A look back at Temple’s Homecoming & Family Weekend 2023

Temple University celebrated its annual Homecoming and Family Weekend with a week of festivities from Monday, Oct. 2, to Sunday, Oct. 8. Alumni, students, families and friends were all invited to the celebration, which served as the lead-up to the Homecoming game against the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) this past weekend.

Homecoming Golf Cart Parade and Pep Rally

On Friday, Oct. 6, before the game, student organizations, departments, schools and colleges proudly paraded across Main Campus, starting with the golf cart parade that started at Diamond Lot and ended at Liacouras Walk, where the pep rally began.

Tyler Art Market

Friday’s events continued with the Tyler School of Art and Architecture’s 12th Tyler Art Market, featuring more than 30 alumni and current student artists and vendors.

Family Social

In addition, Temple’s newly appointed President Richard Englert socialized on the roof terrace of Charles Library, visiting with Temple families and administrators. All attendees had the opportunity to get their picture taken with Hooter, the university’s mascot.

Tailgate Village

On Saturday morning, the biggest game of the year called for the biggest tailgate at Tailgate Village. Owls gathered outside Lincoln Financial Field to revel in the Temple spirit before the Homecoming game against UTSA. Alumni, campus partners, and representatives from Temple’s schools and colleges set up tables at the tailgate to connect with current students, families and friends. The fun-filled tailgates were packed with food, drinks, music, games, giveaways, swag and plenty of Temple pride.

Honoring the life and legacy of President JoAnne A. Epps

In addition, the Temple community continued to honor the life and legacy of JoAnne A. Epps, the university’s 13th president. Attendees of Tailgate Village paid tribute to her life by signing a memorial book given to the Epps family and through an on-field dedication during the Homecoming game. Temple’s football team reserved a sideline seat for her memorial jersey.

The team further honored the late Epps, unveiling a special decal with her initials “JAE” on their helmets, which they wore during the game and will continue to wear for the remainder of the season.

Homecoming Game

The 2023 Homecoming game kicked off at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field and was broadcast on ESPN+. Students, families and fans sported all things cherry and white as they cheered on the Owls and watched the Temple Diamond Marching Band’s 98th Homecoming performance that featured current and former band members. In the game, Temple’s E.J. Warner threw for 472 yards and five touchdowns, connecting with John Adams (127 yards), David Martin-Robinson (112 yards) and Darvon Hubbard (95 yards), who all recorded big receiving performances. Despite the high-octane offensive effort, the UTSA Roadrunners defeated the Owls 49-34.