The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson .
100-465: The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 1880s. Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol or mascot. The owl, a nocturnal hunter, was initially adopted as a symbol because Temple University began as a night school for young people of limited means. Russell Conwell , Temple's founder, encouraged these students with
200-585: A #15 national ranking and a trip to the NCAA second round for just the second time in school history, Temple Women's Basketball also upholds the reputation of Temple athletics. Women's Basketball coach Dawn Staley was the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, has won 74 games in her first four seasons, captured Temple's only two conference championships and earned three postseason bids. In the summer of 2004 she captured her third Olympic Gold Medal , playing for Team USA in
300-459: A 12–2 record, and advanced to the 2011 Division I National Collegiate Rugby Championship playoffs, where they reached the round of 16 before losing to top seeded Bowling Green. Temple rugby is funded by the University, alumni, and student fundraising. The soccer program was established in 1926, producing five Olympians en route to surpassing the 500-win milestone in the fall of 1996. The team
400-720: A 14–10 mark in the 1979–80 season. Prior to the 1980–81 season, Temple named Linda MacDonald as its second full-time head coach and began the process of national recruiting and scheduling. By the 1988–89 season, MacDonald had produced the Owls' first team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. From 1999 to 2008, the Temple Owls women's basketball team was guided by head coach and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Dawn Staley . Under Staley's leadership, Temple earned six NCAA Appearances (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008). Staley
500-487: A Philadelphia-based team (Turngemeinde gymnastics club) captured the first-ever gold medal in team competition for the United States. • 1932 Los Angeles Olympics: Bill Herrmann (Philadelphia), wins bronze medal for tumbling. • 1936 Berlin Olympics: Chet Phillips was a member of the men's gymnastics team. • 1948 London Olympics: Temple University gymnasts Marian Barone and Clara Schroth-Lomady help
600-535: A bronze medal in the men's eight at the 2008 Summer Olympics before a career in law and politics. McElhenney first competed internationally in 2001, representing the United States in Linz, Austria at the Nations' Cup (Under 23 World Championships) where he coxed the men's eight to a silver medal. McElhenney was invited to try out for the 2002 Under 23 World Championship team. His first major international success at
700-649: A completely affiliated football-only member and playing a full 8-game MAC league schedule in 2007. In December 2005, Al Golden , the defensive coordinator for the University of Virginia , was named head coach, replaced Bobby Wallace . He would accumulate a 27–34 record before moving to the Miami (FL) . With the improvement to Temple's football program, the school was invited to rejoin the Big East Conference as an associate member for football for 2012 and as
800-399: A facial ruff, which creates an anterior-facing, concave wall that cups the sound into the ear structure. This facial ruff is poorly defined in some species, and prominent, nearly encircling the face, in other species. The facial disk also acts to direct sound into the ears, and a downward-facing, sharply triangular beak minimizes sound reflection away from the face. The shape of the facial disk
900-519: A flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers, a facial disc , around each eye. The feathers making up this disc can be adjusted to sharply focus sounds from varying distances onto the owls' asymmetrically placed ear cavities. Most birds of prey have eyes on the sides of their heads, but the stereoscopic nature of the owl's forward-facing eyes permits the greater sense of depth perception necessary for low-light hunting. Owls have binocular vision , but they must rotate their entire heads to change
1000-650: A full member (non-football) of the A-10 since the early '80s. The Owls are an affiliate member of The Big East for Field Hockey and the East Atlantic Gymnastics League for gymnastics. As of the 2023 conference realignment, Temple and Wichita State are the only two schools in the American to have never been members of Conference USA. Additionally, Temple is the only member of the AAC remaining from
1100-474: A full member for all sports in 2013. By the time Temple returned to full membership, the Big East had split along football lines into a new, non-football Big East Conference and the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference , with Temple joining The American. On December 23, 2010, Steve Addazio , then offensive coordinator at the University of Florida , was named head coach to continue and build upon
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#17327723057221200-517: A head coach in 2022. Rowing team is coached by Rebecca Smith Grzybowski, entering her second season as head coach in 2013–14. The program's women's varsity 8 earned gold medals at the 1994 and 1996 Dad Vail Regattas, and the varsity 8 earned a silver medal at the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championships. Women's soccer team played its first season in 1981. The Owls advanced to the Atlantic 10 Tournament three times (1993, 1994 and 1995). Temple's softball team
1300-463: A limited MAC schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming an affiliated football-only member and playing a full 8-game league schedule in 2007. The school's men's basketball team is part of the Big Five , the traditional designation for the rivalries between the Owls and their Philadelphia rivals: Penn , Saint Joseph's , Villanova , and La Salle . Temple considers the rivalry with St. Joe's to be
1400-621: A male's sexual advances, smaller male owls that have the ability to escape unreceptive females are more likely to have been selected. If the character is stable, there can be different optimums for both sexes. Selection operates on both sexes at the same time; therefore it is necessary to explain not only why one of the sexes is relatively bigger, but also why the other sex is smaller. If owls are still evolving toward smaller bodies and longer wing chords, according to V. Geodakyan's Evolutionary Theory of Sex, males should be more advanced on these characters. Males are viewed as an evolutionary vanguard of
1500-558: A population, and sexual dimorphism on the character, as an evolutionary "distance" between the sexes. "Phylogenetic rule of sexual dimorphism" states that if there exists a sexual dimorphism on any character, then the evolution of this trait goes from the female form toward the male one. All owls are carnivorous birds of prey and live on diets of insects, small rodents and lagomorphs. Some owls are also specifically adapted to hunt fish. They are very adept in hunting in their respective environments. Since owls can be found in nearly all parts of
1600-527: A relatively small skull is that the eye of the owl has become tubular in shape. This shape is found in other so-called nocturnal eyes, such as the eyes of strepsirrhine primates and bathypelagic fishes . Since the eyes are fixed into these sclerotic tubes, they are unable to move the eyes in any direction. Instead of moving their eyes, owls swivel their heads to view their surroundings. Owls' heads are capable of swiveling through an angle of roughly 270°, easily enabling them to see behind them without relocating
1700-575: A string of sprinting victories over famed Ohio State and Olympic Games star Jesse Owens . Temple's men's crew team is coached by Alumnus Brian Perkins. Since taking over in 2016, Perkins has taken the Owls to their first Henley Royal Regatta since 1994 after sweeping the Dad Vail Regatta in record fashion. Prior to being named head coach, Perkins spent seven seasons as the assistant coach and top recruiter. Prior to Perkins, Dr. Gavin R. White, coached Temple for 37 seasons before retiring at
1800-413: A strong advantage over prey alert to the slightest sound in the night. A silent, slow flight is not as necessary for diurnal and crepuscular owls given that prey can usually see an owl approaching. Owls' feathers are generally larger than the average birds' feathers, have fewer radiates, longer pennulum, and achieve smooth edges with different rachis structures. Serrated edges along the owl's remiges bring
1900-521: A very different way (such as the terrestrial Sophiornithidae ). The Paleocene genera Berruornis and Ogygoptynx show that owls were already present as a distinct lineage some 60–57 million years ago (Mya), hence, possibly also some 5 million years earlier, at the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs . This makes them one of the oldest known groups of non- Galloanserae landbirds. The supposed " Cretaceous owls" Bradycneme and Heptasteornis are apparently non- avialan maniraptors . During
2000-479: Is 238–173. She is the all-time winningest coach at Temple Following the 2021-22 season. Cardoza was fired after not making a postseason in four straight seasons. She was replaced by former Towson head coach Diane Richardson . Temple's men's and women's cross country and track & field teams are coached by Elvis Forde, entering his 8th season in 2021–22. Temple's fencing team operates under head coach Nikki Franke . Between 1983 and 1995, Owl fencers competed in
2100-414: Is a physical difference between males and females of a species. Female owls are typically larger than the males. The degree of size dimorphism varies across multiple populations and species, and is measured through various traits, such as wing span and body mass. One theory suggests that selection has led males to be smaller because it allows them to be efficient foragers . The ability to obtain more food
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#17327723057222200-446: Is able to determine the direction from which the sound is coming by the minute difference in time that it takes for the sound waves to penetrate the left and right ears. The owl turns its head until the sound reaches both ears at the same time, at which point it is directly facing the source of the sound. This time difference between ears is about 30 microseconds. Behind the ear openings are modified, dense feathers, densely packed to form
2300-399: Is adjustable at will to focus sounds more effectively. The prominences above a great horned owl's head are commonly mistaken as its ears. This is not the case; they are merely feather tufts. The ears are on the sides of the head in the usual location (in two different locations as described above). While the auditory and visual capabilities of the owl allow it to locate and pursue its prey,
2400-495: Is advantageous during breeding season. In some species, female owls stay at their nest with their eggs while it is the responsibility of the male to bring back food to the nest. If food is scarce, the male first feeds himself before feeding the female. Small birds, which are agile, are an important source of food for owls. Male burrowing owls have been observed to have longer wing chords than females, despite being smaller than females. Furthermore, owls have been observed to be roughly
2500-519: Is broadcast live on NBC. Temple is one of the local favorites at the CRC, and is considered to have "the best fans, as they put in time and effort and noise to cheer for their teams." One opposing coach stated that the Temple fans at PPL Park were "the greatest fan advantage I've ever seen." Temple Rugby has been one of the most successful sports at Temple University since its inception in 1980. Temple has won
2600-539: Is coached by Brian Quinn, entering his 14th season in 2021–22. The program has made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 1988, and won the Atlantic 10 Championship six times (1982, 1984, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1995). Under Fred Turoff, the men's gymnastics team has won 18 ECAC/ EIGL championships, and produced five individual NCAA national champions. Recently Darin Gerlach won an individual event national championship in 1998. As of 2013, Temple's men's gymnastics team
2700-679: Is coached by Steve Mauro, entering his 17th season as men's coach and who also coaches the women's tennis team. The men's program won the Atlantic 10 Championship in 1985. As early as 1923, the University's women began participating on club sport teams. In fact, that year, Coach Blanche Voorhees guided an Owl basketball team to a perfect 12–0 record and also started a field hockey program. Additional sports for women followed: swimming in 1926, tennis in 1939, fencing in 1946, softball in 1949, lacrosse in 1957, and finally volleyball, track and field in 1975. The modern era took root in 1974, when Temple named physical education instructor Veronica "Ronnie" Maurek to
2800-493: Is coached by current Assistant Coach Rachel Innis (2019–Present) and prior head coach was Umme Salim-Beasley, hired as Temple's head women's gymnastics coach in late April, 2015; Salim-Beasley had spent a prior four seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers University, and was named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014. Since 2009, the Owls have placed third in
2900-539: Is currently coached by Bonnie Rosen, leading the team since 2007. Rosen is a 2010 US Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee. The program won the NCAA National Championship in both 1984 and 1988, and has made 18 all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls won five A-10 Championships during their 15 years in the league, most recently in 2008. In the 2021, Temple made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years. Rosen achieved her 200th win as
3000-518: Is currently coached by Bryan Green, a former associate head coach at University of Louisville , who succeeded Brian Rowland in December 2022. Previous head coach David MacWilliams guided the Owls to three straight A-10 Tournament appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2012. All-time, the program has made six NCAA Tournament appearances (1966, 1967, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1985) and won first-round games in three of those appearances (1966, 1976, 1978). The Owls won
3100-528: Is the more common number. In at least one species, female owls do not mate with the same male for a lifetime. Female burrowing owls commonly travel and find other mates, while the male stays in his territory and mates with other females. Recent phylogenetic studies place owls within the clade Telluraves , most closely related to the Accipitrimorphae and the Coraciimorphae , although
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3200-427: Is used to tear the tissue and kill. The sharp lower edge of the upper bill works in coordination with the sharp upper edge of the lower bill to deliver this motion. The downward-facing beak allows the owl's field of vision to be clear, as well as directing sound into the ears without deflecting sound waves away from the face. The coloration of the owl's plumage plays a key role in its ability to sit still and blend into
3300-476: The NCAA championships every year and never finished lower than fifth. Coach Nikki Franke entered her 44th season in 2015–16 with an impressive 723–207–1 career record. Franke led the Owls to 40 postseason appearances during her tenure. Temple's Foil team won the NCAA National Championship in the 1991–92 season and claimed a total of 12 top-six finishes from 1983 through 1994. Franke has been honored as national Coach of
3400-639: The NCAA 's Football Bowl Subdivision , but because the A-10 supported football only at the Football Championship Subdivision level (1997–2006), they maintained separate league affiliation for football. They were a member of the Big East Conference until their expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings; they played a limited Mid-American Conference schedule in 2005 and 2006 before becoming
3500-608: The Paleogene , the Strigiformes radiated into ecological niches now mostly filled by other groups of birds. The owls as known today, though, evolved their characteristic morphology and adaptations during that time, too. By the early Neogene , the other lineages had been displaced by other bird orders, leaving only barn owls and typical owls. The latter at that time was usually a fairly generic type of (probably earless) owl similar to today's North American spotted owl or
3600-441: The order Strigiformes ( / ˈ s t r ɪ dʒ ə f ɔːr m iː z / ), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision , binaural hearing , sharp talons , and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl . Owls are divided into two families :
3700-470: The true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the barn owl family, Tytonidae. Owls hunt mostly small mammals , insects , and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish . They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice caps and some remote islands. A group of owls is called a "parliament". Owls possess large, forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk -like beak ,
3800-656: The uropygial gland , informally the "preen" or "oil" gland, as most birds do, to spread oils across their plumage through preening. This makes them highly vulnerable to heavy rain when they are unable to hunt. Historically, they would switch to hunting indoors in wet weather, using barns and other agricultural buildings, but the decline in the numbers of these structures in the 20th and 21st centuries has reduced such opportunities. The lack of waterproofing means that barn owls are also susceptible to drowning, in drinking troughs and other structures with smooth sides. The Barn Owl Trust provides advice on how this can be mitigated, by
3900-514: The 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four appearances (1956, 1958) under Head Coach Harry Litwack. Litwack would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins. Head Coach John Chaney , also a Hall of Famer, won a total of 724 career games and took Temple to the NCAA tournament 17 times. His 1987–88 Owls team entered
4000-587: The 2004 Games in Athens, Greece and was selected as the United States flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. Entering the 2011–12 season, Temple had played in the previous nine NCAA tournaments. The Owls' streak ended in 2012 when they played instead in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). They advanced to the WNIT Third round. Heading into the 2021–22 season, Tonya Cardoza 's overall record at Temple
4100-632: The AAC Tournament finals, winning four games in four days; including a semifinal win over Florida Atlantic University , who reached the Final Four the previous season. The Owls' momentum ran out however, and they suffered a 16-point loss to the University of Alabama at Birmingham . Entering the 2024–25 season, Temple men's basketball program ranked tied for sixth in NCAA All-Time wins with 1993. The Owls football team participates in
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4200-580: The AP, Coaches and College Football Playoff polls for half the season. Temple's baseball program was in existence from 1927 to 2014, and played in two College World Series . Its winningest coach, James "Skip" Wilson, guided the Owls to 901 career wins. The team played in the NCAA Tournament a total of 14 times, and advanced to the NCAA College World Series in 1972 and 1977. The Owls were three-time A-10 Champions (1983, 1984, 2001) since joining
4300-595: The ECAC three times (2009, 2010, 2012), and fourth two times (2011, 2013). From 2019-2021 the gymnastics program won three straight conference titles. The Owls claimed the ECAC title in 2019 and 2020, and won the first ever EAGL title in 2021. Despite earning an automatic bid by winning the EAGL, Temple did not compete in the NCAA tournament due to Covid-19 protocols. Under the direction of Tina Sloan Green , and beginning in 1975,
4400-562: The European tawny owl ; the diversity in size and ecology found in typical owls today developed only subsequently. Around the Paleogene-Neogene boundary (some 25 Mya), barn owls were the dominant group of owls in southern Europe and adjacent Asia at least; the distribution of fossil and present-day owl lineages indicates that their decline is contemporary with the evolution of the different major lineages of true owls, which for
4500-833: The Mayor's Cup and Liberty Cup multiple times. Temple has qualified for the EPRU championships three years in a row, and in 2003 won the Division II EPRU championships. Temple played in the Division II title game in 2010, but lost to Claremont 25–19. Temple's success resulted in its promotion in 2010 to the Division I level. Temple now plays in the Keystone Conference against local rivals such as St. Joseph's University. In their first season in Division 1, Temple posted
4600-902: The NCAA tournament ranked No. 1 in the country, and he has reached the Elite Eight on five occasions. He was consensus national coach of the year in 1988. Former NBA players Eddie Jones of the Miami Heat , Aaron McKie of the Los Angeles Lakers , Rick Brunson of the New York Knicks , and Mardy Collins , formerly of the Los Angeles Clippers , are also part of Temple's basketball heritage. On March 13, 2006, Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney retired. On April 10, 2006, University of Pennsylvania head coach and La Salle University alumnus Fran Dunphy
4700-450: The Owls win 16 games, tied for the most by a first-year head coach in program history. Temple's wins over Big 5 rivals Drexel on November 14th and La Salle on Nov. 29 (in triple overtime) put the Owls in the championship game of the inaugural Big 5 Classic, but they fell to St. Joe's. The Owls struggled in conference play with a 5-13 regular season record in the AAC. But Temple nearly stunned the college basketball world by making their way to
4800-586: The Owls, who finished with a 23–2 record, won the inaugural National Invitation Tournament by routing Colorado , 60–36, in the championship final. Because the NCAA tournament was not held until the following year, Temple's NIT championship earned the Owls national title recognition. The team was also retroactively named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll . During
4900-570: The Soccer Bowl in 1951 and went undefeated in 1953 to win an Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association National Championship. Men's and women's cross country and track & field teams are coached by Elvis Forde, who entered his inaugural season in 2014–15. In 2012, Travis Mahoney became the first-ever Temple cross country runner to score points at the NCAA Championships, placing fifth and earning his second All-American honor in
5000-507: The Temple lacrosse program captured three national championships and has had individuals earn 67 All-American certificates. The Owls won three national titles under Green. Temple is the sixth winningest program in NCAA history. The tradition of excellence was carried on by head coach Kim Ciarrocca, who was a member of the Owls' 1988 national championship club and guided her 1997 team into the NCAA Final Four. Temple's women's lacrosse
5100-424: The United States win its first medal for women in team competition with the bronze. Schroth is also noted for holding two U.S. national gymnastics records – the most titles with 39 and the most consecutive championships with 11 straight on the balance beam between 1941–52. • 1952 Helsinki Olympics: Bob Stout (Philadelphia, Pa.) becomes the first gymnast ever to complete a back somersault with full twist when he landed
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#17327723057225200-415: The Year on four occasions.» In the 2016 - 2017 season, Temple finished 34-9 overall in dual meets, setting a program record for wins in a season and surpassing the previous record by six (28 wins in 2013-14). Dr. Franke retired after the 2021-22 season. On August 23, 2002 Jennie Salmon, former men's and women's head coach at Brandeis University and a member of Temple's 1991-92 national championship foil team,
5300-409: The brain . Specifically, the foramina in their vertebrae through which the vertebral arteries pass are about 10 times the diameter of the artery, instead of about the same size as the artery, as is the case in humans; the vertebral arteries enter the cervical vertebrae higher than in other birds, giving the vessels some slack, and the carotid arteries unite in a very large anastomosis or junction,
5400-450: The deciduous woodland it prefers for its habitat. Likewise, the mottled wood owl ( Strix ocellata ) displays shades of brown, tan, and black, making the owl nearly invisible in the surrounding trees, especially from behind. Usually, the only tell-tale sign of a perched owl is its vocalizations or its vividly colored eyes. Most owls are nocturnal , actively hunting their prey in darkness. Several types of owls are crepuscular —active during
5500-412: The dual role of head basketball and softball coach. When Maurek chose to coach only softball three years later, the University went outside the physical education department for the first time to hire its first modern-day full-time women's basketball coach, Andy McGovern. Andy McGovern, who was Temple's first full-time women's basketball coach, produced the Owls' first winning season of the modern era with
5600-618: The end of the 2015-16 season. Under White's guidance, the Owls earned international distinction with seven invitations to Great Britain's premiere regatta, the renowned Henley Royal Regatta (1983–86, 1989, 1990, 1994). In Temple's seven appearances, White has led the Owls to the Grand Finale once (1984) and into the quarterfinals four times (1985, 1990, 1993, 1994). The Temple golf program, inaugurated in 1931, has participated in 20 NCAA championship tournaments, produced 22 All-American citations and won 15 conference championships. Golf team
5700-423: The environment, making it nearly invisible to prey. Owls tend to mimic the coloration and sometimes the texture patterns of their surroundings, the barn owl being an exception. The snowy owl ( Bubo scandiacus ) appears nearly bleach-white in color with a few flecks of black, mimicking their snowy surroundings perfectly, while the speckled brown plumage of the tawny owl ( Strix aluco ) allows it to lie in wait among
5800-1164: The exact placement within Telluraves is disputed. See below cladogram : Cathartiformes (New World vultures) [REDACTED] Accipitriformes ( hawks and relatives) [REDACTED] Strigiformes (owls) [REDACTED] Coliiformes (mouse birds) Leptosomiformes (cuckoo roller) Trogoniformes (trogons and quetzals) [REDACTED] Bucerotiformes ( hornbills and relatives) Coraciiformes ( kingfishers and relatives) [REDACTED] Piciformes ( woodpeckers and relatives) Cariamiformes (seriemas) [REDACTED] Falconiformes (falcons) [REDACTED] Psittaciformes (parrots) [REDACTED] Passeriformes (passerines) [REDACTED] Cladogram of Telluraves relationships based on Braun & Kimball (2021) Some 220 to 225 extant species of owls are known, subdivided into two families: 1. true owls or typical owls family ( Strigidae ) and 2. barn-owls family ( Tytonidae ). Some entirely extinct families have also been erected based on fossil remains; these differ much from modern owls in being less specialized or specialized in
5900-400: The family Strigidae has an inner toe that is distinctly shorter than the central one. These different morphologies allow efficiency in capturing prey specific to the different environments they inhabit. The beak of the owl is short, curved, and downward-facing, and typically hooked at the tip for gripping and tearing its prey. Once prey is captured, the scissor motion of the top and lower bill
6000-488: The field hockey team for 10 years until she resigned in 2015. The program advanced to the Atlantic 10 Tournament for 10 straight seasons from 2003 to 2012. The Owls have made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1990, 1991, 1992) and won the A-10 Championship in 1991. The current coach is Michelle Vittese , leading the field hockey team since 2021. The gymnastics program started in 1975. The current gymnastics team
6100-417: The flapping of the wing down to a nearly silent mechanism. The serrations are more likely reducing aerodynamic disturbances, rather than simply reducing noise. The surface of the flight feathers is covered with a velvety structure that absorbs the sound of the wing moving. These unique structures reduce noise frequencies above 2 kHz, making the sound level emitted drop below the typical hearing spectrum of
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#17327723057226200-606: The focus of their view because, like most birds, their eyes are fixed in their sockets. Owls are farsighted and cannot clearly see anything nearer than a few centimetres of their eyes. Caught prey can be felt by owls with the use of filoplumes —hairlike feathers on the beak and feet that act as "feelers". Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally good. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270°. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae — humans have only seven — and their vertebral circulatory systems are adapted to allow them to rotate their heads without cutting off blood to
6300-408: The foundation Golden had left. 2015 was a breakout year for the program. The Owls won 10 out of 12 regular season games, including victories over Penn State , Cincinnati and a 4-point loss in the waning minutes to Notre Dame , with an AAC Championship game -clinching victory over bowl-bound UConn in the final game of the season. For the first time in generations, the Temple Owls were ranked in
6400-445: The indigestible parts of their prey (such as bones, scales, and fur) in the form of pellets . These "owl pellets" are plentiful and easy to interpret, and are often sold by companies to schools for dissection by students as a lesson in biology and ecology. Owl eggs typically have a white color and an almost spherical shape, and range in number from a few to a dozen, depending on species and the particular season; for most, three or four
6500-416: The installation of floats. Eyesight is a particular characteristic of the owl that aids in nocturnal prey capture. Owls are part of a small group of birds that live nocturnally, but do not use echolocation to guide them in flight in low-light situations. Owls are known for their disproportionally large eyes in comparison to their skulls. An apparent consequence of the evolution of an absolutely large eye in
6600-471: The large-sized retinal image. Thus, the primary nocturnal function in the vision of the owl is due to its large posterior nodal distance; retinal image brightness is only maximized to the owl within secondary neural functions. These attributes of the owl cause its nocturnal eyesight to be far superior to that of its average prey. Owls exhibit specialized hearing functions and ear shapes that also aid in hunting. They are noted for asymmetrical ear placements on
6700-442: The largest of any bird's, preventing blood supply from being cut off while they rotate their necks. Other anastomoses between the carotid and vertebral arteries support this effect. The smallest owl—weighing as little as 31 g ( 1 + 3 ⁄ 32 oz) and measuring some 13.5 cm ( 5 + 1 ⁄ 4 in)—is the elf owl ( Micrathene whitneyi ). Around the same diminutive length, although slightly heavier, are
6800-533: The largest owls, the great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ), needs a force over 130 N to release prey in its talons. An owl's talons, like those of most birds of prey, can seem massive in comparison to the body size outside of flight. The Tasmanian masked owl has some of the proportionally longest talons of any bird of prey; they appear enormous in comparison to the body when fully extended to grasp prey. An owl's claws are sharp and curved. The family Tytonidae has inner and central toes of about equal length, while
6900-413: The leading edge of owls' remiges muffle an owl's wing beats, allowing an owl's flight to be practically silent. Some fish-eating owls, for which silence has no evolutionary advantage, lack this adaptation. An owl's sharp beak and powerful talons allow it to kill its prey before swallowing it whole (if it is not too big). Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of regurgitating
7000-599: The league in 1983. Temple played its home games at Skip Wilson Field in Ambler , a Philadelphia suburb, from 2004 to 2014. After the 2014 season, the program was cut to comply with Title IX. Temple plays every year at the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC). The CRC is the highest profile college rugby tournament in the country, and is played every year at PPL Park in Philadelphia, and
7100-801: The lesser known long-whiskered owlet ( Xenoglaux loweryi ) and Tamaulipas pygmy owl ( Glaucidium sanchezi ). The largest owls are two similarly sized eagle owls ; the Eurasian eagle-owl ( Bubo bubo ) and Blakiston's fish owl ( Bubo blakistoni ). The largest females of these species are 71 cm (28 in) long, have a 190 cm (75 in) wing span, and weigh 4.2 kg ( 9 + 1 ⁄ 4 lb). Different species of owls produce different sounds; this distribution of calls aids owls in finding mates or announcing their presence to potential competitors, and also aids ornithologists and birders in locating these birds and distinguishing species. As noted above, their facial discs help owls to funnel
7200-525: The loss, coupled with the failure to reach the NCAA tournament in his five years and the exit of five of the team's top players via the transfer portal doomed McKie's tenure. McKie stepped down as head coach after the 22-23 season, though he remains with Temple as a Special Advisor to the Athletic Department. Former Miami and Penn State assistant Adam Fisher (basketball) was named McKie's successor on March 29, 2023. Fisher's first season saw
7300-460: The most intense, especially in basketball. St. Joe's, however, considers this rivalry to be secondary to their rivalry with Villanova. The landscape of Temple sports changed in the early 2010s, thanks to a major realignment of Division I conferences. Temple football returned to the Big East in 2012, and then became a full member of the renamed American Athletic Conference in July 2013, after being
7400-932: The most part seems to have taken place in Eurasia. In the Americas, rather, an expansion of immigrant lineages of ancestral typical owls occurred. The supposed fossil herons "Ardea" perplexa (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) and "Ardea" lignitum (Late Pliocene of Germany) were more probably owls; the latter was apparently close to the modern genus Bubo . Judging from this, the Late Miocene remains from France described as "Ardea" aureliensis should also be restudied. The Messelasturidae , some of which were initially believed to be basal Strigiformes, are now generally accepted to be diurnal birds of prey showing some convergent evolution toward owls. The taxa often united under Strigogyps were formerly placed in part with
7500-501: The move during the floor exercises. • 1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Temple men's assistant rowing coach, Mike Teti (Upper Darby Pa.), named Olympic alternate and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated during the athletes parade in the Opening Ceremony. • 1988 Seoul Korea: Men's rowing assistant Mike Teti was a member of the bronze winning U.S. Men's Eight rowing team. • 1992 Barcelona Olympics: Mike Moore (Philadelphia, Pa.)
7600-486: The nest. Therefore, females may have a larger mass to allow them to go for a longer period of time without starving. For example, one hypothesized sexual role is that larger females are more capable of dismembering prey and feeding it to their young, hence female owls are larger than their male counterparts. A different theory suggests that the size difference between male and females is due to sexual selection: since large females can choose their mate and may violently reject
7700-558: The northeast and the only member outside its geographical footprint after UConn's return to the Big East Conference and Cincinnati's departure to the Big 12 Conference . Temple University was among the first institutions in the United States to sponsor extracurricular athletic activities for its students. Both the football and basketball programs were inaugurated in 1894 under the direction of Coach Charles M. Williams. Temple has won three team national championships. • 1904 St. Louis Olympics:
7800-457: The owl's usual prey and also within the owl's own best hearing range. This optimizes the owl's ability to silently fly to capture prey without the prey hearing the owl first as it flies, and to hear any noise the prey makes. It also allows the owl to monitor the sound output from its flight pattern. The disadvantage of such feather adaptations for barn owls is that their feathers are not waterproof. The adaptations mean that barn owls do not use
7900-469: The owls, specifically the Sophiornithidae; they appear to be Ameghinornithidae instead. For fossil species and paleosubspecies of extant taxa , see the genus and species articles. For a full list of extant and recently extinct owls, see the article List of owl species . Marcus McElhenney Marcus McElhenney (born July 27, 1981) is an American coxswain and attorney. He won
8000-491: The remark: "The owl of the night makes the eagle of the day." The Owls are primarily members of the American Athletic Conference (The American). Since their football team participates in the NCAA 's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision . The football program was a member of the Big East Conference until its expulsion after the 2004 season due to a variety of program shortcomings. Temple played
8100-467: The same World Rowing Championships. In 2007 won both the eights and coxed fours at the 2007 USRowing championships. McElhenney grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the cousin of actor Rob McElhenney . He served as principal architect of the coxswain curriculum at Sparks Rowing, a social business that provides
8200-428: The same size as their prey. This has also been observed in other predatory birds, which suggests that owls with smaller bodies and long wing chords have been selected for because of the increased agility and speed that allows them to catch their prey. Another popular theory suggests that females have not been selected to be smaller like male owls because of their sexual roles. In many species, female owls may not leave
8300-450: The senior/Olympic level came at the 2003 World Rowing Championships in Milan where he won a gold medal in the coxed four event. A year later at the 2004 World Rowing Championships , he won a bronze medal in the same event. At 2005 World Rowing Championships he coxed both the eights and fours, winning a gold and a silver medal respectively, the first US athlete to have earned two medals at
8400-441: The skull in some genera. Owls can have either internal or external ears, both of which are asymmetrical. Asymmetry has not been reported to extend to the middle or internal ear of the owl. Asymmetrical ear placement on the skull allows the owl to pinpoint the location of its prey. This is especially true for strictly nocturnal species such as the barn owls Tyto or Tengmalm's owl. With ears set at different places on its skull, an owl
8500-464: The sound of prey to their ears. In many species, these discs are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location. Owl plumage is generally cryptic , although several species have facial and head markings, including face masks, ear tufts , and brightly colored irises . These markings are generally more common in species inhabiting open habitats, and are thought to be used in signaling with other owls in low-light conditions. Sexual dimorphism
8600-419: The sport (2nd team in 2011, 1st team in 2012). Earlier in 2012, Mahoney was Temple's first-ever First Team All-American for track & field when he placed fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships. One of the program's most notable athletes, Eulace Peacock remains a giant in the history of the sport. In the mid-1930s, Peacock brought national attention to himself and the Temple program with
8700-447: The talons and beak of the owl do the final work. The owl kills its prey using these talons to crush the skull and knead the body. The crushing power of an owl's talons varies according to prey size and type, and by the size of the owl. The burrowing owl ( Athene cunicularia ), a small, partly insectivorous owl, has a release force of only 5 N. The larger barn owl ( Tyto alba ) needs a force of 30 N to release its prey, and one of
8800-402: The team went on record saying they believed they could qualify for the NCAA tournament, saw the Owls defeating #16 Villanova at home and #1 Houston on the road, but suffering home losses to Wagner College and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore . Ultimately, Temple couldn't live up to their own hype; suffering a 30-point defeat to Cincinnati in the AAC Tournament quarterfinals. The magnitude of
8900-421: The torso. This ability keeps bodily movement at a minimum, thus reduces the amount of sound the owl makes as it waits for its prey. Owls are regarded as having the most frontally placed eyes among all avian groups, which gives them some of the largest binocular fields of vision. Owls are farsighted and cannot focus on objects within a few centimetres of their eyes. These mechanisms are only able to function due to
9000-503: The twilight hours of dawn and dusk; one example is the pygmy owl ( Glaucidium ). A few owls are active during the day, also; examples are the burrowing owl ( Speotyto cunicularia ) and the short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus ). Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. Owls have at least two adaptations that aid them in achieving stealth. First, the dull coloration of their feathers can render them almost invisible under certain conditions. Secondly, serrated edges on
9100-406: The world and across a multitude of ecosystems, their hunting skills and characteristics vary slightly from species to species, though most characteristics are shared among all species. Most owls share an innate ability to fly almost silently and also more slowly in comparison to other birds of prey. Most owls live a mainly nocturnal lifestyle and being able to fly without making any noise gives them
9200-602: Was a member of the Argentina's Basketball national team that won the gold medal. • 2008 Beijing: Marcus McElhenney (Havertown, Pa.) coxed the U.S. Men's Eight to a bronze medal in rowing and Jason Read was also a member of the team and contributed to the Wall Street Journal's Beijing coverage of the Games. Temple sponsors 18 varsity teams. Seven of these are men's sports and eleven are women's sports. In 1938,
9300-514: Was a member of the U.S. Men's Eight that won gold and set a world record in rowing; Temple women's basketball coach, Dawn Staley, was the United States team captain and flag bearer and a member of the women's basketball team that won gold; Miles Avery (Philadelphia native and Temple graduate) is an assistant coach on the Olympic Team and personal coach of All-Around Champion Paul Hamm. Juan Ignacio Sanchez(Bahia Blanca, Argentina) Temple's graduate
9400-399: Was announced as Franke's successor. Temple field hockey teams have finished among the NCAA's top 20 no less than 13 times in the last 15 seasons, while producing 24 All-Americans. Jane Catanzaro, a four-time All-American between 1987 and 1990, won the prestigious Honda Award in the 1990–91 academic year, for outstanding achievement and excellence in intercollegiate athletics. Amanda Janney led
9500-491: Was coached by Fred Turoff, entering his 38th season in 2013–14 with an impressive career record of 432–184. The program won the NCAA Championship in 1948–49, and won seven Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships including back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Fifteen members of the team have won individual NCAA titles. Men's gymnastics was cut as of the 2013–2014 school year. Temple's tennis team
9600-789: Was coached by Joe DiPietro, who entered his sixth season in 2013–14. DiPietro coached the Owls to a school-record 32 wins and school-record 90 Home Runs in the 2013 season. The program made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2004 after winning the Atlantic 10 Championship. In 2014, Temple University eliminated the program in a budget-cutting move. Temple's women's tennis team is coached by Steve Mauro, entering his sixth season as women's coach in 2015–16. The women's program won four Atlantic 10 Championships (1994, 1995, 2003, 2008). Owl Strigidae Tytonidae Ogygoptyngidae ( fossil ) Palaeoglaucidae ( fossil ) Protostrigidae ( fossil ) Sophiornithidae ( fossil ) Strigidae sensu Sibley & Ahlquist Owls are birds from
9700-668: Was named Temple's new men's head basketball coach. Dunphy had coached the Quakers for 17 straight seasons prior to the move. Dunphy and his Owls won the Atlantic-10 tournament in 2008 beating St. Joseph's University. The Owls were rewarded with a 12 seed in the NCAA tournament and paired against 5th-seeded Michigan State , losing that game 72–61. In 2009, the Owls won their second consecutive Atlantic-10 tournament against Duquesne , for their conference leading 13th title. After Dunphy's (temporary) retirement in 2019, alumnus Aaron McKie
9800-477: Was named the head coach for the University of South Carolina on May 7, 2008. She was succeeded by Tonya Cardoza, a former assistant coach from the University of Connecticut . As an assistant coach at UConn, Cardoza helped lead the Huskies to five National Championships (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004). Cardoza was introduced as the head coach for the Temple Owls on July 1, 2008. In 2005, by winning 25 straight games,
9900-717: Was named the program's head coach. The move was well-received at the time due to his deep connection with Philadelphia basketball. McKie was 1993 A-10 Player of the Year with Temple, and won the 2001-02 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Philadelphia 76ers helping them reach the NBA Finals. McKie had been part of the Sixers' coaching staff prior to being named head coach of the Owls. McKie's tenure saw many highs, but just as many lows. A tumultuous 2022-23 season, where
10000-676: Was the coxswain for the U.S. rowing team's Men's Eight. Temple men's gymnastics coach Fred Turoff is an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team. • 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Scott Brodie (St. Catharines, Canada) was a member of the Canadian Men's Eight that placed fourth. • 2000 Sydney Olympics: Igor Francetic (Zagreb, Croatia) was a member of the bronze medal winning Croatian Eight rowing team; Long time Temple men's rowing coach, Dr. Gavin White (Elkins Park, Pa.), named U.S. Olympic Assistant Coach. • 2004 Athens Olympics: Jason Read (Ringoes, N.J.)
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