Temple University Athletics
Why Bill Bradshaw Should Win SBJ’s Athletic Director of the Year
5.22.12 | General
I have been meaning to write a blog/column on Temple Athletics for quite some time. Why? To highlight all of the amazing success stories that come across my desk during the course of an academic year that need to be shared.
So, after seeing recent columns on Bleacher Report trumpeting the candidacy of Arkansas's Jeff Long and Baylor's Ian McCaw as Athletic Director of the Year, I thought, what a perfect subject to touch on for my first column as Temple's own, Bill Bradshaw, clearly deserves the honor.
Wednesday evening, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, the winner of the Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year, will be announced. Bradshaw, Long and McCaw, are joined by Mark Hollis (Michigan State) and Dave Brandon (Michigan) as finalists for the coveted honor.
Humbled by his inclusion, Bradshaw is thankful to be recognized as one of the tops in his profession, but he is not preparing an acceptance speech anytime soon.
Here is why he should.
Hired in 2002 as Temple's Director of Athletics, Bradshaw, a former AD at La Salle, came back to Philadelphia after 16 years as the top man at DePaul University. Never having been an Athletic Director at a Football school, he came at a time that Temple had been kicked out of the BIG EAST, and the program was floundering.
Many thought his hiring spelled doom for Temple Football, but instead, the 2002 National Association of College Directors of Athletics President led the Owls to unprecedented success. There was a lot of “heavy lifting” along the way.
First he had to find a new home for Temple Football – and the Owls now play at arguably the finest football venue on the planet, Lincoln Financial Field. He then had to navigate a Board of Trustees vote on whether or not to drop the sport. That was followed by finding a new conference for Temple Football - the Mid-American Conference.
Doing what he does best in hiring top notch personnel, Bradshaw tapped Al Golden to begin the rebuilding of the program who led the Owls to their first Bowl game in 30 years. Following Golden's departure to Miami, he was able to secure Steve Addazio, who, in his first year, would lift the Owls to their first Bowl win since 1979, a 38-7 trouncing of Wyoming at the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
The final piece to the puzzle, and the crowning achievement of his successful decade at the helm of Temple Athletics, came in March when it was announced that Temple would be invited to join the BIG EAST for all sports.
It will be the first time that Temple would have all of its sports teams in one conference in the NCAA Division I Era.
If this was all that Bradshaw had accomplished at Temple, then I would not be as passionate as to why he should win the award.
However, after a closer look at his resume, you can see his numerous accomplishments.
Temple University is fortunate to have such a man leading its athletic department, and hopefully he will be duly recognized as this year's SBJ Athletic Director of the Year.
Larry Dougherty is in his ninth year on the Temple University Athletic Department's Senior Staff, and his first as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications
editors note: Michigan State's Mark Hollis was the recipient of the award announced at the dinner on May 23.
So, after seeing recent columns on Bleacher Report trumpeting the candidacy of Arkansas's Jeff Long and Baylor's Ian McCaw as Athletic Director of the Year, I thought, what a perfect subject to touch on for my first column as Temple's own, Bill Bradshaw, clearly deserves the honor.
Wednesday evening, at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, the winner of the Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year, will be announced. Bradshaw, Long and McCaw, are joined by Mark Hollis (Michigan State) and Dave Brandon (Michigan) as finalists for the coveted honor.
Humbled by his inclusion, Bradshaw is thankful to be recognized as one of the tops in his profession, but he is not preparing an acceptance speech anytime soon.
Here is why he should.
Hired in 2002 as Temple's Director of Athletics, Bradshaw, a former AD at La Salle, came back to Philadelphia after 16 years as the top man at DePaul University. Never having been an Athletic Director at a Football school, he came at a time that Temple had been kicked out of the BIG EAST, and the program was floundering.
Many thought his hiring spelled doom for Temple Football, but instead, the 2002 National Association of College Directors of Athletics President led the Owls to unprecedented success. There was a lot of “heavy lifting” along the way.
First he had to find a new home for Temple Football – and the Owls now play at arguably the finest football venue on the planet, Lincoln Financial Field. He then had to navigate a Board of Trustees vote on whether or not to drop the sport. That was followed by finding a new conference for Temple Football - the Mid-American Conference.
Doing what he does best in hiring top notch personnel, Bradshaw tapped Al Golden to begin the rebuilding of the program who led the Owls to their first Bowl game in 30 years. Following Golden's departure to Miami, he was able to secure Steve Addazio, who, in his first year, would lift the Owls to their first Bowl win since 1979, a 38-7 trouncing of Wyoming at the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
The final piece to the puzzle, and the crowning achievement of his successful decade at the helm of Temple Athletics, came in March when it was announced that Temple would be invited to join the BIG EAST for all sports.
It will be the first time that Temple would have all of its sports teams in one conference in the NCAA Division I Era.
If this was all that Bradshaw had accomplished at Temple, then I would not be as passionate as to why he should win the award.
However, after a closer look at his resume, you can see his numerous accomplishments.
- Hiring Fran Dunphy to replace Hall of Famer John Chaney – Never easy to transition from a legendary coach, but this one was seamless as the Owls have been to five straight NCAA Tournaments. Temple has also been ranked in the Top 25 in each of the last three seasons, and has a current streak of four straight seasons with a win over a Top 10 program.
- Women's Basketball has made the postseason in nine straight years, including eight trips to the NCAA. Bradshaw again made the right call in hiring Tonya Cardoza to replace Dawn Staley four years ago.
- Academic Reform – Perhaps the most significant achievement that mainly goes unnoticed. Under his leadership Temple has completely overhauled its Academic Support area for student-athletes, making what was a glaring weakness a decade ago into one of the strengths of the department. The Spring 2012 semester saw Owl student-athletes have a 3.01 cumulative GPA –the highest in department history.
- Capital Expansion – Temple's facilities have also had a face-lift over the last decade. Men's and Women's Basketball moved into a new state-of-the-art practice facility at Pearson-McGonigle Hall while the finishing touches are being put on an expansion of Football's Edberg-Olson Hall.
- Community Outreach – Temple Student-Athletes have never been more engaged with reaching out to lend a helping hand. The Owls' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently won an A10 award for its anti-bullying video. Teams also vie for the coveted “Owl Cup” which is weighed heavily on community support.
- Host with the Most – Temple continues to host NCAA and Conference championships, most recently serving as host of the 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Philadelphia Regional, and in 2013, TU will host the NCAA Men's Basketball Second and Third Rounds at the Wells Fargo Center.
- Named the 2012 UnderArmour FBS Director of Athletic of the Year
Temple University is fortunate to have such a man leading its athletic department, and hopefully he will be duly recognized as this year's SBJ Athletic Director of the Year.
Larry Dougherty is in his ninth year on the Temple University Athletic Department's Senior Staff, and his first as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Communications
editors note: Michigan State's Mark Hollis was the recipient of the award announced at the dinner on May 23.
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