Bill Bradshaw said the stars aligned for him to return to La Salle.
After retiring as Temple’s athletic director in 2013 following a 12-year role at the university, Bradshaw sat down with La Salle’s President Colleen Hanycz to discuss returning to his alma mater.
With two of his three children enrolled in college, Bradshaw felt he had the time to return to the university where he was also athletic director from 1978-86.
On Monday, La Salle announced Bradshaw as the school’s interim director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation.
“I looked at this opportunity as a real special one and one that I had the health, the energy and the attitude to accept it,” Bradshaw said. “That is what brought me to the decision.”
Bradshaw will assume the position on March 9 after the school announced current Athletic Director Tom Brennan would step down from the position at the end of the basketball season.
“At this stage of my life and career, to have this opportunity to come back to your alma mater and help them is really special,” Bradshaw said.
Before accepting the position, Bradshaw worked as a part-time intercollegiate athletics consultant with Lauer, Sbarbaro Associates/EMA Partners International, where he assisted the firm in “job searches for college presidents, athletic directors, administrators and other high-level senior administrative searches.”
Following his time as La Salle’s athletic director, Bradshaw accepted the same position at DePaul University until coming to Temple in 2002.
Under Bradshaw’s lead at Temple, the football team went to two bowl games. The team’s appearance in the 2009 EagleBank Bowl was its first bowl game since 1979. The football team also received a $10 million upgrade with a 15,000-square-foot expansion to Edberg-Olson Hall in 2012.
“I think history will judge us as having done a good job,” Bradshaw said. “I’m very proud of how we handed the baton off to Temple.”
Bradshaw was also responsible for the hiring of men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who has led the team to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under Bradshaw.
He also helped hire football coach Matt Rhule, who led the team to its second 10-win season in program history in 2015.
Bradshaw was part of the negotiations that led to the announcement that most of Temple’s sports would be competing in the Big East Conference in 2012. After the folding of the Big East in 2013, the Owls became a member of the American Athletic Conference.
“We had some very good senior leadership. … I was blessed with a great team,” Bradshaw said of his time at Temple. “We had as good as a staff as anybody in the country. We had a senior staff. They were veteran and experienced.”
La Salle announced that a search permanent athletic director will come at a later date.
Michael Guise can be reached at michael.guise@temple.edu or on Twitter @Michael_Guise
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