Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/247378
Homecoming king Pennsylvania native James Franklin accepts his 'dream job,' becoming the 16th head football coach in PSU history | ong before Penn State wanted James Franklin, James Franklin wanted Penn State. Franklin had grown up in the Philadelphia suburb of Langhorne, Pa., and attended Neshaminy High. Before entering the 11th grade, he visited Penn State's summer football camp in the hope of impressing Jim Caldwell, who was coaching the Nittany Lions' quarterbacks at the time. "I thought I was good enough to play at Penn State," Franklin said. "I was not." He was good enough to play at East Stroudsburg, however, and the decision to attend the little Division II school in the Poconos put him on a path that would eventually make him one of the most sought-after people in college football. Franklin started for two seasons and set 23 school records at East Stroudsburg, then took up coaching as a way to help finance his graduate studies at Kutztown University, figuring he'd eventually get into psychiatry or psychology. The money was lousy at first. Franklin made $1,200 a year when he started out and had to take a job filling vending machines to make ends meet. Players used to poke fun at him when they saw him carting L soda cans around campus in the mornings. But he fell in love with coaching, and once he started climbing the career ladder, all that nascent ambition kicked in, the ambition he'd developed watching his mother work janitorial jobs at Neshaminy to support him and his sister. East Stroudsburg… James Madison… Washington State… Idaho State… Maryland… Kansas State… Maryland again. Franklin even spent a season with the Green Bay Packers and found time to do NFL internships with the Eagles and Vikings. Onward and upward – that was the trajectory, and it continued when he took his first head coaching job at Vanderbilt. The Commodores had been a laughingstock for the better part of a century, but Franklin transformed them into consistent winners, putting together the first backto-back nine-win seasons in school history. Along the way, he transformed himself into one of the hottest names in the business. So when Penn State found itself in need of a head coach after Bill O'Brien left to take over the Houston Texans, it was only natural that the school extend an offer to the 41-year-old Franklin, who went 24-15 in his three seasons at Vanderbilt. And it was only natural that Franklin accept that offer. "I'm excited to come home, he said at " his introduction on Jan. 11. "That is probably the thing that I take the most pride in – coming home. I'm a Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart, and I couldn't be more proud. I think I'm the right guy to come back and unite this state and bring this program back to where I think it can be. " Penn State officials think so, too. President Rodney Erickson called him "an inspiring young leader, while athletic di" rector Dave Joyner said he will be "a great representative of the terms I use – integrity, academics and championships." Those officials have backed up their faith with the most lucrative contract in school history. Indeed, for Franklin and his family – he has a wife, Fumi, and two young daughters, Shola and Addison – the money isn't so lousy anymore. His six-year pact includes $25.5 million in guaranteed money with bonuses tied to on-field success. A victory in the Big Ten Championship Game, for instance, would earn him $350,000, while a national championship would bring $800,000. Was all that guaranteed money well spent? Those who know him certainly seem to think so. His former coach at Ne-