http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/121680095123450.xml&coll=2AU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin steps away from namesake system
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
RAY MELICK
News staff writer
So much for "The Tony Franklin System."
For the time being, it's just "The System."
To comply with Southeastern Conference rules, new Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has been forced to relinquish ownership of the football consulting business he started in 2001, a business that has grown to include over 350 high schools in 44 states.
Franklin owned and operated his business while employed as the offensive coordinator at Troy University, but SEC rules stipulate that "SEC football coaching, strength and conditioning, and administrative staffs may not conduct, attend, or be involved in any way with football camps and coaching clinics off their institution's campus, except coaches may speak at other coaching clinics off their institution's campus only when there are no prospective student-athletes enrolled in the clinic."
Franklin knew the SEC rule when Auburn hired him in December, and turned over the operation of the business to his partners at Frank Glazier Mega Clinics. However, there were discussions among league athletic directors about changing the SEC rule, and Franklin was hopeful for such a rule change.
"We went through the (NCAA) compliance process when I was at Troy," Franklin said. "But the SEC said no. It doesn't make sense to me. I understand the camp thing, with student-athletes. But I don't understand why I can speak at a Nike clinic, to coaches as long as no prospects are there, but I can't own the clinic myself.
"We tried to see if we couldn't get to a point where we could work something out, but we weren't able to do it. So it's official. My former partner, Chris Coughlin, now owns the business and my name is off of it."
What was "The Tony Franklin System" has now been changed officially to "The System Seminars" and will be run out of the Glazier Mega Clinics office in Colorado Springs.
Franklin started his consulting business after resigning from his offensive coordinator position at Kentucky in 2000 during the NCAA investigations into the Wildcats' football program.
Starting with what Franklin said were "seven or eight tapes stuffed in a brown grocery bag," he traveled the country teaching his copyrighted system of the spread offense. In his last year at Troy, Franklin said he had "nearly 360 schools nationwide" signed as clients, and in addition was conducting one-day seminars for coaches around the country.
"I'm not happy about it," Franklin said. "I understand the part about not having camps. But not being able to present football information to high school coaches doesn't make sense to me. But I joined the club, so I'll play by the club's rules."
Franklin's system was available for $2,995, which included instructional DVDs, PowerPoint technology, playbooks, wristbands, and a year's worth of participating in weekly conference calls with Franklin. In addition to team camps in the summer, Franklin put on one-day coaching seminars in locations such as Atlantic City, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
Most of his early clients were high schools in Kentucky, but once Hoover High School turned into a national power running the system, high schools across the country started signing up.
"I'll continue to speak at clinics where there are not student-athletes," Franklin said. "But we've had to transfer ownership and change stock, handle legal details like that.
"It was running all summer without me anyway, so the customers know they're still getting the system without much difference. It just won't be mine anymore."
This kind of sucks. For one, the name association has got to be good for recruiting. Also, he's clearly disappointed by this, and any cons to keeping the OC job are never good.
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