Before Temple made the decision to accept an invitation back to the Big East the plans to expand and renovate their outdated football building, Edberg-Olson Hall, was already in the works. It was part of a renewed commitment to football that started with the hiring of Al Golden because the program was in danger of being left behind the times while a member of the MAC, let alone the Big East. While some of the changes are still being made to their updated building, Steve Addazio was beaming with energy as he took members of the media on a tour of their football building Tuesday afternoon.
Let's take a quick tour, shall we?
First thing's first. As soon as you enter the building you are greeted by Temple football nostalgia including a couple of bow trophies and team awards. We all know that Temple does not have enough hardware to fill the same kind of trophy cases Alabama might, but considering the room was originally just a receptionist desk, this is a massive upgrade for the program.
From here you head up a flight of stairs, which Addazio says will be decorated with more images and reflections on the program's history but for now just has the Temple "T" painted on one wall. Up stairs you first see the relocated receptionist desk, as well as the lounge area for the players…
Let's take a look inside the team meeting room, which actually has a dividing wall that retracts so the team can split in to offense and defense for separate meetings…
A look inside Steve Addazio's office…
Of course, the highlight of any tour of a football building is the weight room. Here is a look at Temple's…
Here is a look inside the team locker room, which Addazio said at some point will be gutted so it can be set up with the lockers in a circle formation, with a large Temple "T" in the middle of the floor. It is a design that just was not in the budget for right now, but will be coming, perhaps even in the off-season (my speculation)…
There is a lot to like about Temple's new football building layout, but even Addazio admitted that what Temple has will fall short of what many top flight programs around the country will have. But considering where this program came from originally, and not so long ago, this is a clear move up in football philosophy for this program and many should be applauded for making this all a reality.
You can view more photos and a video from the tour here.
Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com and host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook.
