The sports world has lost a legendary announcer Ron Franklin, 79, who passed away on Monday. ESPN employed him from 1987 to 2011.
Craig, Jeff, and Snupe discuss the broadcast legend, his career, impact, and legacy.
Table of Contents
Ron Franklin Profile
Before moving any further, let’s have a look at Ron Franklin’s profile.
| Full name | Ronald Franklin |
|---|---|
| Common name | Ron Franklin |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | February 2, 1942 |
| Place of birth | Jackson, Mississippi, United States |
| Date of death | January 18, 2022 (79-year-old) |
| Place of death | Not known |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Father name | Not available |
| Mother name | Not available |
| Siblings | Not known |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Sports Announcer |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Bonnie |
| Residence | Austin, Texas |
| Education | University of Mississippi |
| Titles | Play-by-Play CommentatorCo-Host Outdoors Events |
| Net worth | $1-5 million |
Ron Franklin Birth, Death(Age), Ethnicity and Religion, Residence
Ron Franklin’s birth name was Ronald Franklin was an American and a sportscaster in the United States. (February 2, 1942 – January 18, 2022)
He lived in Austin and was a popular figure among Texas Longhorn fans. On Tuesday, Franklin died at the age of 79 on January 18, 2022. Franklin’s friends, including KHOU sports anchor Matt Musil, shared about his death on the same day.
Ron Franklin Family
Franklin was raised by his parents in the Mississippi town of Hazelhurst. He was very interested in sports and athletes. His mother agreed to let him participate in school athletics if he consented to take voice lessons.
When Ron Franklin was 14, his family relocated to Oxford, Mississippi. In high school, he sustained a brain injury, resulting in a blood clot, which halted his football career and rendered him ineligible for military service.
Ron Franklin Wife/Girlfriend, Children
Franklin is a married man with one child. His wife’s name is Bonnie, and he has one child.
Ron Franklin Height and Weight
There is not much information available about his height, weight, and body dimensions.
| Height | Not available |
| Weight | Not available |
| Body dimension | Not available |
Ron Franklin Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be between 1 to 5 million dollars.
Ron Franklin Career
After recovering from his injury, he obtained work as a teen disc jockey, which piqued his interest in combining his radio and sports interests.
Franklin worked the morning shift at a radio station while attending school at the University of Mississippi, then returned to the station in the evening to work on advertisements.
He participated in college theater to gain more vocal training. He was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member.
Ron Franklin Professional career : With ESPN TV Shows
(ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime, ESPN College Football on ABC)
Before joining ESPN, he worked as a basketball and football play-by-play announcer at the University of Texas from 1983 to 1988.
From 1971 through 1982, he was the Houston Oilers’ play-by-play announcer. He also served as a sports director for four local news stations: KSWS-TV in Roswell, New Mexico in 1965, KVOO-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1967 to 1971, KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas from 1971 to 1980, and KPRC-TV in Houston from 1980 to 1987.
Ron worked mostly as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN’s college basketball and football coverage. He co-hosted ESPN College Football Primetime with Mike Gottfried from 1987 to 2005.
He joined ESPN2 College Football Primetime with Ed Cunningham in 2006. That team moved to ESPN on ABC in 2007 to call mostly Big 12 games. In college basketball, he was the principal ESPN play-by-play announcer for Big 12 games with Fran Fraschilla.
The duo also referred to the NIT Championship. He also called the French Open in tennis, collegiate baseball, and the United States Olympic Festival. He hosted the Miss Texas USA Pageants for several years.
Before arriving in Houston in 1971, he added television broadcasts to his CV with trips in New Mexico and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
He joined the Houston Oilers broadcast team as a play-by-play commentator the same year he joined KHOU-TV, where he stayed until 1980 before moving on to crosstown rival KPRC for seven years.
Franklin joined ESPN in 1987 and worked as a pundit and anchor for college football and basketball coverage for more than two decades.
Ron Franklin Awards
He received the Jake Wade Memorial Award.
Some Facts about Ron Franklin
- From 1987 to 2011, he worked for ESPN. On January 4, 2011, ESPN dismissed him for making sexist remarks to a coworker.
- In 2006, he received a contract deal with ESPN.
- Franklin filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, ESPN, alleging breach of contract. The parties reached an out-of-court settlement.
