NASHVILLE, Tenn. Mason Crosby Super Bowl Jersey . -- Ed Temple, the former Tennessee State track and field coach who led the U.S. womens team to 15 Olympic gold medals and helped break down racial and gender barriers in the sport, died Thursday night. He was 89.Temples daughter, Edwina, told Tennessee State officials that her father died after a lengthy illness. He celebrated his birthday on Tuesday.Temple coached the womens track team at Tennessee State, formerly Tennessee A&I, from 1953 to 1994. He was head coach of the U.S. Olympics womens teams in 1960 and 1964 and assistant coach in 1980.One of the athletes he coached at TSU, Wilma Rudolph, became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics, in Rome in 1960. She won the 100 and 200 meters and teamed with Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams and Barbara Jones to win the 400 relay.Temple, whose other gold medalists from TSU included Edith McGuire and Wyomia Tyus, was inducted into nine halls of fame, including the Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012; he was one of only four coaches to be inducted. He also served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the international Womens Track and Field Committee and the Nashville Sports Council.Temple coached the first U.S. womens teams to compete in the Soviet Union in 1958 and in China in 1975. But he was best known for leading the athletes at TSU, known as the Tigerbelles, during his 41 years as the universitys womens track coach.He coached his teams to more than 30 national titles and led 40 athletes to the Olympics.For many of the women on his teams, Temple was more than a coach.I always looked at Coach Temple as a father figure and a man of truth and wisdom, said TSU Olympian Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice, a former Tigerbelle who succeeded Temple as track and field coach. He really brought out the best in me. He made me realize my potential that had not been tapped.Former Tigerbelle Edith McGuire Duvall said Temple was there for her after she lost her father.This man treated us all like his kids, Duvall said. He impressed upon me to finish school. We were there to run track, but also to get an education and to be ladies.Temple began his career during a time when black female athletes were treated as second-class citizens, even by their male counterparts.At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. mens team refused to provide Temple with clothes for a female shot putter who didnt fit into the womens uniform. His runners had to practice with Japanese starting blocks because the mens team refused to turn over three blocks sent over for the women.Still, Temples team brought home the gold and silver in the 100 meters, gold in the 200 and a medal performance in the 400 relay.Those were the kind of things we had to battle, he said in June 1993 after retiring from coaching. It was unnecessary types of things. We, the women, were USA citizens representing the United States. Why did we have to go through all that kind of stuff? It just didnt make sense.In a 2007 interview with The Tennessean, Temple said Rudolph was the best female track and field athlete hed ever seen.She had it all, he said. She had the charisma, she had the athletic ability, she had everything. When I look back, she opened up the door for womens sports, period. Im not just talking about track and field.Temple said Rudolph took a nap just before winning the 1960 gold medal in the 100.I was out there all nervous, walking around the infield, he recalled. And Wilma was on the rub-down table, and she had fallen asleep. Fell asleep!Rudolph, who suffered from polio as a child, died of brain cancer in 1994.Temple was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and attended Tennessee A&I, where he received bachelors and masters degrees.The track at TSU is named for Temple. So is Ed Temple Boulevard in Nashville, adjacent to the TSU campus. Seminars on sports and society, held each year on TSUs campus, are named in his honor, and in 2015, a 9-foot bronze statue was unveiled in Temples likeness at First Tennessee Park in Nashville.Even the Bible says a prophet is seldom honored in his hometown, U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper said at the statues unveiling. But here we are honoring perhaps one of the greatest coaches in all of history.Temple took great pride in the success of his athletes, both on and off the field.They are an inspiration to everybody, he said late in life. It just shows what can be done. Where theres a will, theres a way. Brett Favre Super Bowl Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Josh Jackson Super Bowl Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.packersonlineteamstore.com/aaron-jones-youth-jersey.html.com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Alex Bowman still has no ride for next season. On a weekend when the championship contenders are making a bid for the title race, Bowman made a case for a full-time job.Bowman won his first career pole Friday with a strong run at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowman, the replacement driver for concussed Dale Earnhardt Jr., turned a lap at 140.521 mph to earn the top starting spot.Im still waiting for the right opportunity to come along, Bowman said. Theres nothing that has really fit that has come along. Ill still probably have my day job at Hendrick Motorsports driving the simulator. Well go from there.Bowman, who is from Tucson, ran Earnhardts car to the top of the leaderboard with NASCARs most popular driver in attendance.This is his hometown, kind of, so its awesome that all his friends are around to see him do this, Earnhardt said. This is great for his career; this is exactly what we were hoping to happen for him. Hopefully, he can put it together on Sunday.Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott qualified second and third as Chevrolets swept the top three. They also shut out the championship contenders from the top of the scoring pylon.Only Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards have spots locked down for next weeks season finale, and six drivers are vying for the remaining two slots.Of those trying to race their way into the final four, Joey Logano qualified fourth and was followed by Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.We are in good position right now, said Logano. If that was the end of the race we would move on, I think. We just have to keep looking ahead and maake sure we keep the big picture in mind. Davante Adams Super Bowl Jersey. Hamlin, who is racing against three of his teammates for a spot at Homestead-Miami Speedway, was pleased with his fifth-place qualifying lap.Four cars stand in my way. Just four, its not that big of a deal, Hamlin said.Harvick is the favorite to win Sunday and has won six of his last eight races at Phoenix. When asked why hes so good at Phoenix, Harvick joked that he found a magic wand at Disney that he waves over PIR.His mood was light considering hes in a must-win situation, and the law of averages predicts he cant beat 39 other drivers at Phoenix time and time again. But Harvick noted he didnt win last Novembers race and didnt appear to be the least bit concerned about the odds. He also wasnt worried about any potential payback from Austin Dillon , the driver Harvick accidentally wrecked last week.Everybody is in the same position we are, he said. If somebody wins, theres only going to be one points guy that goes through. You need to pretend like you are in a must-win situation if you want to plan on going to Homestead.The only Chase drivers not to make it into the final round were Johnson and defending series champion Kyle Busch. Johnson already has a spot clinched in next weeks finale, but Busch will start 19th on Sunday.Martin Truex Jr. wrecked during practice and was forced into his backup car. But it couldnt pass inspection before qualifying began and Truex will start last on Sunday. ' ' '