James Franklin (American football coach) facts for kids
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Franklin in 2021
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Team | Penn State |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Record | 101–42 |
| Annual salary | ,000,000 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 2, 1972 Langhorne, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1991–1994 | East Stroudsburg |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1995 | Kutztown (WR) |
| 1996 | East Stroudsburg (DB) |
| 1996 | Roskilde Kings (OC) |
| 1997 | James Madison (WR) |
| 1998 | Washington State (TE) |
| 1999 | Idaho State (WR) |
| 2000–2004 | Maryland (WR/RC) |
| 2005 | Green Bay Packers (WR) |
| 2006–2007 | Kansas State (OC/QB) |
| 2008–2010 | Maryland (AHC/OC/QB) |
| 2011–2013 | Vanderbilt |
| 2014–present | Penn State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 125–57 |
| Bowls | 8–7 |
| Tournaments | 2–1 (CFP) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Big Ten (2016) 1 Big Ten East Division (2016) |
|
| Awards | |
| Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year (2016) Sporting News Coach of the Year (2016) Woody Hayes Trophy (2016) |
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James Geoffrey Franklin (born February 2, 1972) is a well-known American football coach. He has been the head football coach at Pennsylvania State University since 2014. Before that, he led the team at Vanderbilt University from 2011 to 2013. Franklin is known for turning football programs around and helping them achieve great success.
Early Life and Education
James Franklin was born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on February 2, 1972. His parents are James Oliver and Jocelyn "Josie" Franklin.
He went to Neshaminy High School in Langhorne. Later, he attended East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. There, he played as a quarterback for all four years. He set seven school records in that position. In 1994, he was even nominated for a Division II player of the year award. Sports Illustrated also named him a "National Player of the Week" that season. In 1995, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
Coaching Career
Franklin started his coaching journey in 1995. His first job was coaching wide receivers at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. The next year, he coached defensive players at his old school, East Stroudsburg. That same year, he was also the offensive coordinator for the Roskilde Kings in Denmark.
In 1997, he became the wide receivers coach at James Madison. The following year, he coached tight ends at Washington State. While at Washington State, Franklin also earned a master's degree in educational leadership in 1999.
In 1999, he coached wide receivers at Idaho State. His team had a fantastic year, scoring 29 touchdowns and gaining over 3,300 passing yards. Idaho State was ranked ninth nationally in total offense that season. Franklin also gained experience by working with several National Football League (NFL) teams. These included the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings.
Maryland Terrapins
Franklin first joined the University of Maryland as the wide receivers coach in 2000. When a new head coach, Ralph Friedgen, took over, Franklin was one of only two assistants kept on the team.
In 2003, Franklin's role grew to include being the recruiting coordinator. This meant he was in charge of finding new talented players for the team. He became known as a top recruiter. In 2005, Franklin left Maryland to coach wide receivers for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL.
He returned to Maryland in 2008 as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He stayed there until 2010.
Kansas State Wildcats
Franklin worked at Kansas State University for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. During his time there, he helped develop future NFL players like quarterback Josh Freeman and wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Vanderbilt Commodores
In December 2010, Vanderbilt hired James Franklin as their new head coach. He was the first African American to be a head coach of a major sport at Vanderbilt. He was also only the third African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference.
Franklin made history at Vanderbilt. He led the team to a bowl game in all three of his seasons as head coach. Before him, Vanderbilt had never played in bowl games in back-to-back seasons. This made him the only coach in the program's history to achieve this.
2011 Season
In his first season, Franklin led Vanderbilt to a 6–6 record in the regular season. They played in the Liberty Bowl but lost to Cincinnati. Even with a losing record, the team scored more points than their opponents that year.
2012 Season
The 2012 season was a big success for the Commodores. They finished with a 9–4 record. For the first time since 1948, they were ranked in the top 25 polls. This was only the third time in school history they won nine games in a season. They also won five SEC games, which hadn't happened since 1935.
The team achieved many other milestones that year. They had their longest road winning streak since 1950. They also had their longest overall winning streak since 1948. They beat rival Ole Miss in consecutive years for the first time since the early 1950s.
2013 Season
For the third year in a row, Vanderbilt went to a bowl game. They defeated the Houston Cougars in the BBVA Compass Bowl with a score of 41–24. Vanderbilt won nine games in back-to-back years for the first time ever. They were also ranked in the top 25 polls for two years in a row.
Franklin's three years at Vanderbilt were very successful. His teams won 25 games combined, which was the highest total in the school's history. He finished his time at Vanderbilt with a record of 24 wins and 15 losses.
Penn State Nittany Lions
On January 11, 2014, James Franklin was named the head football coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State agreed to pay a fee to Vanderbilt because Franklin left his contract early. Franklin signed a six-year contract. He often spoke about wanting Penn State to be the best at recruiting players in Pennsylvania again.
2016 Season
The 2016 season was a remarkable one for Penn State. They started with a 2–2 record, but Franklin led his team to win their next eight games. They won the Big Ten's East Division. Then, they beat Wisconsin in the 2016 Big Ten Football Championship Game. Because of this amazing turnaround, Franklin was named the Dave McClain Coach of the Year in the Big Ten.
2017 Season
In 2017, Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to another strong season. They finished the regular season with 10 wins and 2 losses. They ended the year by beating the Washington Huskies 35–28 in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. Penn State finished the season with 11 wins and 2 losses, ranked #8 in the country.
2018 Season
Before the 2018 season, Penn State lost some key players who went to the NFL. Despite this, the Nittany Lions still had a good season, finishing with 9 wins and 3 losses in the regular season. They played Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl, losing a close game 27–24. Penn State ended the season ranked #17.
2019 Season
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The Nittany Lions had a great 2019 season, finishing with 11 wins and 2 losses. They were invited to the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic. There, they defeated the #17 Memphis Tigers 53–39. Penn State finished the season ranked #9 in the country. At the end of 2019, Penn State extended James Franklin's contract.
2020 Season
The 2020 season was a tough one for Penn State. They had their worst start in school history, losing their first five games. However, they showed great spirit by winning their last four games to finish with a 4–5 record.
2021 Season
Penn State started the 2021 season very well, winning their first five games. They even beat #12 Wisconsin and #22 Auburn, reaching as high as #4 in the national rankings. However, after their quarterback got injured, the team struggled. They won only two of their last seven games, finishing the regular season 7–5. Before the last game, Franklin signed a new 10-year contract to stay at Penn State. They played against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl and lost 24–10, ending the season 7–6.
2022 Season
Even after losing important players to the NFL, the Nittany Lions had a strong 2022 season. They finished with 10 wins and only 2 losses, with those losses coming against top-ranked teams. Their great performance earned them a spot in the Rose Bowl. They beat Utah to win their first Rose Bowl since 1995. This was Coach Franklin's third major bowl win with Penn State.
2023 Season
Penn State began the 2023 season ranked 7th. Franklin's team started with a 6–0 record. Their first loss came against #3 Ohio State. Penn State won four of their next five games, with the only other loss to #2 Michigan. They qualified for the Peach Bowl, where they lost to Ole Miss, finishing the season with 10 wins and 3 losses.
2024 Season
In the 2024 season, Penn State had a regular season record of 11 wins and 2 losses. Their losses were to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game. In the 2024–25 College Football Playoff, Penn State won two games. They beat the SMU Mustangs and the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl. However, they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinal round.
Personal Life
James Franklin met his wife, Fumi, in 1998 while he was coaching at Washington State. Fumi was a student there at the time. They reconnected years later when Franklin was coaching at Maryland. They got engaged in Green Bay in 2005. The Franklins have two daughters, Addy and Shola.
Philanthropy
James Franklin is very involved in charity work. In 2019, he was honored by Penn State's Renaissance Fund. A dinner was held that raised over $287,600 for scholarships at Penn State.
Since coming to Penn State, his teams have spent many hours helping the community. They make an annual trip to the Penn State Children's Hospital. There, they visit young children who are battling pediatric cancers. Franklin has also spoken at THON, a large student-run philanthropy event, every year since 2014. The Franklin family has also given generous gifts to THON.
Franklin also strongly supports "Be the Match," which encourages people to join the national bone marrow registry. Before Penn State's 2019 appearance in the Cotton Bowl, James Franklin matched a $10,000 donation from Goodyear to the Children's Medical Center Dallas.
Images for kids
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Franklin in 2021
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Franklin in 2019
