02.15.16
by

Dr. Kraft Talks Football On 97.5

smsc

Somewhere between 1 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Temple athletic director Dr. Pat Kraft made the walk across the street to join a radio program that was being broadcast live from inside the Liacouras Center with hosts Etyan Shander and Geoff Mosher.
There were probably only a handful of people inside the arena to listen and only marginally more driving in their cars, but anytime Kraft speaks it is worth a listen. Too bad the station has not made a podcast of it (probably because he did not mention the Philadelphia Eagles) or we would link it here, but we were taking notes.

    • Here are some bullet points:

On Changing Conference Scenarios: Without specifically addressing the question, Kraft quoted, of all people, Steve Martin. “It’s like Steve Martin says: Be so good that people can’t help but notice you. We were so good in football this past year that people couldn’t help but notice us. Look at our women’s basketball game today. We were playing the No. 1 team in the country (UConn) and giving them all they can handle. We were eight points down when I left (he did not say if it was 8-0). In men’s basketball, I was telling people to take a deep breath and wait this season out and we would be good and that’s turned out to be the case. People are noticing us there, too. The other things take care of themselves.”

    • On the Stadium: “Yeah, it’s something that I think we need. My biggest point is that soon we will be having around 15,000 students on campus and those 15,000 students should be able to have the same experience students at other schools have and not have to be bused to home games.”
    • On the protests to the stadium: When Mosher said he was surprised at some of the protests, Kraft said: “I wasn’t. Look, this is a long process and we’re going to work with the community over their concerns. When they express concerns about any other specific issue related to the stadium, we’re going to ask them what they want us to do to address these specific issues. It’s going to be a give-and-take and we’re going to do our best clear all those issues up before we proceed.”
    • On the immediate future of football: “Guys, we really haven’t reached our peak. We’re not done yet. Matt (Rhule) has brought in a tremendous recruiting class and we’re just going to get better next year and the year after that.”

Unfortunately, Shander and Mosher did not ask Kraft if there was any progress on getting out of the Stony Brook contract so the Owls can lay a spanking on a FBS foe instead but, to be fair, Shander and Mosher probably do not even know Stony Brook is on the schedule.

10 thoughts on “Dr. Kraft Talks Football On 97.5”

  1. That clown La Salle sycophant David Murphy wrote another ridiculous article today attacking TU. He attempted to compare La Salle’s current money problems to TU’s decision to build a stadium and pointed to .

    Reply

  2. … and pointed to La Salle’s failure to cash in on its NCAA success. What he won’t acknowledge is that La Salle, like all catholic colleges, does not have as many catholics applying to attend. Demographics have completely changed as have the cost of these schools in comparison to state universities. Also, it is just another in a line of demeaning pieces by Murphy, who clearly can’t stand the fact that TU is succeeding and La Salle sucks.

    Reply

  3. Murphy’s blue & gold is showing thru !

    Reply

    • I went out and got a Monday DN and the only Temple stories in there are basketball ones. Is Murphy now in the Inky?

      Reply

      • I responded to that tools article on Philly.com. He’s a hack whose too lazy to do any legwork and per my understanding likes to tweak Temple people. He really should take a few courses in our journalism school if he wants to learn how it’s done.

        On a separate note Fitzpatrick wrote a really nice piece on the Temple versus Nova game in 1988. I’ll never forget that game and the intensity at mcGonigal that night. I suggested Frank mentor Murph.

  4. I saw that on Philly.com, but have a hard copy of the Daily News and went cover to cover twice and could not find it in the paper. Must be in the Inky even though the red label says “Daily News” on Philly.com. Frank Fitzpatrick, far and away, is the best sports writer in Philadelphia.

    Reply

  5. If TU would succeed in joining Cinci in the Big 12, probably the division layout would be UC, TU, WVU, Iowa St, KU, and K-State. Pretty good basketball setup.
    Problem for football. None of those schools would bring a crowd of their fans nor would the general public be intrigued to buy a ticket, meaning an on-campus stadium still wouldn’t crack the 30,000 number. But the inter-division game each year could bring OU, Baylor, OK St, or UTex to town which would likely have to be held at the Linc. Some years, when Penn St comes to town, there would be two games at the Linc then.
    Is that what is wanted? Big games away from campus?
    If the wish is to go to a P-5 league, then an on-campus structure has to hold at least 40,000. UConn has that, literally next to an old airport and a Cabella’s, 30 miles from their campus.
    It’s either Temple or UConn. Loser stays with Houston, Memphis then hope the Fla schools become consistently strong.

    Reply

    • The end game for TU has to be the ACC, but it would be a helluva lot easier to get into the ACC from the Big12 than it would be from the AAC. Soon, the G5 schools will be so marginalized that the only conference shift will be among those schools already in the P5. I hope that time hasn’t already come.

      Reply

  6. Agree ACC preferable. Still between TU and UConn with UConn having advantage with stadium, and basketball programs as well as a travel partner with BC. Would also once again create stadium capacity situation with games involving FSU, Clemson, UNC, VPI and the rare ND game needing to be played at the Linc. BC/Pitt/SU would fill any on-campus site while WF, NC St, UVA, Duke, Ga Tech might be a challenge to fill it.

    Reply

Leave a comment