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Mississippi’s Greatest Athletes: Clarksdale’s Bobby Ray Franklin
Clarksdale native Bobby Ray Franklin was an outstanding quarterback who helped Ole Miss to 28 victories over three seasons and then became a safety on championship teams in the NFL.
Bobby Ray Franklin
Photo courtesy of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
At Clarksdale High, Franklin became the first 10th grader to earn varsity letters in four sports and then went on to earn All-American football honors as a senior. At Ole Miss, he passed, ran, punted, and was also a standout on defense.
He made the SEC’s Team of the Decade of the 1950s, as chosen by the Associated Press. He was the MVP of the Rebels 21-0 victory over LSU in the 1960 Sugar Bowl. He intercepted eight passes as an NFL rookie with the Cleveland Browns in 1960, which ranked him second in the NFL. He was a standout on the 1962 Browns team that shut out Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts 27-0 in the NFL Championship game. Franklin coached for the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Colts and served as a scout for the Seattle Seahawks before getting back into coaching at Northwest Junior College in Senatobia. His Northwest teams compiled a 201-56-6 record. The Rangers won six state titles and two national championships under Franklin.
In 1992, Franklin’s Rangers finished 13-0 and outscored opponents 497-94. Franklin retired in 2005 after 68 years in football as a player, scout or coach.
Courtesy of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum director Rick Cleveland, author of Mississippi’s Greatest Athletes. Cleveland can be reached at rcleveland@msfame.com.
| Mon, Nov 4 |  | vs Long Island University | W, 90-60 |
| Fri, Nov 8 |  | vs Grambling | W, 66-64 |
| Tue, Nov 12 |  | vs South Alabama | W, 64-54 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Colorado State | W, 84-69 |
| Thu, Nov 21 |  | vs Oral Roberts | L, 100-68 |
| Thu, Nov 28 |  | vs BYU | W, 96-85 OT |
| Fri, Nov 29 |  | vs 13 Purdue | L, 80-78 |
| Tue, Dec 3 |  | @ Louisville | W, 86-63 |
| Sat, Dec 7 |  | vs Lindenwood | W, 86-53 |
| Sat, Dec 14 |  | vs Southern Miss | W, 77-46 |
| Tue, Dec 17 |  | vs Southern | W, 74-61 |
| Sat, Dec 21 |  | vs Queens University | W, 80-62 |
| Sat, Dec 28 |  | @ Memphis | L, 87-70 |
| Sat, Jan 4 |  | vs Georgia | W, 63-51 |
| Wed, Jan 8 |  | @ 23 Arkansas | W, 73-66 |
| Sat, Jan 11 |  | vs LSU | W, 77-65 |
| Tue, Jan 14 |  | @ 5 Alabama | W, 74-64 |
| Sat, Jan 18 |  | @ 17 Mississippi State | L, 81-84 |
| Wed, Jan 22 |  | vs 13 Texas A&M | L, 62-63 |
| Sat, Jan 25 |  | @ Missouri | 5:00 PM SECN |
| Wed, Jan 29 |  | vs Texas | 8:00 PM ESPN2 |
| Sat, Feb 1 |  | vs 2 Auburn | 3:00 PM TBA |
| Tue, Feb 4 |  | vs 10 Kentucky | 6:00 PM ESPN |
| Sat, Feb 8 | | @ LSU | 7:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 12 |  | @ South Carolina | 6:00 PM SECN |
| Sat, Feb 15 | | vs 17 Mississippi State | 5:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Feb 22 |  | @ Vanderbilt | 2:30 PM SECN |
| Wed, Feb 26 | | @ 2 Auburn | 6:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 1 |  | vs 12 Oklahoma | 1:00 PM TBA |
| Wed, Mar 5 |  | vs 1 Tennessee | 8:00 PM TBA |
| Sat, Mar 8 |  | @ 6 Florida | 5:00 PM SECN |
James R. Giles
March 31, 2016 at 1:44 pm
HE WAS ALSO THE HOLDER FOR THE LEGENDARY LOU “THE TOE”GROZA WHO SET FIELD GOAL RECORDS FOR THE CLEVELAND BROWNS IN THE LATE 50s AND EARLY TO MID 60s.