Raiders of the lost temple

October 24 , 2007 | By Ron Costello | Discuss

I was sitting in traffic minding my own business, listening to a George Strait CD, when it hit me harder than the first bill for our kid's college textbooks. "Go on, go on, you were saying how a fool can only fool you so long...it's true, it's so true..."

That's when I got to thinking: Wayne Hardin issued the Hardinian

Proclamation before the football season started. He proclaimed he would fill Lincoln Financial Field for Temple University's opening football game against Navy. That was July, 2007 A.D. Hardin was the last winning football coach before the university started ushering coaches in and out faster than Bill Cosby can say 'do your homework.' Although quite admirable and noble, the Hardinian Proclamation fell short of its goal.

 

Former President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. That was one year after Russell Conwell enlisted in the Civil War. Of course, we know that Conwell founded Temple,  just before he appointed Peter Liacouras lifetime President General of the University. You can look it up.

Now get this. Conwell made a famous speech in which he said, "Your diamonds are not in far-away mountains, or in distant seas, they are in your own back yard, if you will but dig for them." This Conwellian message was discovered by John MacDonald in encrypted code on the walls of the Baptist Temple. Was it put there by Conwell? Or some mysterious unknown relic like Al Shrier?

We'll never know. But we do know this: It's an omen. It tells of a great battle in the Golden Era of Temple, a David and Goliath war that will find the Lost Temple, and bring it out of the back depths of the Inquirer's sports pages.

The first clue is the far away mountains. The next, the distant seas. Temple's head coach loves the ocean and the beach. And with three straight wins, maybe four by the time Penn State arrives...is Golden not a diamond in our back yard? Okay, Red Bank isn't that far away.

The key is this: "if you will but dig for them." It must mean that Temple will dig in and stop Penn State's drive in the waining seconds of the game.

Even with the devastating loss of Temple quarterback Adam DiMichele, the Lost Temple football program is ready for Goliath. On November 10, the Raiders of the Lost Temple--the Golden Boys of North Broad Street--will be found. After the defeat of Penn State, the curse will be lifted for eternity.