Temple University is looking for a new athletics director. Dr. Richard Englert, vice president of Administration, said the athletics director is the person who oversees all intercollegiate athletic sports. He said that the new athletic director would be in charge of 11 women’s sports and nine men’s sports teams.
The job title also includes a number of services such as student athletic advising and compliance with the NCAA.
The former athletics director was Dave O’Brien, who served at Temple University for five years. Englert said that O’Brien contributed to the sports program with new ideas about fundraising.
In the meantime, Jack Lengley has taken over as interim athletics director. His role is to provide assistance in business operations. He is currently working on a contract so Temple can continue to use Veteran’s Stadium for athletic events. He is also in charge of the relocation of athletic facilities for baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, and the seamless turnover to the incoming athletic director.
Before coming to Temple, Lenyel had been retired since last August.
Lengyel came out of retirement when President David Adamany called him to see if he wanted to fill in as interim athletics director until a new director was hired.
“I am here as interim,” Lengyel said. “I am here to facilitate a smooth transition for the incoming athletics director.”
Even though Lengyel is the interim director, he certainly has an impressive background. He has coached football and baseball, and served as athletics director for a number of institutions including the Naval Academy, Fresno State University and Louisville University.
Englert said that locating an athletics director varies for different schools during certain times. A search firm that specializes in searching for qualified candidates approached the University.
The search firm asked student athletes, faculty, staff, coaches, provost and vice presidents to try to get a sense of what kind of person would best suit Temple’s needs. A committee consisting of Adamany, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Howard Gittis and other board members will select the new athletics director.
Alma Cosmeus can be reached at Acosmeus@temple.edu
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