Posted December 16, 2009

Events bring King’s legacy to lifeEvents bring King’s legacy to life

Athletics offering wide range of EagleBank Bowl events, services and info for fans

The wait is over. For the first time in three decades, Temple football is bowl bound. The Owls capped a magical 9-3 season — their first winning record since 1990 — by accepting an invitation to play on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 4:30 p.m. in the EagleBank Bowl, conveniently located only hours away in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, the final piece in the puzzle fell into place when U.C.L.A. was announced as Temple's opponent. Playing in one of the nation's toughest conferences, the Bruins won three straight games in November to compile a 6-6 record and qualify for their first bowl game under Coach Rick Neuheisel.	Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University At a bowl selection party in the Liacouras Center, sophomore defensive end Morkeith Brown (center) and his teammates react with joy at the announcement that Temple had accepted an invitation to the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C.—the program’s third bowl invitation in its history and first in 30 years.
"I can't tell you how excited we are," said Temple Coach Al Golden, the 2009 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. "You have schools from the second-biggest media market and the fourth-biggest media market playing in the nation's capital on national TV. That's great exposure for the university. It's everything our kids have been working for these last four years." Golden and his team, several of whom are from the Washington metropolitan area, urged the Temple community to attend the game and take advantage of the EagleBank Bowl's location and timing. "There's so much to do in the nation's capital — so many museums and restaurants — and it's between the holidays [when students and staff are off]," Golden said. Temple Athletics is offering a wide range of activities, services and information to help students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters enjoy this long-delayed treat. A guide to all bowl-related services — including ticket and travel information, with prices — is available at Athletics' official EagleBank Bowl web site, www.OwlBowl.com.
Athletics is partnering with Anthony Travel to offer a variety of fan travel packages, including a door-to-door game-day bus trip from Temple's Main Campus; an overnight package including a hotel stay after the game in Temple's official hotel for the evening, the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Hotel (999 9th St., N.W.); and a special, Temple-only "Countdown to Kickoff" pre-game party from 1 to 4 p.m. at the D.C. Armory (2001 E. Capital St., N.E.), located a block from the bowl's venue, historic RFK Stadium. The Temple pre-game party will include an upscale buffet and tailgate fare, a full open bar, a Temple gift for all in attendance and performances by the Diamond Marching Band and Spirit Squad.	Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University Head football coach Al Golden fields questions from reporters following the announcement that Temple would play in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
The Athletics ticket office (www.OwlsTix.com, 215-204-8499) is Temple's one-stop source for all things ticket related. Tickets are available from $30 to $100 online, over the phone and at the Liacouras Center box office. Information for students, including special student ticket prices and game-day buses, is available at www.OwlBowl.com. A special, limited-time, first-come-first-served offer of a special student ticket-and-travel package for only $10 is available. These special student packages must be reserved today — Thursday, Dec. 16 — by e-mailing Gina D'Annunzio, director of Student Activities, at gmd@temple.edu (inquiries must include student's name, TUid number and school or college affiliation). The Temple Alumni Club of Washington, D.C. is co-hosting an after-party at the Renaissance Washington in President's Sports Bar in the hotel's lower lobby at 8:30 p.m. (open to all in the Temple community, no charge, cash bar). Michael Curcio '79 — co-captain of the Temple team that won the Garden State Bowl, the Owls' last bowl appearance — will participate in the pre-game coin toss along with his former co-captains. "This is a great thing for the university," Curcio said. "We need the Temple family to come down to Washington, enjoy that great city, get behind this team and help put us back where we belong. I can't wait."

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