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'{{short description|American sportscaster|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{About|the sportscaster|the jockey|Ron Franklin (jockey)}} {{Infobox person | name = Ron Franklin | image = | caption = | birthname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1942|02|02}} | birth_place = [[Jackson, Mississippi]] | death_date = Died: January 18, 2022 | death_place = | education = [[University of Mississippi]] | occupation = | alias = | title = Play-by-Play Commentator / Co-Host Outdoors Events | family = | spouse = | domestic_partner = | children = | relatives = | ethnicity = | salary = | networth = | credits = Jake Wade Memorial Award | agent = | URL = }} '''Ron Franklin''' (born February 2, 1942) was an American [[sportscaster]]. He was employed by [[ESPN]] from 1987 to 2011. He was fired by ESPN on January 4, 2011, after making sexist comments to a colleague.<ref name=FIRED>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/ron-franklin-fired-espn_n_804375.html Ron Franklin Fired: ESPN Axes Announcer After Sexist Comments: Report], Huffington Post, January 4, 2011.</ref> Franklin brought a wrongful termination suit<ref>{{cite news| url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/01/ron-franklin-sues-espn-for-wrongful-termination/1#.UgqXkJK1F8F | work=USA Today | title=Ron Franklin sues ESPN for wrongful termination | date=January 19, 2011}}</ref> against his former employer, alleging breach of contract by ESPN. The parties settled out of court.<ref>http://newsok.com/espn-settles-wrongful-termination-lawsuit-brought-by-ron-franklin/article/3640015</ref> ==Early life and career== Franklin grew up in [[Hazelhurst, Mississippi]]. His mother allowed him to play sports in school as long as he also agreed to take [[voice lessons]]. His family moved to [[Oxford, Mississippi]] when he was 14. He suffered a head injury in high school that resulted in the formation of a blood clot that ended his football career and made him ineligible for the military. Around the same time he found work as a teen [[disc jockey]], which got him interested in combining his interests in broadcasting and sports.<ref name=MSM>Cary Estes, [http://www.mssportsmagazine.com/msm_news/msm-feature-ron-franklin-local-vocal MSM Feature – Ron Franklin: Local Vocal], ''Mississippi Sports Magazine'', February 23, 2010, Accessed January 5, 2011.</ref> While a student at the [[University of Mississippi]], Franklin worked the wake-up shift at a radio station, attended classes during the day, and then returned to the station in the evening to work on commercials. For further vocal training, he performed in college theater.<ref name=MSM/> He is an alumni member of [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]] fraternity. Prior to ESPN, he was basketball and football play-by-play commentator for the [[Texas Longhorns|University of Texas]] from 1983 to 1988. He was the [[play-by-play]] voice of the [[Houston Oilers]] from 1971 to 1982. He also worked as sports director for four different local news stations: KSWS-TV (now [[KOBR]]) in [[Roswell, New Mexico]] in 1965, KVOO-TV (now [[KJRH-TV]]) in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] from 1967 to 1971, and in [[Houston, Texas]] with [[KHOU-TV]] from 1971 to 1980, then with [[KPRC-TV]] from 1980 to 1987. ==ESPN== While at ESPN, he primarily worked as a [[play-by-play]] commentator for ESPN's coverage of [[college basketball]] and [[college football]]. From 1987 to 2005, he anchored ''[[ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime|ESPN College Football Primetime]]'' primarily with [[Mike Gottfried]]. In 2006, he moved to [[ESPN2 College Football Saturday Primetime|ESPN2 College Football Primetime]] with [[Ed Cunningham]]. In 2007, that crew moved to [[ESPN on ABC]] to call mainly [[Big 12]] games. In [[college basketball]], he was the primary ESPN play-by-play man with [[Fran Fraschilla]] for Big 12 games. The duo also called the [[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]] Championship. He also called the tennis [[French Open]], [[college baseball]] and the U.S. Olympic Festival, He hosted in some years the [[Miss Texas USA]] Pageants. He signed a contract extension with [[ESPN]] in 2006. ===Holly Rowe incident=== On October 1, 2005, during a game between [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] and [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue]] that Franklin was calling, sideline reporter [[Holly Rowe]] praised Purdue defensive coordinator [[Brock Spack]] for using all three timeouts on defense despite trailing by four touchdowns late in the game. "If the coaches are giving up," Rowe added, "What does that say to the players?" Franklin responded, "Holly, it's not giving up. It's 49–21, sweetheart."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il35MoMrUxM&t=0m49s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/il35MoMrUxM |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|title=Ron Franklin Holly Rowe Incident |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=February 5, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28079938/inside_college_football/ |title=Inside College Football |first=Teddy |last=Greenstein |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=3-13 |date=October 3, 2005 |access-date=February 5, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In response to that, Mo Davenport, senior coordinating producer for college football said, "It was an inappropriate comment, and we've communicated that to Ron. There's never a reason to say something so mean-spirited. Ron apologized. We dealt with it internally."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2189031 |title=Drawing stronger line between reporting, commentary |first=George |last=Solomon |website=[[ESPN]] |date=October 12, 2005 |access-date=February 5, 2019}}</ref> ===Jeannine Edwards incident=== During a production meeting prior to ESPN's telecast of the [[Chick-fil-A Bowl]] on December 31, 2010, Franklin addressed sideline reporter [[Jeannine Edwards]] in a condescending tone as "sweet baby"; when she objected, Franklin called her an "[[asshole]]". The incident was reported to ESPN by another colleague, and ESPN tried to pull Franklin from the Chick Fil-A coverage that night but was unable; instead, Franklin was removed from [[ESPN Radio]]'s coverage of the [[2011 Fiesta Bowl]] the following day.<ref name=Edwards>[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/01/jeannine-edwards-ron-franklin-called-me-sweet-baby-not-sweet-cakes/1 Jeannine Edwards: Ron Franklin called me 'sweet baby,' not 'sweet cakes'], USAToday.com, January 3, 2011, Accessed January 3, 2011.</ref> <ref>{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/01/espns-ron-franklin-apologizes-i-deserved-to-be-taken-off-fiesta-bowl/1 |title=ESPN's Ron Franklin apologizes: I deserved to be taken off Fiesta Bowl |author=Michael McCarthy |publisher=USA Today.com |date=January 3, 2011 |access-date=January 3, 2011}}</ref> Franklin apologized for his remarks the following Monday and said he deserved to be pulled from the Fiesta Bowl. However, ESPN fired Franklin the following day; in a statement, ESPN noted, "Based on what occurred last Friday, we have ended our relationship with him."<ref name=FIRED/> ==Personal life== Franklin is married with one child. He lives in [[Austin, Texas]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} ==References== ;Notes {{Reflist|30em}} ;Sources *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051221213357/http://www.newsombudsmen.org/cgi-bin/ono_article.pl?mode=view&article_id=1129341866 |date=December 21, 2005 |title=Organization of News: Drawing a Line Between Reporting and Commentating }} *[http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/big12/stories/MYSA082505.2C.FBCespn.franklin.a7cab3b9.html MySanAntonio.com: ESPN announcer Ron Franklin comments on college football] {{ESPN}} {{ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Ron}} [[Category:1942 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American television sports announcers]] [[Category:Baseball announcers]] [[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]] [[Category:College football announcers]] [[Category:Houston Oilers announcers]] [[Category:Television anchors from Houston]] [[Category:National Football League announcers]] [[Category:University of Mississippi alumni]] [[Category:Tennis commentators]] [[Category:Texas Longhorns football announcers]] [[Category:People from Jackson, Mississippi]] [[Category:Beauty pageant hosts]] [[Category:American radio DJs]] [[Category:Southern Methodists]] [[Category:American United Methodists]]'