The Temple Owls are an American collegiate basketball team based in Philadelphia representing Temple University. They play in the American Athletic Conference.
There have been 18 head coaches for the Owls, including two Basketball Hall of Fame inductees – Harry Litwack and John Chaney. The Owls play their home games at Liacouras Center in Philadelphia and are one of the original collegiate team members of the Philadelphia Big 5, along with Philadelphia collegiate rivals St. Joseph's, Penn, Villanova and LaSalle.
GC | Games coached |
W | Wins |
L | Losses |
Win% | Winning percentage |
# | Number of coaches |
† | Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2022–23 NCAA basketball season.
# | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall Record | Conference Record | ||||||||||||||
Temple Owls | |||||||||||||||
1 | Charles Williams | 1894–1899 | 105 | 73 | 32 | .695 | — | — | — | — | [1] | ||||
2 | John Rogers | 1899–1900 | 22 | 14 | 8 | .636 | — | — | — | — | [2] | ||||
3 | Shindle Wingert | 1901–1905 | 38 | 20 | 18 | .526 | — | — | — | — | [3] | ||||
4 | John Crescenzo | 1905–1908 | 24 | 14 | 10 | .583 | — | — | — | — | [4] | ||||
5 | Edward McCone | 1908–1909 | 11 | 8 | 3 | .727 | — | — | — | — | [5] | ||||
6 | Frederick Prosch | 1909–1913 | 37 | 17 | 20 | .459 | — | — | — | — | [6] | ||||
7 | William Nicolai | 1913–1913 | 57 | 31 | 26 | .544 | — | — | — | — | [7] | ||||
8 | Elwood Geiges | 1918–1919 | 15 | 8 | 7 | .533 | — | — | — | — | [8] | ||||
9 | Francois D’Eliscu | 1919–1923 | 52 | 30 | 22 | .577 | — | — | — | — | [9] | ||||
10 | Sam Dienes | 1923–1926 | 60 | 39 | 21 | .650 | — | — | — | — | [10] | ||||
11 | James Usilton | 1926–1939 | 284 | 205 | 79 | .722 | 66 | 41 | 25 | .621 | 1939 NIT Champions | [11] | |||
12 | Ernest Messikomer | 1939–1942 | 62 | 35 | 27 | .565 | — | — | — | — | [12] | ||||
13 | Josh Cody | 1942–1952 | 226 | 122 | 104 | .540 | — | — | — | — | 1 NCAA Tournament | [13] | |||
14 | Harry Litwack | 1952–1973 | 566 | 373 | 193 | .659 | 81 | 58 | 23 | .716 | 6 NCAA Tournaments, 2 Final Fours | [14] | |||
15 | Don Casey | 1973–1982 | 215 | 151 | 94 | .616 | — | — | — | — | 1 NCAA Tournament | [15] | |||
16 | John Chaney | 1982–2006 | 769 | 516 | 253 | .671 | 396 | 296 | 100 | .747 | 17 NCAA Tournaments | [16] | |||
17 | Fran Dunphy | 2006–2019 | 432 | 270 | 162 | .625 | 220 | 139 | 81 | .632 | 8 NCAA Tournaments | [17] | |||
18 | Aaron McKie | 2019–2023 | 108 | 52 | 56 | .481 | 67 | 30 | 37 | .448 | [18] | ||||
18 | Adam Fisher | 2023–Present | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | [19] |
Temple University is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Baptist Temple. On May 12, 1888, it was renamed the Temple College of Philadelphia. By 1907, the institution revised its institutional status and was incorporated as a research university.
John Chaney was an American college basketball coach, best known for his success at Temple University from 1982 through 2006. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Guy William Rodgers was an American professional basketball player born in Philadelphia. He spent twelve years (1958–1970) in the NBA, and was one of the league's best playmakers in the early to mid-1960s. Rodgers led the NBA in assists twice, and placed second six times. Rodgers was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Aaron Fitzgerald McKie is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the special advisor for athletics at his alma mater Temple University. From 2019 until 2023 he served as the head coach for the Temple men's basketball team. Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers 17th overall in the 1994 NBA draft, McKie spent time as a point guard, shooting guard or small forward throughout his professional playing career from 1994 to 2007.
The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.
Francis Joseph Dunphy is an American college basketball coach, who is the head coach of the La Salle Explorers of the Atlantic 10 Conference. He is the former men's basketball coach at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. He succeeded John Chaney in 2006 and was succeeded by Aaron McKie in 2019. In June 2020, Dunphy was named interim athletic director of Temple. In 2022, he was named the men's basketball coach of the La Salle Explorers.
The La Salle Explorers men's basketball program represents La Salle University in college basketball.
Dave Duke is an American basketball coach who was most recently an assistant coach at Temple University.
The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the sport of basketball. The Owls compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games in the Liacouras Center on the university's main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are currently led by head coach Adam Fisher. Temple is the sixth-most winningest NCAA Division I men's college basketball program of all time, with 1,978 wins at the end of the 2022–23 season. Although they have reached the NCAA Tournament over thirty times, they are one of nine programs with that many appearances to have not won the Tournament and one of four to have never reached the National Championship Game.
The Saint Joseph's–Temple rivalry is a college rivalry between the Hawks of Saint Joseph's University and the Owls of Temple University. The rivalry is rich in history and is particularly intense in men's basketball. Both schools are located in Philadelphia, are members of the Big 5. Many of the games are played at the Palestra on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. The rivalry is the second most anticipated in the Big 5 after the Holy War between Villanova and Saint Joseph's.
Mike Vreeswyk is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Temple Owls where he was a three year starter for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Chaney. As of 2020–21, he is an assistant basketball coach at The George School in Newtown Pennsylvania.
The 2010–11 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at the Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206. The Owls were in their 29th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In the previous season, Temple Owls gained a record of 29–6 and reached the NCAA tournament. The team returned three starters from the previous season, but leading scorer Ryan Brooks and point guard Luis Guzman left, having graduated. They were replaced by new players Aaron Brown, Anthony Lee, and Jimmy McDonnell and graduate student transfer Dutch Gaitley. In the off-season, other Atlantic 10 coaches predicted that Temple Owls would win the league.
The 2008–09 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Fran Dunphy and played their home games at the Liacouras Center. The Owls are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 22–12 and 11–5 in A-10 play. They won the 2009 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament for the second consecutive year to receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Matt Langel is the head coach for the Colgate Raiders men's basketball team. He previously served as an assistant for the Temple Owls men's basketball team for five seasons under Fran Dunphy.
The 2018–19 Temple Owls basketball team represented Temple University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by head coach Fran Dunphy in his 13th and final season with the Owls, played their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 13–5 in AAC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament to Wichita State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Four to Belmont.
The 2019–20 Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by first-year head coach Aaron McKie, play their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
The 2019–20 American Athletic Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2019 followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. The conference held its media day in October 2019. Conference play began in December 2019 and concluded in March 2020.
The 1957–58 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University during the 1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Harry Litwack and played their home games at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Playing out of the East region, the Owls made a run to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. In the National semifinals, Temple lost to eventual champion Kentucky, 61–60. The Owls bounced back to defeat Kansas State in the consolation game to finish with a record of 27–3. It was the second time in three seasons Temple reached the Final Four and took third place.
The 1955–56 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University during the 1955–56 NCAA men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Harry Litwack and played their home games at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Playing out of the East region, the Owls made a run to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament – the first in program history. In the National semifinals, Temple lost to Iowa. The Owls bounced back to defeat SMU in the consolation game to finish with a record of 27–4. It would be the second time in three seasons Temple reached the Final Four and took third place.
The 2022–23 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth-year head coach Aaron McKie, played their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 10–8 in AAC Play to finish in 5th place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament to Cincinnati.