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Dear colleague:
I am excited to write to you as the head coach of the Temple Owls. Now heading into our third season, my staff and I have worked hard to recruit and build a team that’s proud to represent Temple University and is strong enough to fight for the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship. Our student-athletes have been working equally hard in the classroom as they are on the field, which, coupled with the continued support of Temple’s faculty and staff, has resulted in higher-than-ever academic achievement and graduation rates. Right now our team is enrolled in 34 different majors, and we are proud to say that 21 of our student-athletes are scheduled to earn their degrees by the end of the 2015 football season.
Athletically, we need to battle some of the best teams in college football, and we believe that now is our time to bring a winning season to our faithful and devoted fans. Last season, we improved on the field and were bowl eligible for the fourth time in the last six seasons. But we weren’t satisfied. This year, we must leave no doubt in reaching the postseason, and as a result, we’ve turned up the intensity even more since our season-ending victory at Tulane in December.
This season, we look forward to building on the exciting brand of football we have created. Our nationally acclaimed defense—which finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in red-zone defense, defensive touchdowns and scoring defense—is led by a number of seniors, including linebacker Tyler Matakevich (College of Education),
defensive tackles Matt Ioannidis (School of Media & Communication) and Hershey Walton (who already earned his undergraduate degree from the School of Tourism & Hospitality Management), and defensive back Tavon Young (College of Education), all of whom will help our defense grow and continue to play Temple Tough. On offense, a core group of leaders, including senior center Kyle Friend (Fox School of Business) and junior quarterback P.J. Walker (School of Media & Communication) return to ignite a strong group of players.
The exposure afforded us by playing in the AAC has helped the Temple “T” travel well. On National Signing Day, Temple added one of the top classes in its conference and was the only school outside of the Power 5 Conferences to add multiple four-star recruits.
This year, we need your support to make Lincoln Financial Field the toughest place to play in the AAC. Let’s create an atmosphere where our opponents feel the passion of Temple pride.
There is no better time to be at the Linc—we have one of the most competitive home schedules in university history. We need to outnumber a huge traveling contingent when we take on Penn State and Notre Dame and showcase Temple on a national stage. And we definitely need everyone together to be loud and give us an edge when we face our AAC slate of UCF, Connecticut, Memphis and Tulane.
Our team, staff, program and university are extremely grateful for your loyalty and support as faculty and staff. Please join us in 2015 as we show the nation our Temple pride!
Sincerely,
Matt Rhule
Head Football Coach, Temple Owls
As a Temple employee, you have an opportunity to purchase Temple Football season tickets prior to the general public! To reserve your seat today, contact the Temple Ticket Sales Office at 215-204-8499 or visit OwlsTix.com. |
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