James Franklin

On December 25, 2006 JAMES FRANKLIN MORRISON of Baltimore, MD beloved husband of Edna Louise Morrison (nee Vance); devoted father of Emma J. Reynolds and husband Michael, Barbara L. Murdaugh and husband James, Bonnie S. Beaumier and husband Wallace, and Edna L. Kohl and husband Randy; loving sister of five brothers and two sisters. Also survived by nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; predeceased by one sister. Services will be held in Lighthouse Christian Assembly, Bel Air, MD on Friday, December 29, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. Interment will be in Harford Memorial Gardens, Aberdeen, MD. Friends may call at the family owned McComas Funeral Funeral Home, P.A., Abingdon, MD on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and at the church on Friday from 11-12 p.m. before the service.

The Last Word is an occasional Baltimore Sun Q&A series that checks in with outgoing Maryland football and men's basketball players.                          Matt Furstenburg came to College Park in 2008 as a well-regarded prep school tight end . Five years later, the Flemington, N.J., native leaves Maryland as the Terps' top NFL draft prospect. Furstenburg, who finished his Maryland career with 60 catches for 769 yards and five touchdowns, is ranked the No. 11 draft-eligible tight end by CBSSports.com . The 6-foot-4, 242-pound prospect, who earned a bachelor's degree from Maryland in family science, was the fastest tight end at the NFL scouting combine with a 4.62 40. Furstenburg spoke with The Baltimore Sun this week about his Maryland career, his NFL prospects and more.

The comments former Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin made about the criteria he uses in choosing his assistant coaches at Vanderbilt came as a surprise to me. I always thought Franklin, like a lot of college coaches, was a used car salesman, not a sexist. If you haven't heard, the second-year Vanderbilt coach was chatting up a Nashville radio talk show when the subject of assistant coaches came up. Instead of saying something like, “I took the best guys off Ralph Friedgen's staff and cost him his job,” Franklin said, “I've been saying for a long time, I will not hire an assistant until I've seen his wife.

The comments former Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin made about the criteria he uses in choosing his assistant coaches at Vanderbilt came as a surprise to me. I always thought Franklin, like a lot of college coaches, was a used car salesman, not a sexist. If you haven't heard, the second-year Vanderbilt coach was chatting up a Nashville radio talk show when the subject of assistant coaches came up. Instead of saying something like, “I took the best guys off Ralph Friedgen's staff and cost him his job,” Franklin said, “I've been saying for a long time, I will not hire an assistant until I've seen his wife.

James Franklin Patton, a retired career Air Force officer who later worked for Westinghouse Electric Corp., died of pneumonia July 31 at a nursing home in Hendersonville, N.C. The former Annapolis resident was 82. Mr. Patton was born and raised in Asheville, N.C., where he graduated from Biltmore High School and was an Eagle Scout. In 1941, he enlisted in the Army Air Service where he was assigned as a flight engineer to the ferry command that delivered new planes to bases in North Africa, Europe and China.

James Franklin Moss, a retired Eastern Shore construction worker, died of cancer Feb. 22 at Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, Del. The longtime Chestertown resident was 72. Mr. Moss was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, and raised in Valley Stream, N.Y., and Newport, Del. After graduating from high school, he was an agricultural and construction worker. In 1953, he married Elease Cotton, and during the 1960s the couple worked as housekeeper and chauffeur for members of the du Pont family in Greenville, Del. Mr. Moss took a job in the early 1970s with Ernest DiSabatino & Sons Co., an Eastern Shore construction company.

James Franklin is in his second season as recruiting coordinator at Maryland. Franklin joined Coach Ralph Friedgen's staff in April 2000 as a wide receivers coach, a responsibility he still holds in the Terps' program. Franklin is responsible for recruiting Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Dan, Cibolo, Texas: What were the Terps' biggest needs this recruiting season? How did we do in filling them? James Franklin: Probably the major priorities were to increase team speed and get more players at the wide receiver postition.

On September 12, 2007, DR. JAMES FRANKLIN, JR., of Jarrettsville, MD, husband of Mary Blackhall White; father of Jean Anne Lawes and husband Gregory, James Franklin White, III and Dr. William Alexander Blackhall White and brother of Dr. Robert R. White and Richard L. White. Also survived by three grandchildren. Services will be held Saturday September 15 at 11 A.M. at Bethel Presbyterian Church, Madonna, MD. Interment in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the church Friday from 7 to 9 P.M. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Bethel Church Memorial Fund, 4135 Norrisville Road, White Hall, MD 21161 or Upper Chesapeake/St.

It sure seems James Franklin will be Maryland's football coach by 2012. Ralph Friedgen's contract is up in January 2012. If you're Maryland, would you really consider extending the incumbent coach's contract while you've got a hot young prospect waiting in the wings? ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/terpsblog)

On May 26, 2005, JAMES FRANKLIN; dear father of Linda Smith; also survived by a granddaughter, Andrea Smith, one great-granddaughter and other caring relatives and friends. Mr. Franklin will rest at the JOSEPH L. RUSS FUNERAL HOME, 2222-26 W. North Avenue on Tuesday, from 3 to 8 P.M., with the family greeting friends from 3 to 6. Wake on Wednesday, at Metropolitan U.M.C., Lanvale Street and Carrollton Ave., from 10:30 to 11 A.M., when funeral service will begin. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery.

One-time Maryland "coach in waiting" James Franklin is now the head football coach at Vanderbilt, where he recently decided to give his team a break from practice by taking them bowling. When he announced it, the team went crazy. No one went more bonkers than Franklin himself. Thankfully, we have video of it. Unreliable sources tell me that Maryland football coach Randy Edsall tried a similar motivational ploy, but “Let's go get crew cuts!” didn't have the same appeal as “Let's go bowling!

From Tracking the Terps: It took a few days, but the news is finally official. Maryland offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting James Franklin will be Vanderbilt's next head football coach. He'll be introduced during a press conference at 2 p.m. Here's the news release from Vanderbilit. Nashville, Tenn. Ã?Â?Ã?Â? James Franklin, one of the nation's top offensive coordinators and recruiters, is a head coach-in-waiting no longer. Franklin, assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Maryland, will will be introduced Friday as the 27th head coach in Commodore football history by Vanderbilt Chancellor Nick Zeppos and Vice Chancellor of Student Athletics David Williams II. "Improving our football program is a high priority at Vanderbilt and the first step in the process was to identify just the right person to lead us," Williams said.

Vanderbilt is talking to Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin about becoming its next head football coach, and Franklin has indicated he wants the job, according to officials with knowledge of the process. If Franklin signs with Vanderbilt, it would mean the end of Maryland's nearly two-year-old plan to have him succeed Ralph Friedgen as Maryland coach when Friedgen's contract expires at the end of the 2011 season. It would raise questions about whether Maryland would grant Friedgen an extension once his planned replacement left the school.

COLLEGE PARK - -The game wasn't over, nor was the season, but Keith Gray had seen enough. A season-ticket holder since Ralph Friedgen's first season as coach at Maryland, Gray is typical of many fans when it comes to the decision about Friedgen's future at his alma mater. "If they fire Friedgen, they need to get rid of the whole bunch," Gray said as he walked out of Byrd Stadium on Saturday night toward the end of a 19-17 loss to Boston College. "But give 'em another year. They can't afford to fire 'em, can they?"

COLLEGE PARK - -When a Division I college football team struggles, the most vocal portion of the fan base tends to make itself heard. That's the case at Maryland, where coach Ralph Friedgen and his staff have been a target of criticism in blogs and on message boards as the Terrapins have slipped to 2-6 overall (1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) - his fewest victories this late in a season since taking over the program in 2001. While Friedgen has the support of a number of prominent boosters, his critics say Maryland's football program, which had a bye this weekend before playing Saturday at North Carolina State, needs new leadership.

Florence E. Johnson, a retired housekeeper who enjoyed dancing, died Thursday in her sleep at her daughter's West Baltimore home. She was 102. Born Florence Elizabeth Rogers in Carroll County, she attended Carroll County and Baltimore public schools before going to work as a housekeeper in 1923. Her daughter, Elaine Paul, recalled her mother's exceptional skills as a demanding housekeeper and her financial acumen. "She took exceptional care of her children and home and did not believe in owing anyone anything but love," Mrs. Paul said.

COLLEGE PARK - -University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen says he might want to remain in his post for up to five more years if the team is performing well - a move that could complicate the school's coaching succession plan. Friedgen, 62, said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that he might want to stay beyond the three years for which he is under contract. On Feb. 6, the university signed an agreement promising to pay $1 million to offensive coordinator James Franklin - who has turned down coaching jobs at other schools and in the NFL - if he is not elevated to head coach by Jan. 2, 2012.

It sure seems James Franklin will be Maryland's football coach by 2012. Ralph Friedgen's contract is up in January 2012. If you're Maryland, would you really consider extending the incumbent coach's contract while you've got a hot young prospect waiting in the wings? ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/terpsblog)