On Tuesday, Dec. 3, K.C. Keeler was formally introduced as the next head coach of the Temple Owls football team during a news conference held in front of a standing-room only crowd inside the Fox-Gittis Room of Temple University’s Liacouras Center. 

While speaking to the crowd of media members, fans, staff, current players and alumni alike, Keeler expressed his genuine enthusiasm to be leading the Owls during this pivotal time.  

“I am excited because there is a brand here,” Keeler said. “I saw how (Temple) played at the end of the season. They kept on hanging in there. I think there are good players in this locker room, and now, it’s my opportunity and my job to take us to a championship sooner rather than later.” 

Championships are nothing new to the Emmaus, Pennsylvania, native. Across his coaching career, Keeler has amassed 271 career victories, making him the second-winningest active coach and the 21st-winningest coach of all time. He is also the only coach to win national titles at two FCS institutions, as he led the University of Delaware to a championship in 2003 and then led Sam Houston to one in 2020. 

Here are five other key things that Temple community learned about Keeler and the current state of the university’s football program during Tuesday’s news conference. 

1. As Temple University President John Fry and Vice President and the Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz ’65 Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson began their search for Temple’s next football coach, there was a key set of criteria that they were after.  

“(Arthur and I) agreed that we had three priorities,” President Fry said during the news conference. “The first priority is that we wanted someone with the proven ability to develop student athletes for success both in the classroom and on the field. We want a well-balanced program. Second, we wanted a coach with a track record of winning football games and finally, we thought it was very important to find someone with strong ties to our region as this is key when it comes to recruiting. In K.C. Keeler, we have found all that and much, much more as I’ve come to learn and his appointment as the next head coach of the football team directly reflects this university’s continuing commitment to this program.” 

2. As a college football player at the University of Delaware in the 1970s, Keeler only lost seven games across four seasons. It just so happens that two of those losses came against the Temple Owls. One of the losses was while Keeler was a member of the 1979 Delaware team that went 13-1 to become the NCAA Division II national champion; the team’s loss against the Owls was the only thing that kept the Blue Hens from completing a perfect season. 

“(Temple) was just a different brand of football, and I was humbled by it,” Keeler said. “You can see the lens through which I look at Temple football. It was a great football program at one time, and it has had periods of greatness. And that’s the goal: to get it back there.” 

3. The NCAA transfer portal is one of many things to have really shifted the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. While Keeler said that he will be recruiting transfer athletes and athletes from junior colleges, his primary focus will remain recruiting athletes from high schools. 

“If you look at the history of Temple football and all the NFL players that they’ve had, a good portion of those (players) are (New) Jersey guys that they got out of high school. High school recruiting will always be our foundation,” Keeler said. “That’s the fabric of the team, and I believe that if you just are always taking transfers to fill every gap and hole, it’s tough to really develop a culture. So, we’ll start with high school recruiting, but we’ll obviously be very involved in junior colleges and transfers.” 

4. Above all else, Keeler is focused on building a strong culture within the Temple football program, and he will deliberately pursue unique strategies to do just that. 

“So many times, coaches will rush in and try to just accumulate talent. Talent’s great. I love talent, but I want culture,” Keeler said. “I do a lot of cross-pollination. I (have) a lot of defensive coaches doing stuff with the offensive guys and offensive coaches doing stuff with the defensive guys because when you’re in the hotel or you’re on the plane or, more importantly, you’re on the sideline, you need to be able to know everybody and trust each other. So again, I do some unique things, and I think those things have moved this in a direction where our culture has been the foundation.” 

5. Keeler came here to win. 

“Is it a challenge? Absolutely. Are we up for the challenge? Absolutely,” Keeler said. “I wouldn't have come here unless I thought that we could go win championships on behalf of Temple Athletics and Temple University.”