Horsemen name Franklin Head Coach
November 7, 2002 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Kentucky Horsemen News Release
Lexington, KY, October 30, 2002 â The Lexington Horsemen today announced the hiring of their first head coach in franchise history. Former University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Tony Franklin will helm the Horsemen during their inaugural 2003 season. While serving on the UK football staff from 1997 through 2002, Franklin was one of the primary architects of the Wildcats' vaunted Air Raid offense. Kentucky's offense set numerous team, conference and national records during Franklin's tenure as an assistant, which included the 1998 season, when UK set a school record for most points in a season.
"I am thrilled to be coaching again in Kentucky, and in the NIFL," said Franklin. "I think that with my major-college experience and my knowledge of offensive systems, we can put a lot of points on the board and win a lot of games in this league."
The National Indoor Football League, which has been in existence since 1998, routinely features high-scoring games with plenty of offensive fireworks. In last year's NIFL championship game, the Ohio Valley Greyhounds defeated the Billings Outlaws 55-52. Franklin, who also has enjoyed a distinguished career as a high school coach in Kentucky, seems well suited to the style of play in the NIFL. As UK's offensive coordinator in 2000, his squad amassed 4,900 net total yards, third-most in school history.
"We think that Tony's a perfect fit for our team," said Horsemen president Ron Borkowski. "Between his accomplishments as an offensively-minded coach and his long-standing ties to the football community here in Central Kentucky, we felt that he was easily the best choice to lead us into our first season."
After graduating from Murray State University, where he led the team in rushing as a freshman running back, Franklin signed on as a student assistant coach at Murray High School. Thus began a 15-year career as a high school coach, which included three head coaching stops (at Murray, Calloway County, and Mercer County), and two state titles (in 1993 and 1995) as an assistant coach at Mayfield. After leading Mercer County to the playoffs in 1996, Franklin was hired by the University of Kentucky, where he spent three years as running backs coach. In 2000, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, and also coached the quarterbacks and receivers.
"This is a great opportunity to build something special," said Franklin. "There are a lot of talented players in this area, and I'm looking forward to getting on the field and seeing what they can do."
Tryouts for the Horsemen will be held at a later date, and the team's first home game will be held on March 29, 2003. For more information about the team, please call 859-422-PASS or visit www.lexingtonhorsemen.com. Season tickets are still available as well; fans can order tickets by calling the Rupp Arena box office at 859-233-3535 or by visiting www.rupparena.com.
Arena Football League Stories from November 7, 2002
- Horsemen name Franklin Head Coach - Kentucky Horsemen
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