Wake Forest head football coach Jim Grobe saved the Duke football team added embarrassment Saturday when he held back his team from adding to the 42-0 lead it had built before halftime. Thankfully, Grobe's magnanimous gesture did not save Carl Frank's job.
In the case for dismissal, Carl Franks is a man without a defense. His record speaks for itself. Since his appointment in 1999, he has gone 7-45. His teams have gone 3-8, 0-11, 0-11, 2-10 and 2-5, respectively, and have lost 29 straight ACC contests to date. And, let's be honest about the games that his teams have won. This season, they barely defeated Rice, and had their hands full with Western Carolina, a Division I-AA team. Last season, the team lost several games by a touchdown or fewer, and Franks' contract was extended on the grounds that continued improvement was shown. After dissappointing losses to mediocre teams like Northwestern and Wake Forest this year, it is clear that the team is not moving in the right direction.
The consistent string of losses is alarming, but it begs the question--how much of the problem can be attributed to Franks? Admittedly, the team is not composed of individuals as talented as many of Duke's ACC rivals, but Franks should have gotten better results out of the players he coached. Duke has talented players at key positions. For example, linebacker Ryan Fowler and fullback Alex Wade are widely acknowledged as being some of the best individuals in the ACC at their positions, and will likely play in the NFL after college. In addition, tailback Chris Douglas, placekicker Brent Garber, and quarterback Mike Schneider are all very capable athletes.
Coach Franks was also given the institutional infrastructure to turn the program in a winning direction. The University raised over $22 million to construct the brand-new Yoh Football Center and raised the salaries of assistant coaches. Yet, buildings and funds don't make up for a lack of intelligent play-calling, leadership and motivation. Given the resources available to Franks during his tenure, it is fair to hold him largely responsible for the team's recent failures. The players work too hard to be coached so poorly.
However, despite the gloom associated with Duke's football program at present, there is hope for the future. While the next coach will have his work cut out for him, there are several perks to the position. The Yoh Center and Duke's academic reputation will aid in recruiting, and the members of the current team are by no means incapable of scraping out another win or two this season, and excelling in the future. The University has made it clear that Duke will not accept its status as a "basketball only" school, and football will not be written off.
Coach Franks should be commended for his efforts, and saluted for the hard work and dedication he displayed during his tenure as a player and head coach. But, his dismissal was the right move, and it will give the Athletic Department ample time to begin courting Franks' successor.
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