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Legendary Haynesville football coach Alton “Red” Franklin passes away at 89
Posted on 3/9/25 at 1:12 pm
Posted on 3/9/25 at 1:12 pm
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If tweet fails to load, click here. One of the greatest ever who put a small town near the Arkansas border on the map… his son took over for him to keep it in the family
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Posted on 3/9/25 at 1:20 pm to chalmetteowl
And made millions in Haynesville shale
Posted on 3/9/25 at 1:21 pm to chalmetteowl
quote:
As head Coach of Haynesville’s Golden Tornado for 35 years he won 11 state titles, 4 runner-up titles, reached the state playoffs in 31 of his 35 years, had 8 perfect seasons and compiled a record of 366-76-8.
impressive
Posted on 3/9/25 at 1:52 pm to chalmetteowl
quote:
put a small town near the Arkansas border on the map
Most ppl have no idea how shitty and small Haynesville is. Half the town's economy for like 50 yrs was from people in dry Arkansas counties going down to Haynesville to buy booze and go to bars. At one point, there were 4 liquor stores and 2-3 bars in a town of about 1,500.
Now there are no bars and one store left and it's barely open, after the Ark border county went wet.
The other half of the economy is O&G and HS football.
There is however one of the best Mexican restaurants in Haynesville with some of the best margaritas you'll ever drink.
Posted on 3/9/25 at 4:41 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:I frick with Gonzales.
There is however one of the best Mexican restaurants in Haynesville with some of the best margaritas you'll ever drink.
Posted on 3/9/25 at 7:27 pm to chalmetteowl
I also saw this on another link
quote:
A Haynesville native, Franklin played one season at the University of Alabama before transferring to finish his collegiate career at Louisiana College, now Louisiana Christian University. He was inducted into the LCA Hall of Fame in 1992, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991.
This post was edited on 3/9/25 at 7:31 pm
Posted on 3/9/25 at 7:31 pm to tigerfan84
Louisiana Sports HOF
Mind blowing that a 1A school could beat 5A schools on that level.
quote:
Induction Year: 2004 When he retired in January 2002, Alton “Red” Franklin capped a career of 35 seasons as head coach at Haynesville High School including 11 state championships, 4 state runner-up finishes, 366 wins (366-76-8), a career-ending run of 15 consecutive district titles and 33 straight winning seasons. The Golden Tornado reached the state playoffs in 31 of his 35 seasons and won 27 district crowns. He was district coach of the year 23 times, and state coach of the year six times. Twice (1985, 1993), Franklin was named the National High School Athletic Association’s Region 5 coach of the year, making him a finalist for national prep coach of the year honors. In seven consecutive seasons from 1990-96, Haynesville’s won-loss record was a mind-boggling 96-4. Among his wins in the 1990s were victories at national powerhouses Evangel and West Monroe. Franklin was inducted in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991.
Mind blowing that a 1A school could beat 5A schools on that level.
This post was edited on 3/9/25 at 8:12 pm
Posted on 3/9/25 at 7:43 pm to tigerfan84
His impact could never be understated in his town. Shaped the lives of thousands.
This post was edited on 3/9/25 at 7:53 pm
Posted on 3/9/25 at 8:23 pm to chalmetteowl
Played Haynesville in high school several times and always a very tough game on the schedule. We had to have one of our best teams ever in order to beat them. Legend.
Posted on 3/9/25 at 9:00 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:
Most ppl have no idea how shitty and small Haynesville is. Half the town's economy for like 50 yrs was from people in dry Arkansas counties going down to Haynesville to buy booze and go to bars. At one point, there were 4 liquor stores and 2-3 bars in a town of about 1,500.
Haynesville and Homer are about 10 miles apart. Homer looks down on Haynesville as oilfield trash, thus Haynesville has a chip on its shoulder. The annual Homer-Haynesville football game used to be a war. IDK if it still is. Both towns are on life support now.
Posted on 3/9/25 at 9:13 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
The annual Homer-Haynesville football game used to be a war
Not that long ago I believe it was a state semifinal
Posted on 3/10/25 at 4:47 am to chalmetteowl
Bobby Ray Tell
Posted on 3/10/25 at 8:31 am to JumpingTheShark
quote:
Played Haynesville in high school several times and always a very tough game on the schedule. We had to have one of our best teams ever in order to beat them. Legend.
subtle
Posted on 3/10/25 at 8:39 am to chalmetteowl
Where did he get kids from or did his system just turn out less talented kids into football players. Or a combo of both? I remember Haynesville growing up and their history, but I was kid, I just assumed they had talent. Now I hear about the town, and I know you got to have some talent.
Posted on 3/10/25 at 8:53 am to HangmanPage1
Small town but had a lot talent for 1A-2A which they bounced back and forth from. Always a lot of team speed/athleticism with decent to really good size and were/are always well coached. Not really an area where you could draw or recruit kids to but like a lot of the top small school public programs it was recycled talent. A lot of the same last names on their teams throughout the years. So I'd say a combo of both to your question of whether it was talent or coaching. Haynesville had some of the best of both at their level which led to an elite combination and elite results
This post was edited on 3/10/25 at 8:58 am
Posted on 3/10/25 at 12:17 pm to OGtigerfan87
Springhill, Hayneville, Homer and Junction City Ark (the most Louisiana town in Arkansas) has a lot of talent for their size. Those schools often produce more Div 1 football players than many of the larger Ark schools in the same area (20-50 miles away).
Devin White came out of there.
I think the biggest factor is that all of those schools/towns are 100% all in omln football and basically everyone plays, so no talent goes unfound or wasted.
In Ark at least, many of the best athletes either play Hoops or nothing at all and don't give a shite about football. It's just the mentality of those little Claiborne Parish area towns that benefits them the most.
Devin White came out of there.
I think the biggest factor is that all of those schools/towns are 100% all in omln football and basically everyone plays, so no talent goes unfound or wasted.
In Ark at least, many of the best athletes either play Hoops or nothing at all and don't give a shite about football. It's just the mentality of those little Claiborne Parish area towns that benefits them the most.
Posted on 3/10/25 at 12:31 pm to OGtigerfan87
This is an accurate assessment of Haynesville football. A combination of speed/athleticism that’s been recycled, mixed with great coaching and buy in by the kids. It’s a recipe for success. The talent isn’t always there. It comes and goes like most small towns, but the coaching and buy in/tradition keeps us, at the very least, competitive.
I had the privilege to be coached by Red Franklin. He was an outstanding coach and an even better man. He demanded a lot out of us and did it without all of the cussing and what not. He always put God first and the last thing he would always say to us after Friday night win or lose was “find you a church on Sunday and get in it”. He will definitely be missed.
I had the privilege to be coached by Red Franklin. He was an outstanding coach and an even better man. He demanded a lot out of us and did it without all of the cussing and what not. He always put God first and the last thing he would always say to us after Friday night win or lose was “find you a church on Sunday and get in it”. He will definitely be missed.
Posted on 3/10/25 at 5:54 pm to Geaux23
Beat em once out of 4, I don’t see the brag you reference. I’m complimenting them.
Posted on 3/10/25 at 7:11 pm to Cosmo
quote:
And made millions in Haynesville shale
He owned land in another area? There's no Haynesville Shale in Haynesville
Posted on 3/10/25 at 9:54 pm to Strannix
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