Louisville Names Joe Franklin Director of Track & Field and Cross Country
Press Release from the University of Louisville:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Joe Franklin, three-time national cross country coach of the year and architect of two national champion cross country teams, has been named the University of Louisville's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, UofL Vice President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced on Friday.
"Words cannot fully express how thrilled we are to welcome Joe Franklin, his wife, Mindy, and his son, Elijah, to the University of Louisville," Heird said. "Joe has an outstanding national reputation as a world-class coach, program builder, and man of character. His accomplishments include two NCAA national titles in cross country, along with numerous conference championships and Coach of the Year honors. He is a coach who wants all of his student-athletes to become their most successful selves, in sport and in life, and he is exactly who we need to take our track & field programs to unprecedented heights."
Franklin comes to Louisville after 16 years (2007-23) as the head track and field/cross country coach at the University of New Mexico where he helped bring the program to national prominence. During his time there, he directed the Lobos to two NCAA National titles in women's cross country in 2015 and 2017 and a pair of national runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2022.
"I'm excited and looking forward to joining the Louisville family and an athletic department with a very rich tradition and history of success at the highest level," said Franklin. "Our goals will be simple from the day that we start this process: give our student-athletes incredible opportunities in the classroom, on the track and on the global stage. I want to thank Josh Heird and his staff for believing in me and my family. My family and I are excited to be a part of the Cardinal Family!"
In total, his New Mexico teams registered seven top-four NCAA finishes in the last nine years and produced 10 individual national champions including two in cross country and eight in track and field. The Lobo women placed second in the 2019 United States Track & Field Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year standings following a fifth place showing in 2018.
Franklin earned USTFCCCA National Women's Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and 2017 after guiding the Lobos to national championships – both staged at Louisville's E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. The 2017 championship was highlighted by Ednah Kurgat taking home the women's cross country individual crown in 2017.
Most recently, the 2022 USTFCCCA Mountain Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year piloted the Lobos to the 2022 Mountain West and the NCAA Mountain Regional titles. New Mexico went on to notch a runner-up showing in the 2022 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship after being ranked second nationally throughout the season, finishing the Championship with five All-Americans.
Throughout his time in Albuquerque, the Lobos amassed 13 straight top-10 finishes in the NCAA women's cross country championship, placing among the top four in five of the last six years. Overall, New Mexico has notched 31 top-25 team finishes across the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field programs. Along with the team accomplishments, UNM produced 72 USTFCCCA All-Americans who combined for a total of 173 All-America honors – 132 of which came in track and field and 41 in cross country.
With Franklin at the helm, New Mexico captured 27 Mountain West team championships - the most of any team in the league. The women's cross country program led the way with 15 consecutive titles from 2008-22 and the men's cross country team won six straight of their own from 2009-14. The women's track and field program notched a pair of indoor championships while the men's indoor team swept the indoor and outdoor crowns in 2014, and also claimed indoor titles in 2013 and 2015.
In addition to the Mountain West team championships, the Lobos also earned a total of 187 individual conference titles including nine in women's cross country, three in men's cross country, 36 in women's indoor, 50 in men's indoor, 32 in women's outdoor and 57 in men's outdoor.
Franklin's student-athletes also found success internationally, with several becoming Olympians following their time at UNM. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, Courtney Frerichs and Adva Cohen competed in the Women's 3000m steeplechase, with Frerichs earning the silver medal, while Josh Kerr also found his way onto the podium, collecting the bronze in the Men's 1500m.
Prior to his stint at New Mexico, Franklin spent 13 years (1994-2007) as the head cross country and track and field coach at Butler University, guiding the Bulldogs into national contention. During his tenure, the Bulldogs sent eight teams (six men's, two women's) to the NCAA Cross Country Championships with seven squads earning top-25 finishes between 1998-2006.
In 2004, he oversaw the Butler men to a program-best fourth place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship and was tabbed the USTFCCCA National Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year following the season.
The Bulldogs sent a team to the NCAA Championships in five of the last six years that Franklin was at the helm and dominated the Horizon League in cross country with the men winning nine straight conference titles and the women capturing five consecutive league championships. In the Franklin era, Butler athletes earned track and field or cross country All-America honors nine times with Victoria Mitchell winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase national title in 2005.
In addition to his national coach of the year accolades, Franklin has collected numerous awards throughout his storied career including 11 USTFCCCA Mountain Region Coach of the Year honors to go along with 25 Mountain West Coach of the Year honors at New Mexico. He was also tabbed the Horizon League Coach of the Year 19 times while at Butler.
Student-athletes under Franklin's direction have also excelled in the classroom with his 2015 and 2017 squads garnering NCAA Division I Scholar Team of the Year honors. The Lobos earned 14 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognitions throughout his time there. Two New Mexico student-athletes, Ednah Kurgat and Weini Kelati, earned the Honda Sport Award for Women's Cross Country. During his tenure at Butler, Fraser Thompson earned Rhodes Scholar distinction.
Before his time at Butler, Franklin served as an assistant men's cross country and track and field coach at Purdue from 1992-94. He began his coaching career as the head coach at DePauw University from 1991-92 and was named the conference coach of the year.
A native of Greencastle, Ind., Franklin was a four-year letterwinner in track at Purdue University and a two-time all-Big 10 Conference honoree in the 800 finishing second in 1989, and third in 1991. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Professional Writing in 1991 and his Master's degree in Education Administration in 1994, both from Purdue. Franklin and his wife, Melinda, have a son, Elijah.
(Photo of Joe Franklin via 247Sports)
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