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It’s Time To Rally Around The Cherry And White
  
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By DARREN HEITNER, For The Bulletin
At this time last year, the only reason that I would have been talking about Temple, was to find out which one I would be attending for Friday night Shabbat services. But this year, I have a new reason to mention that six letter word, and it is in relation to the Owls.
If the City of Philadelphia does not even care about Temple football, then why should the rest of the nation? An internet surfer who searches “Temple Football” on Google is advised to visit Temple University’s athletics homepage. Upon clicking the link, that person will be taken directly to a splash page, promoting the men’s and women’s basketball team. Sure, they are about to kick off their respective seasons, but maybe, just maybe, the football program should receive its spot on the cover of the Web site. After all, the Owls football team is on a seven game winning streak.
While the Phillies were making a run to become world champions, I had no expectations that Temple football would take center stage in the City of Brotherly Love. However, now that the New York Yankees have put Phillies fans out of their misery, I suggest that the city pick up a new team to get behind: The Owls.
It was not long ago that the Temple Owls were the laughing stock of the Mid-American Conference. The only reason that anyone outside of Philadelphia had heard about the team, was because the spread on the betting-line of their games would be approach triple digits. Things have been changing, though, and it is about time that more people should “Hail to Old Temple.’
Under the watch of head coach Al Golden, the Temple Owls have become a team to root for. In his first year, the team went 1-11. He followed that up with a 2007-08 campaign where the Owls went 4-8. Last year, the team pulled off one more win, earning a final record of 5-7. This year, though, is when the hold history book is put aside, and a new version need be created.
It looked like it was going to be another lousy under .500 season for the Owls. Villanova came into Lincoln Financial Field for the first game of the regular season, and put away the Owls in what should have been an easy win for Golden and company. Two weeks later, the Owls were destroyed by Joe Paterno and his crew at Penn State. But then, something clicked. The Owls came home to beat Buffalo, and followed that win with six more, the most recent one against a tough Miami (Ohio) football team. Temple is not putting away its competitors by large margins, but as the saying goes, a win is a win. And the Owls are winning.
Going into this weekend’s game at Akron (Ohio), the Owls are on a seven game winning streak. Their eye is on the prize: a Dec. 4 MAC Championship win on ESPN2, something that Golden will say that he planned for when he took over as the ball coach, but could have never imagined would happen so soon. Including the game against Akron, the Owls have three games before they have the possibility of fighting for the MAC crown.
Temple has a chance to accomplish a feat that it has not achieved since 1979: Finish with a 10-2 record. Golden has the opportunity to put his name next to Coach Wayne Hardin, who also pushed his team to an impressive consecutive wins streak (14). The Owls have a chance to win their conference championship and make a bowl game. The marching band should no longer be the main attraction at Lincoln Financial Field’s games. It is about time that the people of Philadelphia rally around the cherry and white of Temple.
Darren Heitner is Founder and CEO of Dynasty Athlete Representation, a full service sports and entertainment agency, and founder of SportsAgentBlog.com, the No. 1 free online resource for sports agent related topics. For more information, visit www.DarrenHeitner.com.
If the City of Philadelphia does not even care about Temple football, then why should the rest of the nation? An internet surfer who searches “Temple Football” on Google is advised to visit Temple University’s athletics homepage. Upon clicking the link, that person will be taken directly to a splash page, promoting the men’s and women’s basketball team. Sure, they are about to kick off their respective seasons, but maybe, just maybe, the football program should receive its spot on the cover of the Web site. After all, the Owls football team is on a seven game winning streak.
While the Phillies were making a run to become world champions, I had no expectations that Temple football would take center stage in the City of Brotherly Love. However, now that the New York Yankees have put Phillies fans out of their misery, I suggest that the city pick up a new team to get behind: The Owls.
It was not long ago that the Temple Owls were the laughing stock of the Mid-American Conference. The only reason that anyone outside of Philadelphia had heard about the team, was because the spread on the betting-line of their games would be approach triple digits. Things have been changing, though, and it is about time that more people should “Hail to Old Temple.’
Under the watch of head coach Al Golden, the Temple Owls have become a team to root for. In his first year, the team went 1-11. He followed that up with a 2007-08 campaign where the Owls went 4-8. Last year, the team pulled off one more win, earning a final record of 5-7. This year, though, is when the hold history book is put aside, and a new version need be created.
It looked like it was going to be another lousy under .500 season for the Owls. Villanova came into Lincoln Financial Field for the first game of the regular season, and put away the Owls in what should have been an easy win for Golden and company. Two weeks later, the Owls were destroyed by Joe Paterno and his crew at Penn State. But then, something clicked. The Owls came home to beat Buffalo, and followed that win with six more, the most recent one against a tough Miami (Ohio) football team. Temple is not putting away its competitors by large margins, but as the saying goes, a win is a win. And the Owls are winning.
Going into this weekend’s game at Akron (Ohio), the Owls are on a seven game winning streak. Their eye is on the prize: a Dec. 4 MAC Championship win on ESPN2, something that Golden will say that he planned for when he took over as the ball coach, but could have never imagined would happen so soon. Including the game against Akron, the Owls have three games before they have the possibility of fighting for the MAC crown.
Temple has a chance to accomplish a feat that it has not achieved since 1979: Finish with a 10-2 record. Golden has the opportunity to put his name next to Coach Wayne Hardin, who also pushed his team to an impressive consecutive wins streak (14). The Owls have a chance to win their conference championship and make a bowl game. The marching band should no longer be the main attraction at Lincoln Financial Field’s games. It is about time that the people of Philadelphia rally around the cherry and white of Temple.
Darren Heitner is Founder and CEO of Dynasty Athlete Representation, a full service sports and entertainment agency, and founder of SportsAgentBlog.com, the No. 1 free online resource for sports agent related topics. For more information, visit www.DarrenHeitner.com.
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phanatic12 wrote on Nov 17, 2009 12:49 PM: