RIP Ron Franklin (former ESPN College Football announcer)
If you're of a certain age (40-60), he was THE voice of Saturday night college football: the era when there only was one Saturday night game, it was on ESPN, and it was inevitably an SEC/Big 8/SWC/Big XII game.
Career ended on a sour note, but he had a smooth voice and a great command of the game.
Has five, has ten, fifteen, count it off at twenty, big gain, Ricky WIlliams.
https://thespun.com/more/sports-media/report-longtime-espn-commentator-ron-franklin-has-died-at-79
January 19th, 2022 at 6:04 AM ^
I remember him well. I thought he was a fantastic announcer. RIP
January 19th, 2022 at 6:17 AM ^
He was the only person I can ever recall who referred to a snap for a field goal/extra point as a “pass”. His call on a field goal started “Good pass”. I always thought it was unique
January 19th, 2022 at 7:25 AM ^
Loved Ron Franklin calling games for ESPN. He was a great announcer.
January 19th, 2022 at 7:59 AM ^
I'm not familiar with the sour note, so I'll have to read the article.
But he had a distinctive style and voice. That's the thing about the really good announcers. They make every game they're calling sound like a big game. RIP, good sir.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:34 AM ^
“He worked at ESPN from 1987 until 2011 when he was let go by the Worldwide Leader for alleged inappropriate comments to a female coworker.”
January 19th, 2022 at 8:55 AM ^
So he was 'Me Too'd' before #MeToo. But I have no doubt, based on nothing more than his age and heritage in male-dominated sports coverage, that he said something inappropriate enough to warrant being let go. Many old-timers have had trouble letting go of past behavior and/or accepting new norms of behavior - and that's not limited to sports. A group of Cold War sub veterans I'm part of has a substantial amount of guys that are simply unable to accept that women are now in the submarine service. The comments stem from the things/jokes we said 20-40 years ago, when we were 20-some years old and at the peak of our mysogynistic/racist/xenaphobic <insert correct term for you> selves. The difference between those guys and others is that some have continued maturing and are capable of changing beliefs.
He was a good announcer, I do remember him from many broadcasts.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:42 AM ^
He was fired for making a dismissive comment, with a "Sweetheart" at the end.
I have a relative who is retired. He's a former PGA Tour Pro. When he visits and we go out, I cringe every time he uses the terms Honey, Dear, Sweetheart, etc. with servers in restaurants and at our club. I've warned him a million times. He was brought up in a small town, and he's a country boy at heart. He'll never change.
My beef if with the double standard. An NFL player or starter in the NCAA can send their partner to the hospital with a beating and it's usually just a suspension. And now? Anyone is free as a bird to make derogatory comments about a white man. Double standards serve no one. They only make things worse by dividing people and preventing dialogue. I think that's really the intent, as Charles Barkley said last year.
He was a great announcer. He made a mistake. He should have been allowed to learn from it, and given a chance to change his behavior. If we are going to have zero tolerance, then fine. But it should apply to all. No double standards.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:57 AM ^
I'm guessing it wasn't a single incident if they fired him. Those inappropriate comments will get you every time.
January 19th, 2022 at 1:25 PM ^
Was consistently dismissive of the women who worked as sideline reporters. Holly Rowe most famously, but Jeanine Edwards was the time that got him fired.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:48 AM ^
I'm sorry, I can't let this one go:
Anyone is free as a bird to make derogatory comments about a white man. Double standards serve no one
I'm guessing you are not including the double standards which have benefitted white men for hundreds of years in this country and continue still today?
If we are going to have zero tolerance, then fine. But it should apply to all. No double standards.
Are you agreeing there should be a complete overhaul of our countries foundational institutions which have had, and continue to have, systemic biases engrained into them?
January 19th, 2022 at 2:28 PM ^
The waitress at my local breakfast place calls me "Hon" all the time. I would complain to her boss, but she calls me "Dear" when I pay my bill. I really like the food their, but these women are seriously offending me.
January 19th, 2022 at 5:36 PM ^
Franklin was from Mississippi originally, and in the south people often add familiar terms like "honey" or "sweetheart" when addressing others. Most times it's innocent and nothing disrespectful is meant by it. That still doesn't mean Franklin didn't treat the co-worker badly. Obviously ESPN thought he did.
January 20th, 2022 at 2:12 PM ^
Yep, it's all in the way it's intended. People need to realize that not everyone who says "honey" or "sweetie" to a woman is being condescending. For some it's a a term of endearment. People today look for reasons to be offended. It reminds me of what Mickey Mantle said about Billy Martin: "He could hear someone across the room give him the middle finger." :-)
January 19th, 2022 at 8:13 AM ^
His pairing Mike Gottfried was my favorite of that era. Breath of fresh air from the self-important crews like Herbie and Fowler, who feel that every second of a game has to be filled up with their observations. It's funny, if you look back at games from the 80's-90's. So much less talking, and it's so refreshing. Feels more like you're at the game. Go back to the 70 (well before my time), and the announcers barely talk. Ara Parseghian seemed to disappear from the booth for several plays at a time. So nice to not have to listen to a talking head constantly. I don't understand, in the age of the internet, why the announcers can't be muted at home, and the camera angle chose.
January 19th, 2022 at 8:24 AM ^
Franklin/Gottfried was my second favorite announcer team behind Jackson/Griese.
Also, WatchESPN has a crowd only feed for certain games. I believe the Skycam feed stays focused on the field, even during timeouts. It's my preferred way to watch non-Michigan games.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
Love the quiet announcers and listening to crowd noise during a game, especially baseball. Someone commented earlier this season that Gus Johnson plans what he's going to say pregame (he'll just roll up on you and let you smell his cologne). Not sure if this statement was in jest, but I believe today's announcers do have pre-game written notes so they can have something at their finger tips to fill what they think is dead air. I grew up listening to Ernie Harwell and Bob Ufer (who's craziness coincided with the play on the field). Dick Enberg and Keith Jackson are others. I don't recall Ron Franklin; may he rest in peace.
January 20th, 2022 at 4:11 PM ^
If Herbie has a pregame script, then he has an amazing memory to recite it all. B/C he literally never shuts up. He's the only announcer I ever see actually continuing to talk sometimes as the play goes on. Usually at least they shut up for that 5 seconds.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Yup, 42 and he was the voice of Saturday night football for me during my prime watch-college-football-for-12-hours-a-day years. RIP
January 19th, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
Always liked the way he called a running back breaking free. “Has 5, has 10, mark it off at 15 yards and a first down!”
January 19th, 2022 at 10:54 AM ^
Can't think of too many Michigan games he did. Although I remember him calling the Justin Fargas game at Northwestern in the driving rainstorm.
Didn't have to deal with ten billion commercial breaks in those days.
January 19th, 2022 at 2:08 PM ^
I remember that too. He called Fargas a "mudder", as in he may have been surprisingly better RB in the mud than in good weather.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
RIP Mr. Franklin ?
Always enjoyed his broadcasts.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
Loved his knowledge of the game and ability to effectively pair up with Gotfried. Rich deep voice. Still remember he and Mike announcing the game at BC on Saturday night in 1995 with Timmy B was playing his banner year.
He had at least two public run-ins (one with Holly Rowe) where he minimized women or made some kind of "southern" use of sweetheart, etc.
I'm sure there were many other transgressions that didn't make the radar screen (many of the comments are NOT during the game but perhaps the day before when getting set-up) - the fact that he got fired in an era of relative forgiveness and even toleration (if you were a star) means he was clearly given multiple warnings.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:21 PM ^
Loved Ron Franklin calling the late night games. Probably heightened my interest in SEC football, he was great as a football announcer. He really loved football.
First class stuck in the 50's douche off the field.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:27 PM ^
I thought he was a great broadcaster. I always wondered what happened to him and why he left broadcasting. I found out he was fired by ESPN after the Purdue game when he called Holly Rowe sweetheart after her on field report My wife's family is from KS and both men and women called each other honey and sweetheart. Even now some waitress here will say do you need a refill on your ice tea sweetheart. And her Grandfather owned a shoe store and he always called the women customers, sweetheart, honey and dear. At my federal government office one guy got in trouble saying that the Vikings were overrated. He knew it was the favorite NFL team of a women he was working with that shift You really have to watch what you say now a days, who knows what will offend someone. Even though all federal employees know, you never talk about religion or politics in the workplace.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:39 PM ^
I am not young but I agree for the most part with the new standards in communicating with women in the workplace. My father, who respected everyone regardless of their gender, station in life, many times referred to waitresses as “dear”. Is that really so terrible? For a person to lose a job over. Too much.
January 19th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
I'm sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed his work.
January 19th, 2022 at 2:40 PM ^
Remember him from the 2000 Michigan at Illinois game and this 1998 12-6 classic in the rain at Northwestern. The Justin Fargas game.
January 19th, 2022 at 9:55 PM ^
I was at that game. Never been that wet before or since.