Marvin Augustus "Preacher" Franklin Jr. (September 12, 1916 – November 12, 1988) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Nebraska State Teachers College at Kearney—now known as the University of Nebraska–Kearney–from 1953 to 1954, compiling a record of 8–8–2.[1]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1916 Athens, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 1988 (aged 72) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Vanderbilt University Yale Divinity School |
| Playing career | |
| 1935–1938 | Vanderbilt |
| 1939 | Providence Steam Roller |
| Position | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1946 | Temple (ends) |
| 1947 | Yale (ends) |
| 1948 | Yale (freshmen) |
| 1949–1951 | Nebraska (assistant) |
| 1953–1954 | Kearney State Teachers |
| 1955–1956 | Houston (ends) |
| 1957–1960 | SMU (ends) |
| 1961–1967 | Kent School (CT) |
| 1968–? | Battle Ground Academy (TN) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 8–8–2 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| First-team All-SEC (1938) | |
Early life and career
editBorn in Athens, Georgia on September 12, 1916,[2][3] Franklin was the eldest of four children born to Ruth (née Tuck) and Marvin Augustus Franklin Sr.[4] He attended Vanderbilt University, graduating in 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his Bachelor of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1940.[2]
Franklin played college football as an end at Vanderbilt University from 1935 to 1938.[5] After leaving Kearney, he worked as an assistant coach at the University of Houston under head coach Bill Meek.[6] Franklin moved with Meek to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 1957 and coaches the ends there for four seasons. He resigned in 1961 to become head football coach at the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut.[7] After seven years at Kent, Franklin was hired as head football coach at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee.[8]
Personal life and death
editOn September 16, 1943, at Crawford Street Methodist Church, Vicksburg, Mississippi, with his father, Dr. Marvin Augustus Franklin of Birmingham reading the vows, Franklin was married to Mary Ellen Cunningham,[9] with whom he had three children.[10]
Franklin died on November 12, 1988, aged 72, at his home in Trenton, New Jersey, survived by his wife and children.[10]
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney State Antelopes (Nebraska College Conference) (1953–1954) | |||||||||
| 1953 | Kearney State | 3–5–1 | 3–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1954 | Kearney State | 5–3–1 | 4–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| Kearney State: | 8–8–2 | 7–4–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 8–8–2 | ||||||||
References
edit- ↑ "The Zikmund Era 1955-1972: The Golden Age of Blue and Gold Football" (PDF). Buffalo County History Society. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- 1 2 Drury, Clifford Merrill (1948). United States Navy Chaplains, 1778 - 1945. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 97. LCCN 48-46297 "FRANKLIN, Marvin Augustus, Jr. — METH
B, Athens, Ga, 12 Sep 1918; Vanderbilt U, Nashville, BA, 39; Yale Divnsch, BD, 40; chap, Hill Sch, Pottstown, Pa, 40 – 42" - ↑ "Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2CT-R9GS : Wed Apr 02 21:00:03 UTC 2025), Entry for Marvin Augustus Franklin and Marvin A Franklin, 16 Oct 1940.
- ↑ "United States, Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3772-DT2 : Wed Jan 22 02:44:38 UTC 2025), Entry for Marvin A Franklin and Ruth T Franklin, 1930.
- ↑ "Marv Franklin". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ↑ "All-time Assistant Coaches" (PDF). Houston Cougars. Retrieved October 14, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Franklin Resigns From SMU Post". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. Associated Press. August 30, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com
. - ↑ "Franklin BGA Coach". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. April 30, 1968. p. 22. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Lt. Marvin A. Franklin, Jr., Miss Mary Ellen Cunningham Wed In Vicksburg Ceremony; Father Of Bridegroom Reads Vows At Nuptials Held At Crawford Street Methodist Church; Bride's Sister Maid, Mrs. Cunningham Matron". The Birmingham News. September 21, 1943. p. 15. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
Miss Mary Ellen Cunningham, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pinckney Edward Cunningham, was married to Lt. (jg) Marvin Augustus Franklin, Jr., at 8:30 p.m., Sept. 16, in the Crawford Street Methodist Church, in Vicksburg, Miss., home of the bride. Dr. Marvin Augustus Franklin, of Birmingham, father of the bridegroom, read the marriage vows.
- 1 2 "Deaths: Marvin A. Franklin, Jr". The Vicksburg Post. November 14, 1988. p. A10. Retrieved May 30, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
The Rev. Marvin A. Franklin Jr. died Saturday, Nov. 12, 1988, at his residence in Trenton. He was 72. Rev. Franklin was a native of Georgia and had been a resident of Trenton for several years. He was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received a divinity degree at Yale University. He served as assistant football coach at the University of Houston and later served as football coach at the University of Nebraska. He served as headmaster of the Kent Boys School in Connecticut, and later served as Headmaster of Peddy Boys School in Trenton. At the time of his death, he was pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Trenton. [...] He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Ellen Cunningham Franklin, formerly of Vicksburg; two daughters, Mrs. Ann Pourceau of Covington, La. and Mrs. Tom Petrina of Trenton; one son, Marvin A. Franklin III of Fort Wayne, Ind.;