Mack Franklin, member of Tennessee football 1951 national title team, dies at 93

Mack Franklin, a former Tennessee football captain, member of 1951 national title team and TSSAA Hall of Famer, died on June 15. He was 93.

Franklin, a native of Madisonville, Tennessee, was a standout starting end for the Vols in all three seasons on the varsity squad.

He was a key contributor during the 1951 season, when UT posted a 10-1 record and swept the SEC and national titles under coach Robert Neyland. He earned All-SEC honors in 1952-53. And he served as team captain in 1953.

Franklin finished his UT career playing in the Blue-Gray Game and Senior Bowl. Then he served two years of active duty in the U.S. Army, mostly stationed in Germany.

Franklin was a high school teacher and coach at Farragut, Oak Ridge and East Ridge from 1956-68. Most notably, he helped start the East Ridge wrestling program, which won two team state titles and 12 individual titles under his watch.

Franklin was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 2002, which recognized him as “one of the fathers of wrestling in Tennessee.” He also served as principal at McBrien Elementary and East Ridge High, assistant superintendent for the Hamilton County and a TSSAA Board of Control member.

After his retirement, Franklin was vice president and director of programs for STARS (Students Taking a Right Stand), a drug education program implemented in school systems nationwide.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Mack Franklin, member of Tennessee football 1951 national title team, dies at 93