A new direction for Temple football ..

by Cheryl Wagstaff

staff writer from North Alabama, where he won three conference championships in 10 years. He was hired to revamp the Temple team. They have shown some improvement since this change. Temple senior Kevin Godfrey said on tsn.sportingnews.com. "They're still not good, but they're getting better. They are rebuilding, and the effort shows."

Temple footbAflis seeing its program head into a new direction. After several disappointing seasons in the Big East, Temple University's football team is being ousted after the 2004 season.

Temple joined the Big East, a division IA conference, in 1996. The university is being dismissed from the conference due to a failure to meet the conference's criteria. The criteria are an average attendance of around 25,000, nonconference· scheduling, and of course a winning record. Temple's Big East record before this season was only 9-58. However their average attendance has risen from 4,045 in 1995 to 18,612 in 2000.

Another factor that has led to Temple's removal from the Big East is the lack of a home field. They have been playing at both Veterans Stadium, when the Phillies and Eagles are not playing, and at University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field. Temple plans to play at the new Eagle's stadium when it is completed in 2003.

The 2004 removal of Temple from the conference allows them time to find another conference to join. There is no longer speculation of Temple dropping its football team entirely. However it probably will not stay in division lA.

At the northeast end of Temple's campus on Broad Street, there stands a $7 million football practice facility, which was completed in 1999. Just as the Eagles have pride in their new Nova Care practice facility, Temple football prides itself on its new facility. The football program takes pride especially due to the fact that most sports that play on grass do not even have facilities on Temple's campus.

The Big East consists of: Miami, Pittsburgh, Vrrginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, West Vrrginia, and Rutgers. Connecticut will be the team that replaces Temple in the 2005 season.

In December 1997, Bobby Wallace was hired, by Temple, .