Temple’s plans to build a football stadium appear ‘dead,’ even as President John Fry reaffirms his commitment to the football program
“There is no conversation here about a new stadium,” Fry said. “I think it’s a dead issue.”
While Temple University remains committed to its football program and is on track to hire a new coach, one proposal does appear to be dead: building a stadium on or near the campus.
“There is no conversation here about a new stadium,” Temple University President John A. Fry told The Inquirer in an interview Monday. “I think it’s a dead issue.”
He cited the university’s “great partnership” with the Eagles and said Temple has a contract to play its football games at Lincoln Financial Field through the 2029 season.
» READ MORE: John Fry says he has no plans to end Temple’s football program
Mitchell L. Morgan, chair of the board of trustees, said last week that “the concept of a stadium on or near campus has not been an active discussion for more than five years.”
Despite boisterous protest by student groups and North Philadelphia residents, Temple’s trustees in 2016 approved a plan to have designs drawn up for a 35,000-seat stadium in the northwest corner of campus with an estimated cost of $126 million including construction. But the project was put on hold amid university leadership changes and opposition, and it never got off the ground.
» READ MORE: Temple president John Fry says in a statement the school is committed to football
As if to punctuate the point, Temple earlier this month touted its plans to build a new home for its College of Media and Communication and the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts on the west side of North Broad Street directly across from the entrance to Polett Walk, the same site the university had considered for a stadium.
Temple plans to break ground in the spring on the 199,000-square-foot facility, which also will serve as a community hub for education and entertainment. It is expected to open in fall 2027.
“This new, state-of-the-art facility will provide resources and opportunities that will prepare a more agile and adaptable workforce of future journalists, communicators and performing artists,” Fry said in a statement. “It is also an opportunity for us to further our engagement with our North Philadelphia neighbors.”
Temple looking to ‘infuse new energy’ into its football program
Fry in an interview Monday made clear that the university wants to improve its football program and already has interviewed several highly qualified candidates for head coach.
“We are looking for a coach who can infuse new energy into the program and position us to compete for conference championships and play in bowl games,” said Fry, who became Temple’s president Nov. 1 after several years at Drexel.
Fry’s comments came after the Philadelphia Business Journal reported that the university was planning to “step back and assess” its football program, following the firing of head coach Stan Drayton on Nov. 17.
Fry told The Inquirer that last spring, before he arrived as president, the university had begun an assessment of its entire athletic program, not just football.
“I will receive a formal report, probably next month,” he said. “In their wisdom, the university was taking a proactive step [to] ... plan in a really dynamic and shifting landscape. ... They wanted to give me the benefit of the collective view of the state of the program.”
Fry said he expects the search for a football coach to move quickly, with an announcement likely soon. The university plans to work on ways to enhance the experience for Temple football fans and drive up attendance at games, Fry said.
Temple, with a record of three wins and eight losses, closes its season on Saturday with a home game against the University of North Texas.
“We know we need to work on improving attendance,” Fry said. “We think there’s nothing like a winning team to help improve attendance, which is why we are taking this current coaching search so seriously. We have to get this right.”
But Fry emphasized that the most important performance for student athletes is the one in the classroom. Temple last week announced that its student athletes had a 93% Graduation Success Rate.
“I’m proud that Temple continues to have the right values about student athletes first,” Fry said, “and their experiences in the classroom first.”