by Adrian Doerfler
Daily Lobo
Members of the UNM track and cross country teams might not have heard of Joe Franklin before, but that doesn't mean he's not qualified for the job.
Franklin was named head coach of the Lobos after coaching 12 years at Butler University, where he helped build a strong program.
The opportunity to coach at to a school with a tradition of track and field success attracted Franklin
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to UNM.
"Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico are in a special part of the country," he said. "It is at a high altitude, and the climate is unbelievable."
Franklin is a cross country guru. He led eight teams - six men's and two women's - to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the past eight years.
Seven of those teams earned top-25 finishes. And in 2004, Franklin was named the NCAA Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Butler men to a school-best fourth place finish at the
national meet.
Under Franklin, the Bulldogs dominated the Horizon League. In 2006, the men's team won its ninth straight conference title, while the women won their fifth
consecutive title.
Franklin's athletes at Butler won eight All-American honors, 128 conference titles and 276 all-conference awards in track and cross country.
One of Franklin's most impressive attributes was how well his athletes performed in the classroom. The men and women turned in GPAs above 3.2 in the fall of 2006.
Classroom performance is as important as any success on the team, Franklin said.
"We are educators as well as coaches," he said. "Sure, we love the fact that we got fourth in the country in cross country, but I've never had a student denied medical school."
Sports can be an important part of life, but Franklin wants his athletes to have their priorities straight, he said.
"I think it's a package deal," he said. "We want to have kids that are ready for the university life as well as a passion for track and field and cross country."
Franklin, of Greencastle, Ind., was a four-year letterman in track at Purdue University. He was a two-time all-Big 10 Conference honoree in
the 800.
Since he has been around the sport for such a long time, it's unlikely to hear Franklin complain about coaching.
"I haven't been to work in 16 years," he said. "It is a job. However, it's something I absolutely love to do. I don't wake up in the morning and think, 'Oh great, I have to go to the office.' It doesn't happen. I think passion, that to see how good we can become, to have fun, prepare students for life after university is what we strive to do."
