I know a little about everything, which enabled me to pass the tests for Jeopardy and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but a lot only about the one thing that interests me most.
Temple football.
If the 15 questions on Millionaire were about Temple football, I'd go right to the $1 million.
No doubt.
Joining the MAC was the culmination of a lot of hard work by myself and others.
I wrote to each member of the Temple Board of Directors about the importance of keeping big-time football at Temple University.
I purchased five cars from one of the BOT members, Wilkie Buick president Dan Polett, who later became chairman of the BOT and reminded him of that. (Like that made a difference. I know it didn't.)
I went to the press conference that the uni (university) held to announce its admission to the MAC and I told a friend of mine afterward, Sal, this:
"Whew. We almost came close to no program. I wonder how many people know that. Temple football now and Temple football forever."
When I got home, I had the title of my blog.
Temple Football Forever.
I knew the next order of business was getting a head coach who would take us out of the abyss.
That was a little out of my control, so I crossed my fingers and toes and hoped athletic director Bill Bradshaw would find the right guy.
I was more for a "big-name" guy, but I would have been OK with a young tireless assistant because I remember what Bruce Arians, once a young, tireless, assistant did for this program.
Bradshaw went the tireless assistant route and came up with a gem, Al Golden.
"People would not believe the plans I have for this program," Al Golden said of Temple, Nov. 20, 2010
What I didn't figure on was Golden being mentioned for every job since the end of his second year. I didn't want the instability factor. I didn't have it with Harry Litwack. I didn't have it with John Chaney. I didn't have it with Wayne Hardin and I didn't have it with Bruce Arians, who turned down the Virginia Tech head job in 1986, saying, "I can't leave my Temple guys."A guy named Frank Beamer got it instead.
I certainly don't have it with Fran Dunphy, a guy who is happy with being Temple coach for life. Fran Dunphy gets Temple, much like Harry Litwack, John Chaney, Skip Wilson, Wayne Hardin and Bruce Arians did.
I pray for the day when Al Golden gets Temple.
When it comes to Al Golden being mentioned for every job every year, my reaction is to close my Owl eyes (like the image accompanying this story) and say, "not this shit again."
(Unlike newspapers, you can say shit in a blog. I usually avoid words like that, but it's apropos here.)
I guess that's the price of success, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Now, in the same week, Dave Wannstedt left Pitt, Urban Meyer left Florida and Randy Shannon was fired at Miami.
And Al Golden is being mentioned for each and every job.
I knew this shit would come up again.
I would like for one year, one year, Al to get up and say, "I have no interest in going anywhere. I'm going to stay at Temple and finish the job."
Tonight at halftime of the Georgetown basketball game would be a good place to do it.
Let's face it.
Al is 0-14 against winning MAC teams.
There is still much work to be done.
Al Golden doesn't want to build this program in the image of Rutgers, which people keep asking him about.
He wants to be the Boise State and the TCU of the East.
That's very attainable in my view. It's as close as a year away.
Al had the greatest Al Golden quote I ever heard.
"People would not believe the plans I have for this program," Al Golden said of Temple.
That was just one month ago.
I hope he was sincere.
That's the Temple side of it.
There is also the Al Golden side of it and I believe that strongly leans toward him staying at Temple, too.
Although he has told no one of this, I think Al Golden wants to be the head coach at Penn State. Joe Paterno is not going to live forever, nor is he going to want to stay as head coach there forever.
Paterno's deal is now year-to-year.
JoePa has said he's staying one more year.
I believe Al Golden is taking him at his word.
What better place for Al Golden to position himself to get the Penn State job than Temple? There's no reason for him to go to Miami for a year or go to Pitt for a year.
Temple is loaded next year. Temple faces Penn State in Philadelphia.
Already Al Golden is No. 1 or No. 2 on the wish list of every Penn State fan to succeed JoePa.
Beating Penn State would immediately move him to the No. 1 position and, at the same time, give another great Pennsylvania university a terrific parting gift.
That's the way I want to see Al Golden go out.
I hope that's the way he sees it, too.
