At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Steve Hawrylko out of Delran High School is considered a a top recruit for Widener.

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

Former Temple head coach Wayne Hardin has been selected for inclusion in the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame Football Bowl Subdivision Class by the Hall of Fame and The National Football Foundation.

Hardin was the Owls mentor from 1970 to 1982 and has the most wins in school history. In 13 seasons with the Owls, he compiled an 80-52-3 record and led them to the school’s first-ever victory in a bowl game (the 1979 Garden State Bowl where they beat California).

That year, Temple finished 10-2 and ranked 17th by both the AP and UPI. It marked the Owls most wins in a season and the first time they were ranked in the wire service polls. Over the course of the 1973 and 74 seasons, the Owls set a school record with 14 wins in a row (eight in 1973 and six in 1974).

“I am extremely happy that one of the great coaches in the history of college football is getting the recognition he is due,” said Steve Joachim, the quarterback of the 1973 and 74 teams and winner of the Maxwell Award in 1974. “Coach Hardin had a tremendous influence in my life as well as hundreds of others. He was one of the truly innovative coaches during his tenure and was extremely successful wherever he coached. His impact on Temple University and the city of Philadelphia was very positive and long lasting.”

Prior to coaching at Temple, Hardin was in charge at the Naval Academy from 1959 through 1964 where he was 38-22-2 and beat Army in five of six games. He led Navy to a pair of top 5 finishes in the final polls and coached their only two Heisman Trophy winners (Joe Bellino in 1960 and Roger Staubach in 1963)

“I don’t think it would have been possible for me to win the Heisman Trophy without Coach Hardin,” said Bellino. “He afforded me the opportunity to show my talents. He put in some plays that highlighted my passing and running ability and I owe a lot to him. Wayne was a fantastic game preparation coach. He was able to figure out the other teams’ weaknesses and attacked those weaknesses.”

Hardin is part of a 14 member 2013 class that includes Heisman Trophy winners Ron Dayne, Vinny Testaverde and Danny Wuerffel as well as Bill McCartney, who won a National Championship while head coach at Colorado and will join former Temple coaches Ray Morrison and Glenn S. “Pop” Warner in the Hall of Fame.

“It’s our third Temple person in the College Football Hall of Fame,” said current Temple head coach Matt Rhule, “and it just raises the standard. We want our players here to feel the responsibility that comes with putting on the Cherry and the White and see the other great players that have come before them and the other great people. We stand on their shoulders and we have what we have because of what they did.”

The class will be inducted at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 10, 2013, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

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With the departure of former head coach Isaac Collins, who left to coach at Seton Hill University, and the graduation of sensational quarterback Chris Haupt, the Widener University football team is in a state of transition heading into 2013 but Bobby Acosta, the new head coach, hopes to ease the transition. He has plenty of talent left to do so. The Pride was 12-1 in 2012 and won its league record 19th MAC Championship.

Among the returnees, are three players who were first team All-MAC in 2012. They are wide receiver/returner Anthony Davis, left tackle Mike Pacitti and safety Colin Masterson.

Also back are linebacker Dylan Ditmer and cornerback Nick Rodriguez who were second team all-league performers. Of course, in college football there are always newcomers to add into the mix and Widener scored big — literally and figuratively — when 6-foot-5, 285 pound Steve Hawrylko decided to spurn offers to play football at higher levels and attend Widener. Hawrylko was an All-Burlington County offensive lineman for Delran High School in 2012.

“I had offers to walk-on at the [FCS] level and I had some scholarship offers from some Division II schools,” Hawrylko told FootballStories, “but I added everything up including costs and playing time, plus I just really like Widener and barring injury, I really want to play football all four years of college.”

“Steve is a very positive young man and we’re excited to have him,” said Acosta, who will be featured in a full length article in the next issue of FootballStories. “He comes from a tremendous family and he fits the mold of what kind of student athlete we are looking for. Steve is a very good student who is also a tremendous athlete. He will contribute right away.”

Widener opens the 2013 season at Wesley on Friday, September 6.

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Bill Zwaan is looking for continued improvement from his West Chester University Golden Rams in 2013. The team went from 5-6 in 2011 to 7-4 last season. They suffered tough losses to Delaware, an FCS-level team that is no longer on the schedule. East Stroudsburg beat them with a touchdown in the final seconds and they lost to Bloomsburg by a point.

“We were four or five plays away from having a really great year last year,” said Zwaan, who is 77-43 in 10 seasons at West Chester. “I want this team to understand how close they were and how much more they have to do. They are not that far away. But, they can’t let the little things slip away — things like holding onto the football, not having the breakdowns that we had, and making sure that you are ready to practice to get better everyday.”

West Chester opens the season on Saturday, September 7 against the University of New Haven.

Rock Hoffman can be e-mailed at Rock@footballstories.com