From left, Hardin, The Manhattan Project, Kennedy

“This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth, ” President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
By Mike Gibson
Forget about the degree of difficulty with The Kennedy Project or The Manhattan Project or even The Alan Parsons Project.
The Wayne Hardin Project could make them all seem like child’s play in comparison.
Back in 1961, when Kennedy stood before Congress and said that “this nation should commit itself” to putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade, there were a lot of “huh?” looks in the gallery.
“Moon? You mean that same moon that’s up in the sky?”
In the early 1940s, when a group of scientists said they were committed to splitting the atom, people said:
“What, are you crazy? Do you know how small that thing is?”
That’s sort of the same reaction Hardin got when he went on the Temple football post-game show in November and “guaranteed” to put 66,000, mostly Temple, fans in the stands for the 2007 home opener against Navy at Lincoln Financial Field.
Guaranteed.
Hardin assured Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, the moderator of the show, that he wasn’t kidding.
“We’re going to do all we can to help you,” Bradshaw said.
Hardin offered one caveat.
“We’re going to try to play this game on the Thursday before Labor Day,” Hardin said. “I’ve given Bill that job now. He’ll get to work on it Monday.”
Bradshaw worked and worked and worked some more. Sometime, in December, Bradshaw almost gave up, saying “it appears the Eagles want that date.”
Yet he did not give up.
“We’re not going to abandon the idea of Thursday night yet,” Bradshaw wrote in an email in December.
Bradshaw hammered away on the problem for months and finally delivered his end of the bargain today with the announcement that the Owls now have that date.
Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner wanted to keep it for the possiblity of an Eagles-Jets’ game.
The Eagles were originally going to play that night and were unwilling to budge.
Bradshaw conjoled and pleaded, even begged, for the game, saying that it would help the Eagles, Temple, Navy and the city.
The city got on Temple’s side and convinced Lurie and Banner that it would best serve their community relations if they helped Temple out with this special night.
Mostly, though, it was Bradshaw who kept his word to Hardin that he would help. He didn’t give up and neither did Temple. Getting Thursday night is huge and, if you’ve been a Philadelphian for any length of time, you know why. The city virtually empties on the Friday of the holiday weekend, the last chance for folks to go “down the shore” before the long, cold winter.
Playing on Thursday night was the only shot Temple had of getting a crowd that weekend.
Now it’s up to Hardin to keep his word to Bradshaw.
Will Hardin be able to deliver?
Folks who’ve known Hardin for years say don’t sell him short, even on something this ambitious.
“If you think he can’t do it, you just don’t know coach Hardin,” long-time friend Kevin Touhey wrote in December.
Hardin was the guy who took the Temple job after it struggled against the Gettysburgs and Kings Points and Xaviers and looked people in the eye and said: “We’re going to be playing Penn State and Pitt and we’re going to go toe-to-toe with them. We’re going to be in a bowl game.”
Plenty of eyebrows raised, but few nods of belief.
Yet Hardin delivered. Temple played one of the greatest Penn State teams ever, the 1978 squad, toe-to-toe. Temple was nationally ranked. Temple went to a bowl game.
If anyone can do this, Hardin can.
Nothing gets The Wayne Hardin Project off to a running start like a Feb. announcent.
Now Billboards can be made, commercials can be filmed and radio spots can be written.
Hardin is still a compelling figure, both in this town and the Baltimore/D.C. area. He was, after all, the last Navy head coach to have that team in a major bowl and ranked in the top 10, as high as No. 2.
Hardin is counting on his Navy and Temple friends to deliver on some favors. Hardin already has convinced incoming recruit Corwin Acker, among others. “Our first game next year is against Navy,” Acker said. “We have a sold-out crowd, 68,000 people. I can’t wait to play in front of all those people.”
If Hardin is able to pull this off, taking Navy to No. 2 in the country or Temple to No. 17 in both major polls will seem easy by comparison.
He deserves the benefit of the doubt and all the help we can give him.

By Mike Gibson
Five minutes after Daryl Robinson’s high school career ended, a man leaned on that two foot fence that surrounds Frankford High’s field and kept yelling one thing over and over again in the direction of Robinson.
“YOOOO Daryl,” the man said, “Notre Dame, Daryl. Notre Dame.”
He was like so many Notre Dame fans in Philadelphia: Big and fat and obnoxious. So many of them look the same, it is eerie. Middle aged white men with white hair about 100 pounds overweight and wearing Notre Dame gear from head to toe. You could pen a cartoon about this guy and everybody would recognize the type immediately.
He looks like mayoral candidate Bob Brady, but wasn’t Bob Brady.
A Philadelphian, probably an Eagles’ fan, latching onto a Division IA team 500 miles west of a town where there already is a Division IA team that desperately needs his support.
“Yooo Daryl,” the man kept saying while Daryl was being interviewed, “Notre Dame. Notre Dame.”
Daryl just shook his head from side to side, indicating no, and smiled.
It had gotten around the school the weeks before that Notre Dame was in town trying to woo Robinson from his Temple commitment.
This seemed to excite all of the big, fat Notre Dame fans who were North Catholic alumni.
They pressured Robinson with yells and less subtle means.
In a move that speaks volumes for his character and his future, Robinson kept his word to Temple.
The big, fat guys represent what is wrong with college sports, specifically football, these days.
A school works hard to get a verbal, then other schools come in late and are the beneficiary of the hard work of the initial school. In other words, the stealing of verbals. Temple had at least two stolen this recruiting season.
This only hurts the mid-majors and the up-and-coming programs. The established programs feed off the work of younger, more hungry, coaching staffs and the cycle of the same teams having success repeats itself.
This cycle needs to be broken now.
Temple coach Al Golden talked about it on a radio show.
He’s in favor of an early signing period.
So is Villanova head coach Andy Talley, who had three of his verbals stolen by Division IA schools as well.
So am I.
So should any fair-minded fan.
More importantly, so should the NCAA.

From left, Jared Williams, Jamal Schulters, Kee-Ayre Griffin
By Mike Gibson
When he took over the head coaching job, Al Golden said the one thing fans will notice about him and his staff is a well-thought-out plan for Temple football success.
With today’s class of 25 and two holdovers from last year, Golden’s plan is crystal clear:
Speed kills.
Two classes, both lightning quick at all positions on the field.
One kid from the prior regime, Travis Shelton, has “Devin Hester-type” speed and, in case you don’t know what that is, Hester is the fastest football player in the world.
Or at least tied for that distinction with his cousin, Travis, who both have been clocked in a 4.27 blur.
Temple has Travis for two more years and, with this class, more of the same kind of speed for three years beyond that.
Daryl Robinson is the fastest player in Philadelphia high school history and he runs “only” a 4.37.
This team has the potential to literally run away from the rest of the Mid-American Conference in a couple of years.
If all goes right, maybe sooner. Temple appears to be incredibly deep and talented at running back right now, where a number of performers are capable of being “the guy” including
Jamal Schulters, one of the most recent acquisitions. Or it could be Kee-Ayre Griffin, who will finally arrive after being initially heralded as the jewel of the 2006 class.
“After I decided on Temple, a lot of schools still tried to come after me,” Robinson said on Tuesday. “My commitment to Temple was always strong.”
So was the commitment of the rest, including a running back named Jared Williams and a defensive end pass-rushing specialist named Muhammad Wilkerson. This
Muhammad is a mountain of a man who opposing quarterbacks are going to, whether they are like or not.
Even the interior linemen, people like Derek Dennis, are incredibly fast and athletic for their size.
Schools like Miami of Florida and the University of Southern California have proven plans for success with a foundation of speed.
Al Golden has spent the last two years acquiring that kind of speed.
It should be fun watching it kill for the next four years.

By Mike Gibson
There are all kinds of good recruiting stories out there.
In fact, with this incoming class of 25 new Temple Owls, there are probably 25 good stories.
For now, though, we’ll concentrate on the interesting case of one Chester Stewart.
Temple offered a scholarship to this kid without ever looking at a video.
Stewart finished his senior season with stats you wouldn’t normally find being produced by a big-time prospect (1,076 yards, 17 TDs).
In fact, Stewart attended a camp for quarterbacks last spring and Al Golden liked him enough to offer him a scholarship on the spot.
The story, or so it goes, was that Golden looked on as Stewart completed 10 straight passes in a seven-on-seven (no pads, no rush) drill and offered him a scholarship on the spot.
I usually like to see my quarterbacks in a real game with a real rush putting up real numbers, like Sto-Rox’s Adam DiMichele (2,967 yards, 36 TDs his senior year) but I’m going to have to trust Golden on this one.
Stewart accepted.
Golden didn’t look at not even one image of film.
He just liked what he saw in the one day at 11th and Diamond.
Stewart, who never took a snap at quarterback in a varsity game before this season, made Golden look, well, golden with his one year as a high school varsity quarterback.
He led DeMatha to an unbeaten season and threw the deciding TD pass in front of 9,000 fans for the D.C. Metropolitan championship.
Even more impressive about this young man is the strength of his character.
After committing to Temple, Stewart remained steadfast in that commitment despite being wooed by more high-profile programs. Temple made a commitment to Stewart and Stewart, in turn, made good on his commitment to Temple.
It’s with those kind of people that Temple will eventually turn this thing around.
We hope.

Joe Jones was Broward County’s top tailback.

By Mike Gibson
It’s not that often a three-star running back falls into your lap during the last few days of the recruiting process.
If what Owlscoop.com is reporting today turns out to be true, that’s just what happened to Temple University.
Joe Jones, from Broward County, Florida _ perhaps the nation’s top county, along with nearby Dade _ for Division IA talent, committed to the Owls today.
The Internet is full of accolades for Jones (see player No. 9 on this link), a 4.4 speedster who received solid offers from both Central Florida and South Florida and interest from even more high-profile schools.
The Miami Herald called Jones “one of the hottest recruits in South Florida.” Go to the bottom of this link for that evaluation.
Jones’ Temple selling point: Immediate playing time and the charisma of the young coaching staff, led by Al Golden.
This is a HUGE get by Golden, perhaps the No. 1 or No. 2 one by the coaching staff in this already impressive class.
Perhaps more importantly, this is a solid decision by this young man who has enough belief in his athletic ability that he’s going to be able to make an impact right away.
He will and so will the Owls.

By Mike Gibson
Quick.
Name the only school with projected starters on both teams in the upcoming Super Bowl.
USC?
Nah.
Notre Dame?
Nice try.
Ohio State?
Getting closer.
Penn State?
Still getting closer.
Rutgers?
Nah, you went too far.
Temple?
Got it.
Temple is the only school in the nation with projected starters on both teams in this year’s Super Bowl.
Raheem Brock (pictured) is listed as a starter for the Indianapolis Colts at defensive end.
Jason McKie is listed as a starter for the Bears at fullback.
And even Colts’ utility man, an all-time pass rusher at Temple like his dad, is getting some props.
“Who would have thought (Dan) Klecko would be our leading touchdown receiver in the playoffs?” Indy quarterback Payton Manning said after the Colts beat the Pats, 38-34, in the AFC championship game.
Who would have thunk it?
Temple players are no strangers to Super Bowls.
In the past, Anthony Anderson (running back) and Randy Grossman (tight end) played for great Steeler teams and Dan Klecko himself has been to one Super Bowl (de-activated for another) with the Patriots.
Alshermond Singleton played for Tampa Bay in its recent Super Bowl win.
We could go on and on but won’t.
Often, the Super Bowl MVP isn’t the star of the team but a guy who comes to the forefront.
Maybe it will happen for Raheem, Dan or Jason.
The message is clear to every kid in every corner of the United States: If you want to go to the Super Bowl, play for Temple.
Good luck to the Owls in this year’s Super Bowl and to those who sign on the dotted line with the Owls in a few days, the future Super Bowl representatives from what will be a winning career at Lincoln Financial Field.

From left, Elisha Joseph, Amara Kamara, Marcus Minor

By Mike Gibson
Go through the list of the latest Temple University football recruits and there is a common thread to almost all of them.
They either initially signed with or were recruited by Bowl Championship Series (BCS) schools.
That’s important because no Mid-American Conference recruiting group lists as many athletes with BCS pedigrees as Temple does. You win with good players and good coaching.
Temple got the coaching part of the equation solved when it jettisoned itself of Bobby Wallace in favor of Al Golden.
It is now taking care of the player end, getting the No. 1-ranked MAC class in, when all is said and done, two straight seasons.
Getting the best players two straight years certainly doesn’t hurt your chances of posting the best record soon.
The newest Owls, Amara Kamara, Morris Blueford and Elisha Joseph, not only have that kind of pedigree but heap as much lavish praise on the Temple program, coaches and players as have been heaped on them via their impressive press clippings.
Elisha Joseph _ By all accounts the 17th Owl, and most intriguing. He was all-state in Connecticut as a 6-4, 195-pound tight end/defensive end, but we could not find a single newspaper clipping detailing his accomplishment on the field. This should not be surprising since his school, Kent High, is a Hartford Public School and the only paper that covers that school is the large city Courant, which doesn’t routinely do features on hig school players.
Amara Kamara _ The North Jersey product and linebacker flows to the ball like a magnet. Read this story in the Newark Star-Ledger.
Wallace Bates _ A special PAC-10 signee out of high school who was looking to make an impact in that league right away. Chances are, he will make an immediate impact on college football in general and the MAC in particular. Here’s an interesting story off the University of Southern California football page. Signed today.
Morris Blueford _ If you are talking about Pedigree, you can start with Blueford. His father by the same name was a great player at Virginia Tech. The younger Blueford comes from a Hampton Roads’ recruiting area that rivals Florida’s Tampa Bay in terms of producing D1A-quality athletes. Golden now has his imprint there with Blueford, the son of an FBI agent.
Marcus Minor _ Got to love the comments he made in this story. There has been some discussion about whether academic issues could hinder or slow his arrival in Philadelphia. We may have to wait until mid-January to find that out.

Al Golden’s message is a compelling one.
By Mike Gibson
We’re No. 1.
How’s that?
Temple football was at the top of two interesting lists this weekend.
One was a NBC-TV list of important games of the 2006 season, where the Owls’ 28-14 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 28, 2006 was listing as one of the “11 top games” in the top 10 games of the season. The writer indicated that he was adding the Owls because so many groups of 10 (see, Big 10) now include a No. 11.
The more important list where the Owls currently are No. 1 is the Scout.com recruiting list. Even though Scout.com rather incorrectly lists the Owls as a “1A independent”, Temple’s official list of 13 recruits rates it as No. 1 in the MAC.
Since Temple is joining the MAC as a full-fledged member in 2007, its recruiting class probably deserves to be listed with the MAC teams now.
Whatever, Temple is No. 68 overall in the country and No. 1 in the MAC with 12 recruits left. The next MAC school, Miami (Ohio) is No. 75. Evidently, Al Golden’s commitment to Temple and his belief in the university and its football future is connecting with young people.
Here’s the Scout.com list, as of today:
Rk. School Commits Conf. Points Top
100

Off. Def. Sp.T. H.S. J.C. Avg.
Rat. Prv.
Rk.*
t50. Texas Tech 15 Big 12 964 0 0 1 8 8 6 1 14 1 2.60 50.
52. Connecticut 19 Big East 962 0 0 2 5 8 10 1 18 1 2.32 52.
53. Purdue 15 Big Ten 900 0 0 0 7 9 5 1 15 0 2.47 53.
54. North Carolina State 17 ACC 884 0 0 1 5 10 7 0 16 1 2.24 54.
55. Michigan State 14 Big Ten 796 0 0 2 3 8 6 0 14 0 2.36 55.
56. Stanford 10 Pac-10 783 0 0 1 6 7 2 1 10 0 2.80 56.
t57. Louisville 10 Big East 765 0 0 2 6 7 2 1 9 1 3.00 58.
t57. UTEP 22 Conf USA 765 0 0 0 4 13 9 0 20 2 2.18 57.
59. Washington State 16 Pac-10 711 0 0 2 5 9 7 0 11 5 2.56 59.
60. Boise State 19 WAC 669 0 0 0 5 10 9 0 18 1 2.26 60.
61. East Carolina 16 Conf USA 657 0 0 0 3 8 8 0 16 0 2.19 61.
62. South Florida 16 Big East 633 0 0 0 4 6 10 0 14 2 2.25 62.
63. Arizona State 8 Pac-10 624 0 0 1 5 3 5 0 6 2 2.88 63.
64. Duke 18 ACC 622 0 0 0 4 12 6 0 18 0 2.17 64.
65. Wake Forest 13 ACC 604 0 0 0 3 7 6 0 13 0 2.15 65.
66. Southern Miss 17 Conf USA 596 0 0 1 4 11 5 1 14 3 2.24 66.
67. Indiana 14 Big Ten 551 0 0 0 2 10 4 0 13 1 2.14 67.
68. Temple 15 I-A Ind 518 0 0 1 1 8 7 0 13 2 2.07 68.
69. Houston 18 Conf USA 495 0 0 0 2 12 6 0 17 1 2.00 70.
70. Kansas 14 Big 12 484 0 0 1 3 6 8 0 10 4 2.14 69.
71. Vanderbilt 14 SEC 482 0 0 0 1 8 6 0 14 0 2.07 71.
72. Central Florida 12 Conf USA 474 0 0 1 2 7 4 1 11 1 2.33 72.
73. Iowa State 8 Big 12 454 0 0 1 1 5 3 0 5 3 2.38 73.
74. TCU 8 MWC 439 0 0 1 2 4 4 0 8 0 2.50 74.
75. Miami (Oh) 13 MAC 438 0 0 0 1 7 6 0

By Mike Gibson
The subject was broached to a high-ranking Temple official in the hallway of the Liacouras Center recently.
“How are we going to keep Al Golden?” a man asked the official. “I mean, not necessarily now but in the next year or two when he has some success?”
The guy in the know winked.
“We’ve got that taken care of,” he said.
“You mean his salary?” the man said.
“Although he is well-paid, no. I can’t get into specifics but it’s taken care of …”
One member of the search committee who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons filled in the blanks for us.
We’ve been told that Golden’s contract states that he must not have any contact with any other school for most of the length of the current contract. At least five of the six years.
Golden’s not only cool with that, he and his agent suggested it. They felt they could not achieve the level of success they wanted to achieve at Temple with any speculation about his future over the formative first few years.
Golden alluded to it as much the next day, when he said, “the university has made a commitment to me and my commitment to them is that I will build a house of brick, not straw.”

You can’t finish the job when the neighbor uptown wants his house worked on, too.
One of the best-kept secrets coming out of Golden’s initial press conference over a year ago was his salary.
Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw wasn’t talking.
Then Temple president David Adamany wasn’t talking.
Nobody on the board of trustees was talking.
Nobody on the search committee was talking.
Then.

But the night before, an excited Golden _ perhaps not knowing about the next day’s gag rule _ was open enough about it to a Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter. Golden is making $575,000 a year _ more than double what the highest salary of the current best-paid Mid-American Conference coach makes. This is an impressive commitment by any standards.
When you are willing to make that kind of financial commitment to an unproven young coach, the people making that investment wanted protection.
Temple got that protection. It’s the kind of protection Idaho didn’t think about getting when it went after Dennis Erickson. Maybe it should have.
In fact, the plan was formulated by members of the search committee and Golden and his agent signed off on it before he was even selected for the job.
Al Golden is going nowhere until this brick house is the envy of all in the MAC neighborhood.
And when it is finished, chances are Golden is going to want to enjoy living in it for awhile.