Fran Dunphy’s 10th season with the Temple Owls is certainly not a dime a dozen. For the second year in a row, Dunphy has been named “Coach of the Year” for the American Athletic Conference. This is only Dunphy and Temple’s third year in the AAC. In addition to two coach of the year titles, Dunphy has also racked up two A-10 Coach of the year awards.
Winning personal titles is not the only thing that Dunphy is good for. In his 27 seasons, he has won 10 Ivy League Championships in his time at Penn, and three A-10 Championships as well as two AAC Championships over his time at Temple. Dunphy is one of five NCAA coaches to win over 200 games at two different schools (Penn/Temple). March Madness is not a new concept to Dunphy either, as he has made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 27 seasons as a head coach.
Coming into this season, many counted Temple out, but Dunphy was not one of those people, thanks to his persistence, patience, and trust in his team. The Owls were picked to finish sixth in their conference, and certainly were not picked for many upsets. Under the helm of Dunphy, Temple not only finished 1st in its conference, but went 3-4 against top 25 teams. Temple’s upset over #8 SMU serves as the seventh time Temple has upset a top 10 team in the past eight seasons. Temple’s current 20-10 record acts as the 36th time in program history that Temple has reached a 20+ record seasons.
With all of that being stated, Dunphy seems to have a very impressive resume, but he doesn’t always go by Fran Dunphy…he is also referred to as “Mr. Big 5” by some of his players. Growing up in Philly, it is natural that the Big 5 would hold such a special place in his life. Dunphy played for La Salle’s basketball program, and served as a co-captain. He then went on to earn his Masters at Villanova. The University of Penn is where Dunphy began to pave his way as a head coach, where he would then move to Temple, where he currently resides. He is not just present in the Big 5, but he has recently become the winningest coach in Big 5 History. Along with the honor of having the most wins in the Big 5, he surpasses Hall of Famer and former Temple head coach, John Chaney. Dunphy’s time at Temple and the Big 5 is certainly not done, and more history is sure to come.
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