Temple Stadium
Encyclopedia
Temple Stadium was a stadium
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It opened in 1928
and hosted the Temple University
Owls football
team until they moved to Veterans Stadium
in 1978.
It was located on a 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) area in the West Oak Lane
neighborhood of the city bounded by Cheltenham Avenue, Vernon Road, Michener Avenue, and Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The football stadium stood on one end of the site; the baseball and softball diamonds stood on the other. The football stadium had seating for approximately 20,000 people; mobile seating raised capacity to 34,200. Temple Stadium was horseshoe
-shaped, with the open end facing west-northwest, and built into a natural bowl. It was also known as Owl Stadium and Beury Stadium, named for the school president responsible for its construction. Prior to the building of the stadium, Vernon Park, the park where the stadium was built, was the Owls' home for several years.
The grounds of the old stadium were maintained for several years after Temple's move to the Vet. The stadium was razed in 1996 and 1997 at a cost of $334,000, leaving only the natural bowl where the soccer teams played and football team practiced. On December 31, 2001, the site was sold to Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church for $4.5 million. The area which was formerly used as a parking lot and intramural field, north of the former stadium, is now home to the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church's "East" church, completed in 2006. (This is the church's second link to Temple athletics: prior to the building of this church, the church held several larger services in the Liacouras Center
.)
22 to 0.
Temple opened the stadium on September 29, 1928 with a 12-0 victory over St. Thomas College
. The school officially dedicated the stadium on October 13, 1928 before a 7-0 victory over Western Maryland College
with Philadelphia Mayor Harry Mackey in attendance. Temple played its first night game at the stadium on September 26, 1930, defeating Thiel College
13-6 under floodlights.
Temple football held their final event on the field on April 27, 2002 with their annual Cherry and White game.
used the stadium twice for home games. On Tuesday, November 6, 1934
, the Eagles beat the Cincinnati Reds
, 64-0. This game was historic because it was the first time in NFL history that a team scored ten touchdowns in one game, and it is still the second most lopsided game in NFL history, second only to the Chicago Bears' 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. It was also the last game ever for the Reds, who had found out the previous day that their team was being disbanded and replaced in the league by the St. Louis Gunners (who, themselves, would only last three games).
The Eagles considered trying to purchase Temple Stadium in 1952 when the team was unhappy with their lease at Shibe Park. Temple University claimed the property to have been appraised for $1 million and said they were uninterested in selling. The Eagles would play at Shibe Park through 1957
and then move to Franklin Field
.
The Continental Football League
Philadelphia Bulldogs played their home games at Temple Stadium during their two seasons in the league. The club won the 1966 league title. On December 4, 1966, the Bulldogs defeated the Orlando Panthers, 20 to 17 in overtime in front of 5,226 at Temple Stadium for the CFL Championship. The club disbanded in May 1967.
The National Professional Soccer League
began play in 1967 with a team called the Philadelphia Spartans
who played their home games at Temple Stadium. The Spartans beat the Toronto Falcons
, 2-0, in front of 14,163 at the Stadium in their first match on April 16, 1967. The team however averaged only 5,261 over the course of its 16 matches. After the season, the NPSL and the United Soccer Association
combined to form the North American Soccer League
. The Spartans were owned by a group led by the Pittsburgh Steelers
' Art Rooney who lost more than $250,000, and folded the club after the season.
On September 25, 1968, the U.S. national soccer team
played an international friendly
against the Israel national team
at Temple Stadium. 7,161 saw Israel beat the U.S. 4 to 0. On May 24, 1970, Serie B
soccer-club A.S. Bari
defeated Bundesliga
club Eintracht Frankfurt
1 to 0 during the clubs' off-season American-tours.
defeated St. Joe's Prep 7 to 0 on a snow-covered field.
The stadium was host to a concert held on May 16, 1970. The performers included Jimi Hendrix
, Grateful Dead
, The Steve Miller Band and Cactus
.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. It opened in 1928
1928 college football season
The 1928 college football season had the USC Trojans recognized as champions under the Dickinson System, but the Rose Bowl was contested between the #2 and #3 teams, California and Georgia Tech...
and hosted the Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Owls football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team until they moved to Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in 1978.
It was located on a 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) area in the West Oak Lane
West Oak Lane, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
West Oak Lane is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of Philadelphia. It is located between East Mount Airy, East Germantown, Cheltenham, Montgomery County, East Oak Lane, and Fern Rock. Ogontz Avenue runs generally north, then northwest as the spine of the neighborhood and the...
neighborhood of the city bounded by Cheltenham Avenue, Vernon Road, Michener Avenue, and Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The football stadium stood on one end of the site; the baseball and softball diamonds stood on the other. The football stadium had seating for approximately 20,000 people; mobile seating raised capacity to 34,200. Temple Stadium was horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
-shaped, with the open end facing west-northwest, and built into a natural bowl. It was also known as Owl Stadium and Beury Stadium, named for the school president responsible for its construction. Prior to the building of the stadium, Vernon Park, the park where the stadium was built, was the Owls' home for several years.
The grounds of the old stadium were maintained for several years after Temple's move to the Vet. The stadium was razed in 1996 and 1997 at a cost of $334,000, leaving only the natural bowl where the soccer teams played and football team practiced. On December 31, 2001, the site was sold to Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church for $4.5 million. The area which was formerly used as a parking lot and intramural field, north of the former stadium, is now home to the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church's "East" church, completed in 2006. (This is the church's second link to Temple athletics: prior to the building of this church, the church held several larger services in the Liacouras Center
Liacouras Center
The Liacouras Center, a 10,200-seat multi-purpose venue, is located on the Temple University campus along North Broad Street in North Philadelphia. The venue is a full entertainment arena featuring concerts, family shows, Temple Men’s and Women’s Basketball games, Philadelphia KiXX games, and other...
.)
Temple Owls Football
Temple played 263 home games at Temple Stadium between 1928 and 1977. One of the largest crowds was on November 24, 1934 when 40,000 fans saw Temple defeat VillanovaVillanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...
22 to 0.
Temple opened the stadium on September 29, 1928 with a 12-0 victory over St. Thomas College
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
. The school officially dedicated the stadium on October 13, 1928 before a 7-0 victory over Western Maryland College
McDaniel College
McDaniel College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland, located 30 miles northwest of Baltimore. The college also has a satellite campus located in Budapest, Hungary. Until July 2002, it was known as Western Maryland College...
with Philadelphia Mayor Harry Mackey in attendance. Temple played its first night game at the stadium on September 26, 1930, defeating Thiel College
Thiel College
Thiel College is a private, liberal arts, sciences and professional studies college related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Thiel provides affordable high-quality college experience with dedicated faculty, numerous leadership opportunities and a wide variety of student activities and...
13-6 under floodlights.
Temple football held their final event on the field on April 27, 2002 with their annual Cherry and White game.
Professional Football
The Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
used the stadium twice for home games. On Tuesday, November 6, 1934
1934 NFL season
The 1934 NFL season was the 15th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, the Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit, Michigan and were renamed the Detroit Lions....
, the Eagles beat the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds (NFL)
The Cincinnati Reds were a National Football League team that played the 1933 season and the first eight games of the 1934 season. The football Reds played most of their home games at Crosley Field...
, 64-0. This game was historic because it was the first time in NFL history that a team scored ten touchdowns in one game, and it is still the second most lopsided game in NFL history, second only to the Chicago Bears' 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game. It was also the last game ever for the Reds, who had found out the previous day that their team was being disbanded and replaced in the league by the St. Louis Gunners (who, themselves, would only last three games).
The Eagles considered trying to purchase Temple Stadium in 1952 when the team was unhappy with their lease at Shibe Park. Temple University claimed the property to have been appraised for $1 million and said they were uninterested in selling. The Eagles would play at Shibe Park through 1957
1957 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1957 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 25th in the league. They improved on their previous output of 3–8–1, winning four games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.-NFL Draft:...
and then move to Franklin Field
Franklin Field
Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...
.
The Continental Football League
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League was a professional minor American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the...
Philadelphia Bulldogs played their home games at Temple Stadium during their two seasons in the league. The club won the 1966 league title. On December 4, 1966, the Bulldogs defeated the Orlando Panthers, 20 to 17 in overtime in front of 5,226 at Temple Stadium for the CFL Championship. The club disbanded in May 1967.
Soccer
Temple Stadium was the long-time home of the Temple University men's and women's soccer teams. The varsity teams played at the Temple Stadium site through the 2002 season.The National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
began play in 1967 with a team called the Philadelphia Spartans
Philadelphia Spartans
The Philadelphia Spartans were a soccer team based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that played in the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League . They played their only season of existence at Temple Stadium in North Philadelphia. The team was owned by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art...
who played their home games at Temple Stadium. The Spartans beat the Toronto Falcons
Toronto Falcons
The Toronto Falcons were a soccer team based in Toronto, Canada. They played only two years, 1967 in the National Professional Soccer League and 1968 in the North American Soccer League . Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
, 2-0, in front of 14,163 at the Stadium in their first match on April 16, 1967. The team however averaged only 5,261 over the course of its 16 matches. After the season, the NPSL and the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
combined to form the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. The Spartans were owned by a group led by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
' Art Rooney who lost more than $250,000, and folded the club after the season.
On September 25, 1968, the U.S. national soccer team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
played an international friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against the Israel national team
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
at Temple Stadium. 7,161 saw Israel beat the U.S. 4 to 0. On May 24, 1970, Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
soccer-club A.S. Bari
A.S. Bari
Associazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia and plays in Serie B. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B....
defeated Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
club Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
1 to 0 during the clubs' off-season American-tours.
Other events
The 1942 Philadelphia City Title high-school football game was played at Temple Stadium. Northeast High SchoolNortheast High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Northeast High School is a high school located at 1601 Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
defeated St. Joe's Prep 7 to 0 on a snow-covered field.
The stadium was host to a concert held on May 16, 1970. The performers included Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, The Steve Miller Band and Cactus
Cactus (band)
Cactus is an American hard rock supergroup, formed in 1970.-Biography:Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 by the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and Xylophone player Adele Smitchell acted as the counterpart and...
.