courtesy Vanderbilt sports information l
Franklin interview
Related:
Morning Call: Franklin's success no surprise to friends at ESU
Sports on Earth: Franklin is accolade worthy
TV Info: Saturday, Jan. 4 - 1 p.m., ESPN
EAST STROUDSBURG – James Franklin '95, a two-year starter at quarterback for East Stroudsburg University and a candidate for the Harlon Hill Award in 1994, has guided the Vanderbilt University football program to its third straight bowl bid with a trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl on January 4 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Vanderbilt will compete in a bowl game for the third straight season for the first time in school history. In his first two seasons, Franklin took the Commodores to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Prior to his arrival, Vanderbilt played in four bowl games in the previous 120 years.
Franklin enters the BBVA Compass Bowl against Houston with a career record of 23-15, including an 8-4 record this season. The Commodores were 9-4 a year ago, their first nine-win season since 1915, and 6-7 in his first season in 2011.
Franklin has guided Vanderbilt to consecutive eight-win seasons for the first time since 1927-28 – one of a number of historic achievements for the program in the last three years. This fall, the Commodores beat SEC powers Georgia, Florida and Tennessee in the same year for the first time in school history, and beat Tennessee in consecutive years for the first time since 1925-26.
In 2012, Vanderbilt was ranked No. 23 in the final AP poll, just its second time finishing a season in the Top 25.
As quarterback at ESU, Franklin was the Warriors' starter in 1993 and 1994 and as a senior was a regional candidate for the Harlon Hill Award, given to the top player in Division II. He was sixth in the nation in total offense with 312.9 yards per game, throwing for 2,586 yards and 14 touchdowns and running for 543 yards and seven scores.
Starting with Franklin's Harlon Hill candidacy in 1994, ESU's quarterbacks have been named to the Harlon Hill list in nine of the last 20 years – the most in DII in that span.
He graduated with single-season records for passing yards, total offense (3,129 yards), total offense per game, completions (187), pass attempts (365) and passing TD (19, 1993). He also set the single game record with 512 yards of total offense in a 44-17 win over Southern Connecticut State, passing for 362 yards and running for 150 yards to earn Player of the Week honors from numerous outlets, including Sports Illustrated.
Franklin still holds ESU records for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (150) and season (543), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season (7, 1994), offensive plays in a game (72 vs. Millersville, 1994) and offensive plays per game in a season (54.6, 1994).
