1979 Temple Owls football team

The 1979 Temple Owls football team was an American football team that represented Temple University as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 10th season under head coach Wayne Hardin, the team compiled a 10–2 record, defeated California in the 1979 Garden State Bowl, outscored all opponents by a total of 399 to 198, and was ranked No. 17 in the final AP and Coaches polls.[1][2] The team played its home games at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

1979 Temple Owls football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 17
Record10–2
Head coach
Home stadiumVeterans Stadium, Franklin Field
Seasons
← 1978
1980 →
1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Florida State       11 1 0
No. 7 Pittsburgh       11 1 0
UNLV       9 1 2
No. 17 Temple       10 2 0
Tulane       9 3 0
Rutgers       8 3 0
Tennessee State       8 3 0
East Carolina       7 3 1
No. 20 Penn State       8 4 0
South Carolina       8 4 0
Navy       7 4 0
Notre Dame       7 4 0
Southern Miss       6 4 1
Syracuse       7 5 0
Colgate       5 4 1
Boston College       5 6 0
Holy Cross       5 6 0
Memphis State       5 6 0
Miami (FL)       5 6 0
North Texas State       5 6 0
Villanova       5 6 0
Virginia Tech       5 6 0
West Virginia       5 6 0
Georgia Tech       4 6 1
Louisville       4 6 1
William & Mary       4 7 0
Illinois State       3 8 0
Northeast Louisiana       3 8 0
Army       2 8 1
Air Force       2 9 0
Cincinnati       2 9 0
Richmond       0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Brian Broomell with 2,103 passing yards, Mark Bright with 1,036 rushing yards, and Gerald Lucear with 964 receiving yards and 78 points scored.[3]

Schedule edit

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 8at West VirginiaW 38–1634,299[4]
September 15DrakeW 42–21
September 22at DelawareW 31–1422,068[5]
September 29Pittsburgh
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Philadelphia, PA
L 9–1034,039
October 6at RutgersW 41–20
October 13Syracuse
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 49–1718,504
October 20Cincinnati
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 35–14
November 3at HawaiiW 34–313,372
November 10Akron
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Philadelphia, PA
W 42–68,398
November 17at Penn StateNo. 18L 7–2276,000
November 24at VillanovaW 42–10
December 15vs. California*No. 20W 28–1740,207
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[6]

Roster edit

1979 Temple Owls football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 12 Brian Broomell Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 54 Mike Curcio Sr
DB 16 Mark McCants Jr
LB Mike Fuoco
LB Jay Gicker
DB/LB Brett Hardenstine
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References edit

  1. ^ "1979 Temple Owls Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "2019 Temple Owls Football Media Guide" (PDF). Temple University. p. 132. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "1979 Temple Owls Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Temple routs sloppy W. Va. in second half". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 9, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Broomell spurs Owls over Delaware". Courier-Post. September 23, 1979. Retrieved November 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "1979 Temple Owls Schedule and Results - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.