Alumni Return for Third Annual Floyd Temple Alumni Game

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas baseball team welcomed back a wide array of alumni Saturday afternoon to honor legendary coach Floyd Temple in the Third-Annual Floyd Temple Alumni Game.
 
Temple held the reins of the program from 1954-81, where he amassed 438 victories to become KU’s winningest coach. During his 28-season tenure, he coached seven future Major Leaguers, including his son, Biff Temple. After retiring from coaching, Floyd Temple served as an assistant athletic director at the university from 1981-92.
 
In 2012, Temple passed away and since then, current head coach Ritch Price has invited alumni back to Lawrence each fall to play against the current varsity squad in an effort to pay tribute to Temple.
 
Biff Temple was among this year’s returning alumni and to pay tribute to his father, Price invited him to throw out the first pitch before both squads took the field.
 
“It’s awesome to be able to come back and see all of the guys you played with years ago,” Temple said. “It’s great to watch the baseball team; Coach Price is doing a great job.”
 
Temple would be remiss if he didn’t feel a sense of pride honoring his father.
 
“It’s moving, the respect everyone has for my dad,” Temple said. “He was here for 40 years, so you have a lot of emotional ties. It’s an awesome experience to see all of your old friends and catch up.”
 
Over 30 other alumni joined Temple on Homecoming weekend, including his direct successor, Marty Pattin, who coached the Jayhawks from 1982-87. The former coach and Big League hurler was an honorary captain of the alumni squad.
 
The alumni squad was represented by a wide range of former players and coaches spanning multiple decades. Ka’iana Eldredge, starting catcher for the 2014 squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament, was among the alums that took the field against the current team.
 
“It’s a unique experience to be able to play in this game as both a player and an alumni,” Eldredge said. “It’s fun to be able to go out and play against some of your buddies. It puts it into perspective how fast time goes. It’s always great to get back on the field, the Hog is a great place to play.”
 
With a smile on his face, Coach Price spoke about how fun it was to see all of the past players take the field against his current team.
 
“It’s always exciting to see so many alumni return to campus,” Price said. “Our players were excited to be able to see and compete against some of their former teammates. It’s great to be able to honor Floyd Temple in this way. To have his son Biff here to throw out the first pitch, and have Marty Pattin here as an honorary captain, it was amazing.”
 
Following the abbreviated game that ended in a 3-3 tie, the varsity squad broke off into two teams for intrasquad action before the KU football team lined up against Texas to wrap up the Homecoming festivities.
  
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