Karen Boehler
CCSR writer/editor
Changes are afoot at the New Mexico Military Institute, as effective July 19, former Bronco head basketball coach Reggie Franklin will take over duties as athletic director from retiring AD Dwight Burns.
Burns, who spent 30 years at NMMI as a coach and/or administrator, and two more playing football for the Broncos — he still holds the passing records for attempts (222), completions (122) and yards (2,065) in a single season, set in 1968.
This is even more impressive considering that NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach played for NMMI, as did former Oklahoma State quarterback Tony Pounds. Pounds is second on the list with 105 completions on 190 attempts and 1412 yards in 1,969, while Staubach is third with 93 comps, 152 attempts and 1,269 yards, back in 1960.
Burns said after all that time, he’s ready to retire and simply enjoy the games as a fan.
For Franklin, who was one of seven finalists for the job, it’s an opportunity.
“It gives me an opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time, and I like new challenges, so this will be a new challenge for me,” he said.
Franklin spent 17 seasons as the Bronco basketball head coach. He graduated from NMMI in 1977 and from Southern Methodist University in 1979. He was the first player selected by the Harlem Globetrotters in 1979, and played for the famous touring squad for two years.
After that, he began his coaching career at Midland College, where he helped lead the 1981-82 Chaparrals to the NJCAA national basketball title. In 1987, he took over the head coaching duties at Midland, and worked at DI Southwest Louisiana University for one season.
He spent the last two years at NMMI as the head of the Alumni Association, but, at age 50, went back to school to earn his masters in sports administration, so was both surprised and happy when he was named to the new post.
Burns said longtime coach Franklin “knows the school and has a genuine interest as far as the progress of the programs,” and will be an able replacement.
While change in the NMMI athletic department may or may not happen — “Everybody talks about change, and sometimes you have to go in and assess the environment to see what needs to be changed,” he said. “That’s why I want to meet with all our coaches and see what they need. Talk to them and the administration here” — he want to make both the Colts and Broncos more competitive, and retain the student athletes who do come to NMMI.
“The one thing I want to do is see what we can do to make our teams more competitive,” he said. “Retention has been a problem on both the high school and college level. Sometimes we get players to come in for one year, then decide to transfer out. Sometimes coaches think they’ll have a great team coming back because they’re counting on these guys to come back, and they don’t.”
He knows the Broncos are in some of the toughest junior college conferences in the country — whether it be basketball, football, baseball or volleyball — and he also know that recruiting for the military school is difficult.
“We’ve just got to scrape and scrape and get the best student athletes that we can get who can understand the military environment, the military lifestyle and what we expect from them,” he said. “We’re recruiting from a much smaller pool than everybody else is recruiting from. That puts us at a disadvantage. We have a very small group that we can recruit from, I think compared to everybody else.
“Then you look at grades and other issues. Everywhere else at junior college, you need a heartbeat to get in. Here you need test scores and a GPA and a heartbeat. It’s a little bit different for us.”
But he’s pleased with the coaches at NMMI, noting they do the best they can with what they have.
“I think we have some great coaches,” he said. “I know our coaches. They work hard. They’re dedicated and I just think they have to get the best kids they can get.”
And he’s also pleased with the support the athletic department is getting from president/superintendent Maj. Gen. Jerry Grizzle.
“General Grizzle wants to be competitive and see what we can do to make everybody better,” he said. “I think this is one of the first times in a long time that we’ve had that kind of support.”
Burns echoed that sentiment.
“Another reason I feel comfortable about leaving now is our new administration,” Burns said. “I think (Grizzle) really got things going in the right direction. He’s very energetic about and aggressive with concerns about the athletic department.
Franklin might have a little bit of a learning curve at the high school level, but he’s heard the same rumors that everyone else has: that recruitment is up both at the high school and junior college, meaning coaches should have a larger pool to choose from when selecting teams.
The Colts also will be dropping down a district in the NMAA, going from AAA to AA, which should help the boys teams compete on a more equal level.
Because of numbers, the girls still won’t compete in a district, and Franklin said working with the NMAA to see what can be done for the Lady Colts is a future priority.
“We’ve got to have sports for the girls, but we want it to be fair and equitable, too,” he said. “So I will look at that issue.”
Changes or not, Franklin sounds excited when he talks about the coming season, and urges the community to feel the same way.
“I just encourage the fans to come out and see some of the best athletes in the country,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be a great year all the way around.”
For more sports news, go to Chaves County Sports Report