Temple athletics had an up-and-down 2025. The on-field, or court docket, performances left a lot to be desired throughout the 18 athletic applications. All sports activities totaled only one collective postseason win and a number of groups endured their worst season in years.
Despite the outcomes, there have been loads of heartwarming stories. Temple gave younger kids with extreme diseases or disabilities the prospect to expertise their dream of being an element of a workforce by a partnership. A soccer participant overcame most cancers twice and the dying of a member of the family to finally fulfill his dream of taking part in FBS soccer. A males’s basketball participant discovered a brand new dwelling with a well-recognized face following devastating accidents.
Here are The Temple News’ prime 10 Sports stories of 2025.
1. Ed Wade’s spectacular baseball career capped off by Wall of Fame honor
By: Colin Schofield
Former Phillies normal supervisor Ed Wade graduated from Temple in 1977 with aspirations to be a baseball author. That all modified when he landed a job as a press runner for the 1976 playoffs, which grew to become an internship within the Phillies’ public relations division for the 1977 season.
Wade shifted his focus to being on the entrance workplace facet of baseball and cultivated a 42-year profession as an govt. He spent eight years because the Phillies’ normal supervisor from 1998-2005, the place he helped construct the core of the 2008 workforce that received the World Series. He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in August for his contributions.
2. Team IMPACT helping youth through Temple partnership
By: Sienna Conaghan
Temple University has partnered with Team IMPACT, a non-profit group that matches kids with extreme diseases or disabilities with faculty athletic groups throughout the nation, since 2015. Temple matched 17 Team IMPACT kids to 10 completely different groups within the final decade, together with Lainey with Temple Volleyball and Makai with Temple Men’s Soccer.
The kids are paired with a workforce for 2 years, beginning with an official signing day. Teams matched take part in actions with the youngsters, like going to birthday events, barbecues or taking part in video games and invite them to attend some practices and video games to make sure they really feel half of the workforce. Many Team IMPACT relationships proceed after the 2 years because of the sturdy bonds which can be fashioned.
3. The Fran Dunphy way: Turning coaching into lifelong bonds
By: Ryan Mack
Fran Dunphy — or “Mr. Big 5” — is a well known identify in Philadelphia; he’s the winningest coach within the Big 5 after main the lads’s basketball applications at Penn, Temple and La Salle. Dunphy introduced his retirement following La Salle’s 2024-25 season on Feb. 20, hanging his hat on the similar faculty he performed for from 1967-70.
Despite Dunphy’s teaching profession, his best impression has been off the court docket. He believes basketball is only a stepping stone and pushed his gamers to be higher folks and college students. While Dunphy now not leads a workforce on the sidelines, he transitioned right into a particular assistant for the president function with a lifetime contract at La Salle.
4. Through cancer and tragedy, Chiccitt finds his way on the field
By: Colin Schofield
When quarterback Anthony Chiccitt transferred to Temple from Robert Morris, he introduced a narrative of final overcoming adversity. When Chiccitt was a junior at Bethel Park High School, he was recognized with Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Chiccitt attacked the most cancers head-on and beat it, nevertheless it got here again almost a 12 months later.
Chiccitt once more fought his hardest and beat most cancers once more. He began his profession at Robert Morris in 2021 when he obtained one other devastating blow. Chiccitt’s mother, who he described as his finest pal, handed away. Through beating most cancers twice and shedding his finest pal, Chiccitt overcame all the pieces life threw at him and fulfilled his dream of taking part in FBS soccer.
5. Vittese sisters tackle coaching and motherhood
By: Colin Schofield
Temple Field Hockey head coach Michelle Vittese and affiliate head coach Carissa Vittese-Nardi’s complete lives have centered round area hockey. Both coaches performed throughout faculty and are targeted on making a high-level program at Temple. However, their lives prolong past teaching, which grew to become evident in 2025.
Both sisters gave delivery in 2025, Vittese in March and Vittese-Nardi in July. The sisters have at all times been shut by their sport, however their new journey as moms who’re attempting to stability teaching and motherhood introduced them even nearer.
6. Ford brings invaluable energy in first season with Owls
By: Jacob Moreno
Temple Men’s Basketball guard Derrian Ford was one of 11 new gamers heading into the 2025-26 season and he didn’t waste a second establishing himself on and off the court docket. The guard averages team-highs of 17.7 factors and 4.7 rebounds per sport, changing into one of the Owls’ key leaders.
Ford spent his freshman season at Arkansas and his sophomore and junior years at Arkansas State earlier than getting into the switch portal once more following the 2024-25 season. A Zoom name with head coach Adam Fisher was essential within the guard committing to Temple. Ford’s willingness to work his hardest every day and his religion have guided him to the place he’s right this moment.
7. Sengel chases his running dreams
By: Sienna Conaghan
Temple runner Noé Sengel began working simply three years in the past when his associates signed up for a race and he wished to beat them. Sengel not solely received but in addition fell in love with coaching and working, beginning a dream of working for a school workforce. It wasn’t easy although, because the Haut-Rhin, France native had already began college in France.
Sengel was decided; he reached out to coaches in October 2024 and ended up at Temple for the 2025-26 season, his closing 12 months of faculty. He has gone by ups and downs in the course of the 12 months, battling the language barrier, being away from household and associates and struggling to complete races sturdy. He’s labored by the challenges and paperwork his life on social media, hoping to encourage his youthful members of the family to pursue their goals.
8. Felt uses injury journey as confidence at Temple
By: Ryan Mack
Temple Men’s Basketball aimed to spice up its frontcourt final spring by including ahead Jamai Felt, whose collegiate profession didn’t start how he envisioned. He missed his first two seasons at Bowling Green after tearing his left ACL in consecutive years. The ahead lastly performed within the 2024-25 marketing campaign and have become a marquee defender for the Falcons.
Felt entered the switch portal within the spring, the place a well-recognized face lured him to North Broad Street. He reunited with assistant coach Michael Huger, who recruited him to Bowling Green and was the top coach throughout his freshman 12 months. Impressed with the teaching workers’s camaraderie, Felt transferred to Temple and has turn into a mainstay within the beginning lineup.
9. Owls featured on “Peyton’s Places”
By: Colin Schofield and Sienna Conaghan
Temple Football had loads of storylines in a resurgent season, however probably the most fascinating one got here from being featured on a preferred ESPN+ TV present. The Owls have been on “Peyton’s Places” on Nov. 9 with former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and former Eagles heart Jason Kelce.
Temple gamers, together with guard Jackson Pruitt, defensive lineman Allan Haye and linebacker Ty Davis, helped Manning and Kelce display the Eagles’ well-known Tush Push play. The collaboration gave Temple the chance to realize publicity to a nationwide viewers and allowed the gamers to work with two NFL greats.
10. Temple gymnast providing much-needed burst of energy
By: Austin Boynes
Kyrstin Johnson wished to enter gymnastics since she was two years outdated, nevertheless it took her eight years to persuade her mother and father to let her. Once they did, she took off and her presence was invaluable throughout Temple’s 2025 season. Johnson was at Talladega College throughout her first season, however the gymnastics program acquired reduce, main her to discover a new dwelling with the Owls.
In Temple’s season-opening meet in opposition to West Virginia on Jan. 4, she carried out dance routines to songs “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Soak City” by 310babii and “TGIF” by GloRilla. One of Johnson’s routines went viral on social media, bringing extra consideration to this system.