the Year. Last season he led the Owls to an 8-4 mark and saw eight of his players named to the All-MAC First Team. “In all honesty, I don’t think anyone really knew what bad shape the Temple program was in [before Golden arrived],” Deahn says. “There’s no better example of staying the course and doing what you believe in than Al at Temple. His mindset, his philosophy, his opinions didn’t change from day one in five years. The biggest difference was the players learned what it took to have a chance to win.” One of Golden’s greatest turnarounds at Temple occurred off the
field. His team put in 1,000 hours of community service in the off-season, coordinated bone marrow donor and food drives, donated their per diem allowances to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and visited children’s hospitals. Their dedication earned them the Philadelphia Sports Congress’s 2009 Robert P. Levy Community Service Award and Temple Athletic Department’s inaugural TEAM (Temple’s Exceptional Acts of Mankind) Award. Golden’s student-athletes excelled in the classroom, too, boosting the
team’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate. Seven were named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team in 2006. “One of the most unique things I ever saw was during that first season at Temple,” Deahn recalls. “In August, when every school in the country is working its hardest to prepare for the season and to win every game, we were in the midst of trying to keep 11 guys [academically] eligible. “Instead of having a month of preseason camp and 29 practices, we had one practice a day, every day, or we actually gave guys days off so that they could have study hall,” Deahn continues. “Instead of coaches being in meetings, they were tutoring guys at 8, 9, 10, and 11 o’clock at night. They were proofreading English papers, going through math homework. I remember going over to the dorm at midnight to check on some of the players and seeing coaches helping them do homework. When you’ve been in this business 20 years, to see something like that? It’s an image that’s still burned into my mind.” Learned from the Best From the legendary Joe Paterno to defensive mastermind Al Groh, Golden has coached under some of the best, learning valuable lessons from each. “Paterno taught me how to excel on and off the field,” explains Golden, 42, who not only played tight end for the Penn State coach from 1987 to 1991, two of those years as a starter, but served as
his linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator in 2000. “He was a pioneer in terms of demanding and getting the best from his players both athletically and academically. He showed me that you can teach life skills to your players to build a championship team.” Golden credits former Virginia head coach George Welsh, under whom he served as a graduate assistant from 1994 to 1996, for showing him how to turn around a program. “He gave me the blueprint,” Golden says, referring to Welsh’s efforts in transforming a Cavalier program into a winner. At Boston College from 1997 to 1999, Golden coached linebackers under Tom O’Brien, developing former NFL stars Frank Chamberlin (Tennessee Titans) and Erik Storz (Jacksonville Jaguars). But it was Groh, the former Virginia head coach, who taught Golden the game. Golden served as Groh’s defensive coordinator for three years, turning the Cavaliers into a top 20 unit in total defense. “He taught me the tactical aspects of football,” Golden says. At Miami, Golden faces the task of returning a five-time National Championship program to glory. It will be nowhere near the same trial as resurrecting a languishing program like Temple was when he took over, but challenges remain nonetheless. “We went from zero wins to nine wins at Temple,” Golden says. “Here we want to go from 7 to 14. We don’t shy away from expectations. You know how many places in America where they just want to go to a bowl game or just want to survive? We want to win championships, and that’s awesome.” Hurricanes Football kicks off September 5 in Maryland.
robert c. jones jr. is an editor at the University of Miami. Spring 2011 Miami magazine 31