After playing his first year of college football at the University of Alabama, Alton "Red" Franklin played end for the Louisiana College Wildcats. After an 8-2 senior season he went on to receive his bachelor of science degree in education in 1961 and began what turned out to be an exceptional career in coaching high school football.
After graduating from Louisiana College in 1961, Franklin served as an assistant football coach at Marksville for two years. He then took a job in Springhill for the next three years until he joined Haynesville High School in 1966.
Few high school coaches can match the many accomplishments of Franklin's coaching career. Boasting 6 state championships and 4 runner-up finishes, Franklin has participated in the state playoffs for 21 years. He has been named District Coach of the Year on 15 occasions and State Coach of the Year for three times.
In 1985 Franklin was named Coach of the Year for Region 5 and was also nominated for National Coach of the Year. He is an active member of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association and served one year as LHSCA president in 1976-1977. Franklin was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991.
By the time he retired, Franklin had accumulated a record of 366 wins, 76 losses, and 8 ties. He coached 11 of his Haynesville teams to state championships and four to state runner-up finishes. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Alton "Red" Franklin as a charter member of the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 22, 1992.
