Introduction
Carl Franks (born December 1, 1960) is an American football coach and former player. From 1999 to 2003, Franks served as the head coach at Duke University, compiling a record of 7–45. He played football at Duke where he was an Academic All-ACC selection.
Coaching career
Franks served as an assistant under Steve Spurrier for 12 years. He served as Spurrier's running backs coach at Duke from 1987 to 1989 and in the same capacity at the University of Florida from 1990 to 1992 and again from 1995 to 1998, serving as the position coach for future Pro Bowler Fred Taylor. He was Florida's tight ends coach in 1993 and inside linebackers coach in 1994.
Franks then served as the 19th head coach of his alma mater, Duke, from 1999 to 2003. Appointed as head coach on his 38th birthday, he was dismissed five years later after amassing a 7–45 record. Despite the poor record, Franks was lauded for the academic success of his players, and his program won the Academic Achievement Award from the American Football Coaches Association in 2003.
Franks was the running backs coach at the University of South Florida from 2004 to 2012. He was the Bulls' interim head coach for six days in January 2010 between the firing of Jim Leavitt and the hiring of Skip Holtz.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Blue Devils (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1999–2003) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Duke | 3–8 | 3–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 2000 | Duke | 0–11 | 0–8 | 9th | |||||
| 2001 | Duke | 0–11 | 0–8 | 9th | |||||
| 2002 | Duke | 2–10 | 0–8 | 9th | |||||
| 2003 | Duke | 2–5* | 0–4* | * | |||||
| Duke: | 7–45 | 3–29 | *Final 5 games coached by Ted Roof | ||||||
| Total: | 7–45 | ||||||||
Coaching tree
Assistant coaches under Carl Franks who became NCAA head coaches:
- Ted Roof: Duke: (2004–2007)