Anyone know what hes doing now? Sure would be cool if he went back to college station and helped our kicker out some.....

Don't know right now but played in an Aggie Golf Tourney with him a couple of years ago in New Braunfels!

he works as director of finance for Gillman Honda in Schertz, in between New Braunfels and San Antonio. Still has the No Shoe plates on his car.

THE BEST KICKER EVER IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

uh, not really...

THEN YOU NEVER SEEN HIM KICK

YOU'RE RIGHT

Matt is working with Chris Boniol who is a very good instructor. I really don't know what is going on with Matt.

Couple of you need help finding...

I think it's mostly in his head. In baseball terms, he's somewhere between Brad Lidge and Rick Ankiel (closer to Ankiel w/ every shanked FG attempt). I can't describe the look on his face after he misses. Like a mixture of confusion and nausea.

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I can't describe the look on his face after he misses. Like a mixture of confusion and nausea.

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Hey, we have a lot in common.

Beat me to it super ...

So in terms of baseball he is right at about the Chuck Knoblauch level? Maybe we should just move him to punter next year like the Yanks moved Knobby to Left, he still has a leg just like Chuck still had a bat.

Just trying to make the Baseball Melt down reference a little more Aggie themed

I was in high school when Tony kicked for A&M. We used to get to the games early for the sole purpose of watching him warm up before the game. He would start off kicking 50 yarders and end up kicking 70 yarders. He was amazing. His ball would soar.

I think it was 1997 against KU that he missed an 83 yarder wide left.

In fairness to current kickers, kickers had a platform at that time. In addition Tony kicked bare-footed. In effect, he was punting the ball.

ABC did a special on Tony and Russell Erxleben. This was before super slo mo. They could not slow the camera down enough to keep his foot from being a blur. He was very explosive.

tony was a kicker for A&M in the later part of the 1970's not 1997.

Does radio for the Judson football games.

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he missed an 83 yarder wide left.

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Only because the ball saw Chuck Norris in the stands and veered left out of fear.

The original "uncover range" Got the snot kicked out of him for not taking his hat off.

My bad. That was the 1977 KU game.

I don't know whether Franklin was the best ever, but he was pretty darn good. At the time, the SWC had, by far, the best 3 kickers in the country: Franklin, Erxleben at t.u., and Steve Little at Arkansas. Erx and Little share the NCAA record (I think its been tied by another guy now, but not sure) at 69 yards for the longest field goal. Franklin hit one for like 67, and in the same game (I think) hit another one over 60.

Franklin compared himself to Erx by saying something along the lines that "he's as strong as an Ox; I depend on timing and leg speed, and if I was as strong as he is, I could hit one 80 yards."

The real difference between the 3 was that Franklin could kick off a tee and off the ground, as he did for the Eagles for a while. Erx and Little couldn't, so neither made it long in the NFL. I think Little was in a car accident and died in his late 20s. Erx is or was in jail for a whole host of business related felonies.

I have met and played golf with Tony. His kicking is the reason that the ball is placed at the line of attempt if outside the 20. Grant Teaff had this rule implemented after Tony beat baylor 6-3 on two 50+ yard field goals! Grant was powd!

BTHOtu and one more!

If you refer to the North forty as anything other than tu or 'sips, you are not an AGGIE!

Tony Franklin kicked at A&M from 1978-1981.

I don't remember him kicking off of a raised tee, maybe he did, but I don't remember it.

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His ball would soar.

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That had to hurt.

Franklin kicked at A&M from 1975-78. He most certainly kicked off a tee. He set the NCAA longest field goal record in 1976 at 65 yards. Later that afternoon a kicker from ACU or Angelo St. (I forget which one) kicked a 69 yarder. He held the record for about 2 hours.

As I remember he kicked another 60+ yarder in that same game in 1976 and remains the only kicker (at any level I think) to kick two 60+ yarders in the same game.

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I think it was 1997 against KU that he missed an 83 yarder wide left.

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Only Jason White gets that many years of eligibility.

Tony Franklin was a freshman my final semester. (Yeah, yeah I crammed my 4 year program into 4 1/2 years) He ran around with the biggest linemen who called him "The Foot". He was a great guy.

That year (Nov. 1975) we were playing Rice in Houston. A very strong cold front blew in and had the wind howling out of the North at a constant 25+mph.

He twisted his ankle on the opening kick off and while not in the game, he soaked his foot in a bucket of ice. The last play before half he kicked a then TAMU Record 59 yard FG into that wind.

He held the NCAA record for about 3 hours. He kicked a 64 and 65 yarder against Baylor in the same game. Abilene Christian's kicker nailed a 69 yarder later that night.

Steve Little (Ark) and Erx (tu) co-own the SWC record of 67 yards. Steve Little was 1st round pick of St. Louis Football Cards. He was in a tragic car accident his rookie season and was paralyzed from the waist down. Hydroplaned in a freak downpour. Real sad story.

Tony Franklin was and is the greatest kicker in the history of D-1 football. He brought high-profile attention to the kicking position. He actually received more attention than the Heisman Trophy winner. He was a thrill and joy to watch. A great Aggie!

[This message has been edited by oklacityag75 (edited 11/16/2007 3:56p).]

This thread is full of statistcal misrepresentations.

I wonder why there was this freakish coincidence that several great kickers were playing at the same time in the same part of the country. Furthermore, why aren't we seeing kickers like this now?!

Hey, is this where someone jumps in and says,

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This thread is 83.7% full of statistical misrepresentations.

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FIFY?

Unless he has changed jobs in the last year, Tony is the F&I guy as North Park Lexus in San Antonio. I had the chance to meet him when I was looking for a new car about this time last year. I remember because it was the same day the Ags were playing @ UCLA, and I watched the last 10 minutes of the game in the dealership.

He goes to my church, and does color for some of the high school radio broadcasts (Judson?) in San Antonio.

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he works as director of finance for Gillman Honda in Schertz, in between New Braunfels and San Antonio. Still has the No Shoe plates on his car.

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Just saw this. I guess he changed jobs since a year ago.

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Furthermore, why aren't we seeing kickers like this now?!

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during Tony's day, Baylor coach Teaff suffered
from both record kicks Tony made that fateful day. He led a rule change that moved the ball back to the LOS after a missed FG - resulting in teams being less eager to try a long FG.
the Ags could use Tony like a punter of sorts on long FGs lol. if he missed - no big deal..
* oh, and BTW - i was in attendence at that Baylor game

[This message has been edited by jimmo (edited 11/16/2007 4:37p).]

They use to kick off of a 2 inch tee.
They use to have there own pet balls, that looked more like soccer balls then footballs.
If you miss the ball is placed at the attempted spot of the kick.

And Scholarship limits had to hurt as well.