for you this time, either.
The subway's cars are fairly recent, and don't rattle much, although they can be unpleasant on the way back from the game, especially if it's a football game and they're rammed with about 100 Eagles fans who've spent the game sweating and boozing and are still loaded for bear for anyone from outside the Delaware Valley.
On a map, it might look like Penn Square, surrounding City Hall, is the city's centerpoint, but this is just geographic, and only half-refers to addresses. Market Street is the difference between the north-south numbering on the numbered Streets. But the Delaware River is the start for the east-west streets, with Front Street taking the place of 1st Street. Broad Street, which intersects with Market at City Hall/Penn Square, takes the place of 14th Street.
The William Penn statue atop City Hall
Philadelphia's racial and ethnic issues are long-standing. There was a pro-slavery riot in 1834, a nativist riot in 1844, race riots in both Philadelphia and nearby Chester in 1917, the aforementioned race riot in North Philadelphia in 1964, a race riot across the river in Camden in 1971, and the 1977 and 1985 police actions against the black separatist group MOVE. Elsewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania, there was the Scranton Coal Riot in 1871, and the York Race Riot in 1969.
And black Philadelphians were upset that a statue of 1972-80 Mayor Frank Rizzo, a notorious bigot, was placed in front of the Municipal Services Building, across the street from the north side of City Hall, in 1998.
A statue of professional baseball player and civil rights activist Octavius Catto, murdered on South Street in 1871, was placed on the south side of City Hall later in 2017. I had hoped that it would be placed on the north side, so he could stare Rizzo down. That became academic in 2020, when Rizzo's statue was removed.
Philadelphia is about 42 percent black, 36 percent white, 13 percent Hispanic, and 7 percent Asian. North, Northwest and West Philadelphia are now almost entirely black, although University City (home to the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University) and some of Southwest Philly remains white. South Philadelphia (Italian) and Northeast Philadelphia (Irish) remain mostly white.
The sales tax is 6 percent in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Massachusetts, Virginia and Kentucky are also "commonwealths" in their official State names), 8 percent within the City of Philadelphia.
ZIP Codes in Philadelphia start with the digits 191. In the suburbs, it's 189, 190, 193 and 194. The Area Code for the city is 215, and the suburbs 610, with 267 overlaying both, and 445 being added in 2018. Philadelphia's "beltway" consists of Interstate 276 (the easternmost part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) in the north, Interstate 476 (the Mid-County Expressway) in the west, and Interstate 95 (the Delaware Expressway) in the south and east.
The Philadelphia electric company is named just that: Philadelphia Electric Company, or PECO. And while it's not quite as close as it is to New York, much of the Jersey Shore is easily reachable from Philadelphia, thanks to Interstate 195, New Jersey Route 70, U.S. Routes 30 and 40, the Atlantic City Expressway, and New Jersey Transit's buses and its Atlantic City Rail Line. Point Pleasant Beach is 76 miles away, Seaside Heights 64 miles, Long Beach Island 62, Atlantic City 61, Ocean City 65, Wildwood 90, and Cape May 92.
ZIP Codes in Philadelphia start with the digits 191. In the suburbs, it's 189, 190, 193 and 194. The Area Code for the city is 215, and the suburbs 610, with 267 overlaying both, and 445 being added in 2018. Philadelphia's "beltway" consists of Interstate 276 (the easternmost part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) in the north, Interstate 476 (the Mid-County Expressway) in the west, and Interstate 95 (the Delaware Expressway) in the south and east.
The Philadelphia electric company is named just that: Philadelphia Electric Company, or PECO. And while it's not quite as close as it is to New York, much of the Jersey Shore is easily reachable from Philadelphia, thanks to Interstate 195, New Jersey Route 70, U.S. Routes 30 and 40, the Atlantic City Expressway, and New Jersey Transit's buses and its Atlantic City Rail Line. Point Pleasant Beach is 76 miles away, Seaside Heights 64 miles, Long Beach Island 62, Atlantic City 61, Ocean City 65, Wildwood 90, and Cape May 92.
Once On Campus. When I was a kid, I associated the word "temple" with Judaism, so I figured that Temple University was a Jewish school. Then, a friend got in, and since he was Catholic, I figured that Temple was a Catholic school. Both perceptions were boosted by Philly schools La Salle, St. Joseph's and Villanova all being Catholic.
As it turned out, it was founded in 1884 by Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister, and a lawyer from -- if you're actually from Philly, brace yourself -- Boston. He opened The Temple College of Philadelphia in the basement of his church, the Baptist Temple, and taught students at night, to accommodate their work schedules. The students became known as "night owls," and Temple students have been "Owls" ever since.
The school added Samaritan Hospital and a Medical School. In 1907, it acquired the Philadelphia Dental College, and reorganized as Temple University. In 1965, it became a State-related university: It receives funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, subject to State appropriations, but is independently operated: Neither the Commonwealth, nor the City of Philadelphia, nor any religious institution has a hand in its actual operation.
Temple is roughly the buffer between Center City and the North Philadelphia ghetto. As a result, it's had a major role in the local side of the civil rights movement. The former Columbia Avenue, which goes right through the campus, was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue, after the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. Martin Luther King gave a noted speech on campus in 1965. And longtime basketball coach John Chaney was heavily involved in the African-American educational experience, and not just on the Temple campus.
Until recently, the most honored graduate of Temple, living or otherwise, was comedian and TV giant Bill Cosby. His fall into disgrace was a terrible blow to the University's image, as he was probably the biggest fundraiser they ever had. But the school still has many distinguished alumni:
* Journalism (non-sports) MSNBC host Tamron Hall, HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill, conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin.
* Literature: Science fiction author Ben Bova, minister and theologian Tony Campolo.
* Entertainment: Actors Norman Fell, Robert Prosky, Veronica Hamel, Patricia Wettig, Tom Sizemore, Danny Woodburn and Kunal Nayyar; comedians David Brenner, Bob Saget and Paul F. Tompkins; directors Irvin Kershner, Dan Trachtenberg and Adam McKay; both Daryl Hall and John Oates (they met at Temple), soul singer Billy Paul, R&B singer Jill Scott, songwriter Julie Gold, and music producer Thomas Pentz, a.k.a. Diplo.
* Politics: Mayor John Street of Philadelphia, and Charles Sandman, Congressman from South Jersey was the Republican nominee for Governor in 1973, and then made a fool of himself standing up for President Richard Nixon during the Watergate hearings.
While not a political office, this is, in a way, a governmental role: Captain Frederick C. Branch, was the 1st African-American to become an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. His attendance at Temple was interrupted by World War II, but he got his degree there in 1947.
Serial killer Ted Bundy attended Temple for one semester, in 1969. Salvatore Testa, son of local Mob boss Philip Testa, attended Temple for a year in 1981, before joining the family business. Like his father, "the Chicken Man," he was rubbed out by his fellow wiseguys. And Edith Windsor, whose lawsuit overturned the federal "Defense of Marriage Act," a key moment in the gay rights movement, was a Temple graduate.
Temple was renowned for its basketball program long before John Chaney got there, and it's still renowned for it after his retirement and death. Its stars include Mike Bloom in the 1930s; Bill Mlkvy (a.k.a. The Owl Without a Vowel); Hal Lear and Guy Rodgers in the 1950s; Terrence Stansbury, Nate Blackwell and Mark Macon in the 1980s; Aaron McKie in the 1990s; and Pepe Sanchez at the turn of the 21st Century.
The school's sports department and its journalism program have produced NFL writer and historian Ray Didinger, ESPN's Howard Bryant and Kevin Negandhi, and Los Angeles Angels broadcaster Terry Smith.
Going In. If you were going to the campus, this is how you would go: Temple: Take Broad Street north from Center City, to Oxford Street. Turn left, go 3 blocks, then right on Sydenham Street. The parking garage for the Liacouras Center is 2 blocks north. The Center's address is 1776 Broad Street, across Montgomery Avenue from their 3,900-seat 1969-97 arena, McGonigle Hall. 2 miles north of Center City. Temple also has campuses in Center City and in the State capital of Harrisburg. They the only 1 of the Big 5 that has a campus outside its main area.
If you were going in by public transportation, you would take the Broad Street Line uptown to Cecil B. Moore station.
But the stadium is not on campus. It's Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Eagles, in the opposite direction. The Philadelphia sports complex is at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, 36 blocks -- 7 miles -- south of City Hall.
It once included Sesquicentennial/Municipal/John F. Kennedy Stadium (1926-1992), The Spectrum (1967-2009), and Veterans Stadium (1971-2004). The arena now known as the Wells Fargo Center was built on the site of JFK Stadium. Citizens Bank Park, the new home of the Phillies, was built to the east of The Vet. And Lincoln Financial Field was built south of the new ballpark, and east of the Spectrum. Once known as Pattison station, the end of the line is now "AT&T Station."
It's highly unlikely anyone will give you anything more than a little bit of verbal on the subway ride into the Sports Complex, while they might give a little more gusto to the verbal on the ride back. But despite Philly sports fans' reputation, this will not be the equivalent of the London Underground on a Saturday afternoon in the 1980s: They might tell you that your team sucks (even if your team is ahead of theirs in the standings), but that's about the worst you'll get.
There is plenty of parking in the complex, including a lot on the site of The Vet. Parking is $22. But you'll be a lot better off if you take the subway. Not really because of the price of parking, but because traffic is going to be awful.
Coming out of the AT&T subway station, you'll walk down Pattison Avenue, with a parking lot on the former site of Veterans Stadium to your left, and the site of the Spectrum to your right. Further to your right is the successor to the Spectrum, the Wells Fargo Center, named for the banking and insurance company. Further to your right is Lincoln Financial Field. You'll be likely to enter either at the north end zone or the west sideline.
The new home of the Eagles has seen them make the Playoffs more often than not, and reach the Super Bowl in the 2004 and 2017 seasons, finally winning it in 2017-18. And fan behavior, while still rowdy, is not as criminal as it was at The Vet: No more municipal court under the stands is necessary. Still, this is not an Eagles game, it's a Temple game.
"The Linc" has hosted the Army-Navy Game every year since it opened, except for 2007, 2011 and 2014, 2016 and 2020. It's hosted 4 games of the U.S. National Soccer Team, most recently a 3-0 win over Bolivia in a friendly on May 28, 2018; games of the 2003 Women's World Cup, an MLS All-Star Game, and several games by touring European teams such as Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic and A.C. Milan. It will probably host games of the 2026 World Cup. (UPDATE: It has been chosen as a World Cup site.)
Inside the stadium, concourses are wide and well-lit, a big departure from The Vet. Escalators are safe and nearly always work, as opposed to the Vet, which did not have escalators, only seemingly-endless ramps. Getting to your seat should be easy. The field is natural grass (clearly, the organization listened to all those complaints about the Vet's turf), and runs (more or less) north-to-south.
On February 23, 2019, The Linc hosted an NHL Stadium Series game, with the Flyers beating the cross-State Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.
It looks a lot taller from the inside,
because the field is well below street level.
Inside the stadium, concourses are wide and well-lit, a big departure from The Vet. Escalators are safe and nearly always work, as opposed to the Vet, which did not have escalators, only seemingly-endless ramps. Getting to your seat should be easy. The field is natural grass (clearly, the organization listened to all those complaints about the Vet's turf), and runs (more or less) north-to-south.
On February 23, 2019, The Linc hosted an NHL Stadium Series game, with the Flyers beating the cross-State Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.
In 2017, Thrillist had an article ranking all 31 NFL stadiums. The Linc didn't come off so well, 25th place:
The variety of food available at The Linc. Little of it is healthy (no surprise there), but all of it is good. Tony Luke's has a stand (as it also does at the ballpark and the arena). So does Chickie's & Pete's, to sell their fish and their "crab fries" -- French fries with Old Bay seasoning mix, not fries with crabmeat. Also at The Linc are outlets of Bassett's Original Burgers & Fresh Cut Fries, Seasons Pizza, and Melt Down grilled cheese stands.
Joe Klecko and coach Wayne Hardin
After the Game. Philadelphia is a big city, with all the difficulties of big cities as well as many of the perks of them. You should get back to your car/public transit stop as quickly as you can.
The legendary Pat's and Geno's Steaks, arch-rivals as intense as any local sports opponents, are across 9th Street from each other at Passyunk Avenue in the Italian Market area. My preference is Pat's, but Geno's is also very good. Be advised, though, that the lines at both are of Shake Shack length, because people know they're that good.
You can also pick up a sandwich, a snack or a drink at any of several Wawa stores in and around the city. If you came in via Suburban Station, there's one at 1707 Arch, a 5-minute walk away; if the game lasts 3 hours or less, you have a shot at getting in, getting your order, getting out, and getting back to the station in time to catch your train.
If your visit to Philly is during the European soccer season (which is in progress), you can probably watch your favorite club at Fadó Irish Pub, at 1500 Locust Street in Center City. Be advised that this is home to supporters' groups for Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC; so if you're not particularly fond of any of those teams, you might want to stay away.
Sidelights. On November 30, 2018, Thrillist published a list of "America's 25 Most Fun Cities," and Philadelphia came in 17th.
The 1st home of Temple football, from 1894 to 1927, was Vernon Park, at 5800 Germantown Avenue. The park is still there, but there's no evidence that there was ever a football stadium on the site. SEPTA Bus 23 from 11th & Market.
The outside of Lincoln Financial Field is a land of wonder and joy (and fisticuffs). It's the best part of every game, because out there, the Eagles haven't yet disappointed their fans in spectacularly new and innovative ways.
You can take the Broad Street Line to avoid traffic AND start drinking early. Tailgates are unequivocally the best part of an Eagles game because you can't lose the tailgate like you can the home opener, season finale, every rivalry, and the NFC Championship Game. For the cheap fans (most of us), you can still tailgate the game and watch every disappointing minute next door at XFINITY Live!, where you chase sorrows with mechanical bull rides and light-up shots of Rumchata (just me?). The inside of the Linc is a hellscape where dreams and civility go after their undignified death. But say this for the joint: Eagles fans will never, ever let you forget where you are. You're guaranteed to leave with new memories, kind of a feat for a weekend afternoon in Pennsylvania.
Food. From the famed Old Original Bookbinder's (125 Walnut Street at 2nd, now closed) and Le Bec Fin (1523 Walnut at 16th) to the Reading Terminal Market (Philly's version of the South Street Seaport, at 51 N. 12th St at Filbert) to the South Philly cheesesteak giants Pat's, Geno's and Tony Luke's, Philly is a great food city and don't you ever forget it.You can take the Broad Street Line to avoid traffic AND start drinking early. Tailgates are unequivocally the best part of an Eagles game because you can't lose the tailgate like you can the home opener, season finale, every rivalry, and the NFC Championship Game. For the cheap fans (most of us), you can still tailgate the game and watch every disappointing minute next door at XFINITY Live!, where you chase sorrows with mechanical bull rides and light-up shots of Rumchata (just me?). The inside of the Linc is a hellscape where dreams and civility go after their undignified death. But say this for the joint: Eagles fans will never, ever let you forget where you are. You're guaranteed to leave with new memories, kind of a feat for a weekend afternoon in Pennsylvania.
The variety of food available at The Linc. Little of it is healthy (no surprise there), but all of it is good. Tony Luke's has a stand (as it also does at the ballpark and the arena). So does Chickie's & Pete's, to sell their fish and their "crab fries" -- French fries with Old Bay seasoning mix, not fries with crabmeat. Also at The Linc are outlets of Bassett's Original Burgers & Fresh Cut Fries, Seasons Pizza, and Melt Down grilled cheese stands.
When The Linc opened, the Eagles instituted a policy that the City had previously allowed at The Vet, which it, not the team, owned: No longer would fans be allowed to bring hoagies (hero/sub sandwiches) into the stadium. The fans revolted, and the old policy was restored, making The Linc one of the few sports venues in North America where you can bring in your own food -- but only hoagies.
Team History Displays. They will all be for the Eagles, not for Temple. Their football history is pretty spotty, anyway: Their historical record is 474 wins against 586 losses, with 52 ties, for a winning percentage of .450.
They began playing in 1894, suspended the program from 1918 to 1921, and have been bad much more often than good. Under coach Heinie Miller, they were 7-1 in 1927, 7-1-2 in 1928, 8-1-1 in 1931, and 5-1-2 in 1932. Under Pop Warner, they were 7-1-2 in 1934. Under Ray Morrison, they were 7-2 in 1941 and 7-1 in 1945. Under George Makris, they were 7-2 in 1964 and 1967. Under Wayne Hardin, they were 7-3 in 1970, 6-2-1 in 1971, 9-1 in 1973, 8-2 in 1974, 7-3-1 in 1978, and 10-2 in 1979. Under Al Golden, they were 9-4 in 2009, 8-4 in 2010 and 9-4 in 2011. Under Matt Rhule, they were 10-4 in 2015 and 2016.
But much more common seasons are like the winless seasons of 1955 (0-8), 1958 (0-8), 1959 (0-9) and 2005 (0-11); the 1-10 seasons of 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1996; the 1-11 seasons of 2003 and 2006; and the 2-10 season of 2013.
Their chances of winning any kind of championship have been hindered by the fact that they've been an Independent for much of their history. They belonged to the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1960 to 1969, the Big East Conference from 1991 to 2004, the Mid-American Conference from 2007 to 2011, the Big East Conference only in 2012, and have been in the American Athletic Conference since 2013. They won the Middle Atlantic title in 1967, the MAC East Division in 2009, the AAC East Division in 2015, and the AAC overall in 2016.
In 1934, under the already legendary coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, Temple went 7-0-2, earning them an invitation to the 1st Sugar Bowl game, hosted by Tulane University at their stadium on January 1, 1935. Tulane won it, 20-14.
Temple weren't invited to another bowl until the 1979 season, and it was the Garden State Bowl in the nearby Meadowlands, hardly prestigious. They beat the University of California 28-17. They lost the 2009 EagleBank Bowl to UCLA, 30-21; and won the 2011 New Mexico Bowl over Wyoming, 37-15.
They made a bowl game 5 years in a row, before COVID caused them to cancel their entire last season. 2015: Lost to Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, 32-17. 2016: Lost to Wake Forest in the Military Bowl, 34-26. 2017: Beat Florida International in the Gasparilla Bowl, 28-3. 2018: Lost to Duke in the Independence Bowl, 56-27. 2019: Lost to North Carolina in the Military Bowl, 55-13. So, 9 bowls, only 1 of them major, a 3-6 record.
The program has had 4 men elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. But 3 were elected as coaches, for what they did elsewhere before they ever got to Temple: Pop Warner (Carlisle, Pittsburgh and Stanford), Ray Morrison (Southern Methodist) and Wayne Hardin (Navy).
The 1 true Temple Hall-of-Famer was Paul Palmer, a running back who was the runner-up to Vinny Testaverde of Miami for the 1986 Heisman Trophy. He later played 27 games for the Kansas City Chiefs, 9 for the Dallas Cowboys and 5 for the Detroit Lions. He later coached high school ball in South Jersey, and is now a radio analyst for Temple football.
Other notable Temple football players include Jets legend Joe Klecko and his son Dan Klecko, who won 3 Super Bowls * with the New England Patriots; Ed Kolman, a 1930s tackle who made 3 Pro Bowls and won 3 NFL Championships with the 1940s Chicago Bears; Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, a 1940s guard who became known as the NFL's dirtiest player with the 1950s Eagles; Randy Grossman, a 1970s tight end who won 4 Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers; Steve Watson, a 1970s receiver who made a Pro Bowl and 2 Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos; and Todd Bowles, a 1980s cornerback who was head coach of the Jets from 2015 to 2018, and is now the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The basketball "Big 5" doesn't come into play much. St. Joseph's stopped their football program in 1939. La Salle followed in 1941, started again in 1997, and stopped again in 2007. Villanova stopped playing after the 1980 season, but started again in 1987. And the University of Pennsylvania, being an Ivy League school, stopped playing the big schools in the late 1970s.
But the Temple-Villanova rivalry does exist in football. They played every year from 1928 to 1943, again from 1970 to 1980, in 2003, every year from 2009 to 2012, and again in 2017 and 2018. Overall, the series is dead even, 16-16-2. Even though Villanova Stadium is outside Philadelphia, 11 miles west of City Hall, Temple and Villanova play for a trophy named the Mayor's Cup.
Stuff. Souvenir stands will sell Temple souvenirs, but the team store will be all Eagles stuff. If you want Temple stuff, you'll have to go to the Temple University Shop & Cafe, at 1755 N. 13th Street (Cecil B. Moore station); or the Temple University Center City Bookstore, at 1515 Market Street (City Hall station).
Don't bother looking for books about Temple football: If there are any, they may not be in those stores, and they definitely aren't on Amazon.com. There are books about Temple basketball.
T-shirt sold in the Temple University Bookstore.
"The Bad" is 'Nova, "The Ugly" is St. Joe's.
During the Game. You may have heard about, or even experienced, trouble at an Eagles or Flyers game. At a Temple football game, just stay away from the interaction between the students, and you'll be fine.
Temple has a live female owl mascot, Stella, and a guy in a suit, Hooter the Owl. Both are brought to basketball games at the Liacouras Center and football games at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field. Temple may be the only major football-playing college that calls its shade of red "cherry."
If the guy playing Hooter is smart, he won't do a
Marlon Brando impression from A Streetcar Named Desire
and yell, "Stellaaaaaaaa!"
The legendary Pat's and Geno's Steaks, arch-rivals as intense as any local sports opponents, are across 9th Street from each other at Passyunk Avenue in the Italian Market area. My preference is Pat's, but Geno's is also very good. Be advised, though, that the lines at both are of Shake Shack length, because people know they're that good.
You can also pick up a sandwich, a snack or a drink at any of several Wawa stores in and around the city. If you came in via Suburban Station, there's one at 1707 Arch, a 5-minute walk away; if the game lasts 3 hours or less, you have a shot at getting in, getting your order, getting out, and getting back to the station in time to catch your train.
If your visit to Philly is during the European soccer season (which is in progress), you can probably watch your favorite club at Fadó Irish Pub, at 1500 Locust Street in Center City. Be advised that this is home to supporters' groups for Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC; so if you're not particularly fond of any of those teams, you might want to stay away.
Sidelights. On November 30, 2018, Thrillist published a list of "America's 25 Most Fun Cities," and Philadelphia came in 17th.
The 1st home of Temple football, from 1894 to 1927, was Vernon Park, at 5800 Germantown Avenue. The park is still there, but there's no evidence that there was ever a football stadium on the site. SEPTA Bus 23 from 11th & Market.
Temple Stadium opened in 1928, in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of North Philadelphia. It seated 40,000 at the time. They played there until 1977, and continued to play their soccer games there until 1995, after which it was demolished. The Philadelphia Spartans, the city's 1st entry into what became the original North American Soccer League, played there in 1967.
On November 6, 1934, the Eagles played at Temple Stadium, and beat the Cincinnati Reds 64-0. It remains the 2nd-most lopsided game in NFL history. Named for the city's baseball team, these Reds never played again, going out of business due to the Great Depression. Not until the birth of the Bengals in 1968 would Cincinnati have another major league football team.
In 1952, unhappy with their lease at Shibe Park (soon to be renamed Connie Mack Stadium), the Eagles offered to buy Temple Stadium and make it their home field. The University had it appraised for $1 million, and the Eagles refused to pay it. They moved to Franklin Field in 1958, Veterans Stadium in 1971, and Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.
The U.S. national soccer team played a friendly against Israel at Temple Stadium on September 25, 1968. Israel won 4-0. Jimi Hendrix played one of his last concerts there, on May 16, 1970, with the Grateful Dead and the Steve Miller Band also appearing.
As with Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium, a church was built on the site: Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, which already had a link with Temple, as it was holding services at the Liacouras Center until this new building opened in 2006. 2800 W. Cheltenham Avenue, 9 miles north of City Hall, and 7 miles north of the Liacouras Center. Broad Street Line to Olney Transportation Center, then Bus 22 to Cheltenham & Vernon.
From 1978 to 2002, Temple played football at Veterans Stadium, and, with the Eagles, moved to The Linc in 2003. Since 2015, the University has been talking about building a 35,000-seat stadium on campus, but aside from a feasibility study, nothing has been done about it.
From 1938 to 1955, Temple played its home basketball games at the Convention Hall of the Philadelphia Civic Center. It stood from 1931 to 2005, and was home to the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors from 1946 to 1962, and the Philadelphia 76ers from 1963 to 1967. It hosted the 1936 Democratic Convention, the 1940 Republican Convention, and both parties' Conventions in 1948. The Beatles played there in 1964.
The University of Pennsylvania's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine is now on the site. 3400 Civic Center Blvd. Market-Frankford Line to 33rd Street.
From 1955 to 1969, they played home games at The Palestra, as tenants of the University of Pennsylvania. "The Cathedral of College Basketball" has hosted Penn since 1927, and Big 5 doubleheaders have been great events. 223 S. 33rd Street, next to Franklin Field. Market-Frankford Line to 33rd Street.
Finally, in 1969, Temple opened an on-campus arena, McGonigle Hall, named for Arthur T. McGonigle, a major donor to the University. It was a fortress: They went 179-28 there. But it was a small fortress, topping out at 4,500 seats, and so they still played the occasional "home game" at The Palestra, which seats twice as many.
Given how big coach John Chaney had made Temple basketball, a bigger facility was needed. The Liacouras center opened in 1997, named for University President Peter Liacouras, and seating 10,206. Liacouras is at 1776 N. Broad Street, and McGonigle at 1800 N. Broad, separated by Montgomery Street. Broad Street Line to Cecil B. Moore.
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So, if you want to see a football game in Philadelphia, but don't want to risk your life amongst a bunch of crazed and possibly drunken Eagle fans, a Temple game may be the way to go.
So, if you want to see a football game in Philadelphia, but don't want to risk your life amongst a bunch of crazed and possibly drunken Eagle fans, a Temple game may be the way to go.
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