Three former Temple University standouts will have their names enshrined among the greatest in Philadelphia sports history, as the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame welcomes its fourth class of inductees.

Walter Bahr, Frank Kilroy, and the late Harry Litwack join a class of 11 others for 2007, bringing the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame's total enrollment to 69 members.

The class will formally be enshrined on Dec. 12 at a dinner to be held at the Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing.

Bahr, a soccer star for the Owls, earned All-American honors under Coach Pete Leaness in 1944. He participated as a professional soccer player for two decades, playing in the 1948 Olympic Games and representing the United States as a part of every international team for 11 years. He coached at Frankford High School, leading the Pioneers to five city championships and six Public League titles, and in the professional ranks.

He later returned to Temple as head soccer coach, recording a .596 winning percentage over three seasons. In addition to soccer, he played basketball and baseball at Philadelphia's Northeast High School and was offered a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Litwack, a member of the Naismith, Big Five, and Temple halls of fame, was a Temple star in basketball from 1926 to 1929 under Jimmy Usilton Sr., compiling a 47-14 record over three seasons. He was an assistant coach in 1938 when Temple won the first National Invitational Tournament and the head coach when the Owls captured the 1969 NIT Championship. In addition, he has been associated with every tournament team Temple has ever produced. He is the winningest coach in Temple athletic history, recording 373 wins against 193 losses from 1952 to 1973. A three-time Coach of the Year, he produced four All-Americans and several professional players. He also coached and played professional basketball.

Kilroy is one of the finest linemen in Temple football history. He starred for the Owls in the 1940 and 1941 seasons, helping Temple defeat rivals Penn State, Bucknell and Villanova in the same year for the first and only time in school history. He played both offense and defense and started every game in 1941 en route to becoming the first Temple football player to receive Honorable Mention All-America honors. He later became an outstanding professional player with the Philadelphia Eagles, playing 13 professional seasons and missing only one of 203 games because of an injury. He played in 147 consecutive games, which was a league record at the time. With the Eagles, he made All-Pro six years and played in three Pro Bowl games. He was the 42nd player elected to the Helms Hall of Fame.

This article was originally published on www.owlsports.com.
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