Love the way the Frankford announcer calls the first TD five yards into the pattern.
Little wonder why Tim DiGiorgio wants to become an accountant.
He should fit right in at Temple's nationally ranked Fox Business School. He's spent the last couple of years being very good with numbers.
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| Tim DiGiorgio gets ready to throw the ball. |
The Frankford quarterback is headed to Temple as a "preferred walk-on" after breaking a few calculators putting some eye-popping stats together.
After throwing for 2,357 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior for the Public League champion Pioneers, he added 1,704 yards and 14 more touchdowns as a senior.
He was the third player in the 97-year history of the Public League to pass for 3,000 yards and did it in only his 15th varsity game, the first to accomplish that feat.
My good friend, Donald Hunt, of the Philadelphia Tribune (he co-wrote the book "Winning is an Attitude" with John Chaney) asked Temple coach Matt Rhule a question at his first press conference about what he would do to keep the talent from the Philadelphia Public and Catholic League here and Rhule answered that recruiting would start from here and head on out.
In DiGiorgio's case, Frankford High School is only 5.1 miles from 10th and Diamond.
In DiGiorgio's case, Frankford High School is only 5.1 miles from 10th and Diamond.
DiGiorgio, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound lefty, is the very epitome of what Rhule was talking about when he said Temple was all about finding Diamonds in its own backyard, to borrow founder Russell Conwell's theme.
He did so well when he attended a passing camp at Penn State that assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden told him they would offer him if highly rated recruit Christian Hackenburg backed out of his commitment. Surprisingly, Hackenburg remained true to Penn State and four years of playing behind suspect offensive lines and Temple could be the beneficiary.
DiGiorgio had some feelers from other places, but wanted the chance to play Division I (known as FBS football now).
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| Imagine this billboard on I-95 with a slightly different spelling and the word "not" replaced by "a" and the pizza replaced by a throwing TU QB. |
Temple should offer him that chance. The Owls are very thin at the quarterback position for the 2014 season.
So far, only incoming recruit P.J. Walker and DiGiorgio have significant playing time over the last couple of years. Connor Reilly, the starting holder on extra points and field goals, hasn't thrown the ball in a real game since high school (although in 2011 he handed it off in a 42-0 win at Ball State). Those are your 2014 Owl quarterbacks.
For now at least.
If DiGiorgio can play, and all indications are that he can, he will be given every opportunity by Rhule, walk on or not.
Rhule played at Penn State.
As a walk-on.
And you don't have to be a future accountant to know that adds up to a fair shot.
So far, only incoming recruit P.J. Walker and DiGiorgio have significant playing time over the last couple of years. Connor Reilly, the starting holder on extra points and field goals, hasn't thrown the ball in a real game since high school (although in 2011 he handed it off in a 42-0 win at Ball State). Those are your 2014 Owl quarterbacks.
For now at least.
If DiGiorgio can play, and all indications are that he can, he will be given every opportunity by Rhule, walk on or not.
Rhule played at Penn State.
As a walk-on.
And you don't have to be a future accountant to know that adds up to a fair shot.
The Tim DiGiorgio File
Completions | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | |
2011 | 136 | 237 | 2,357 | 30 |
2012 | 107 | 215 | 1,704 | 14 |
