John Fry says he has no plans to end Temple’s football program

Eight years ago, Drexel University president John A. Fry was critical of college football programs in a piece he penned for the Wall Street Journal.

But the football program at Temple University, where he was named the next president on Wednesday, doesn’t have anything to worry about, Fry said.

“Temple has a really proud football tradition,” Fry said Monday in an exclusive interview. “As the incoming president, I would totally respect that. ... I have no preconceived notions and no plans to end the football program.”

» READ MORE: Would John Fry try to kill Temple football? He wrote an op-ed that may offer some hints.

In the 2016 Wall Street Journal piece, Fry wrote that Drexel was not “burdened by the distractions that come with maintaining a football program” and that financial losses from athletics “force universities to divert funding from the fundamental task of educating students.” He also discussed the high salaries of coaches.

Fry said the situations are different. Drexel hasn’t had a football program since 1973.

He said he considers athletics “the gateway” to a university for many people and underscored their importance. When he led Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, he chaired the NCAA Division III presidents’ council in 2007. While at Drexel, he chaired the Coastal Athletic Association board of directors during the pandemic.

He said he considers Temple’s football team “a major gateway” to the university and wants to learn more about the sports program at Temple.

“I am really, really committed to athletics,” he said.