Simpson University director of athletics, Tom Galbraith, announced Friday that Todd Franklin has been hired as the university’s head men’s basketball coach and assistant director of athletics. He officially begins his duties May 1.
Franklin returns to his alma mater to lead the Red Hawks after one of the most successful high school coaching careers in the state of California. In 21 seasons as the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Redding, Franklin compiled a 481-136 record, good for a .780 winning percentage and an average of 23 wins per season. The Patriots never had a losing campaign under Franklin and earned nine NSCIF Northern Section championships and 15 conference titles.
“I am thrilled to see where Coach Franklin takes Simpson basketball with his wealth of experience, acumen, and energy,” Galbraith said. “We had over 175 applicants for this position and his candidacy stood out among a very deep and talented pool of potential hires. Todd Franklin is our choice not because he is an alumnus or a known commodity as a local coach, but because throughout the evaluation process, he proved to the committee and all involved in the hiring that he was the best candidate.”
The Redding native played basketball for two years at Simpson from 1991-93 and completed his bachelor’s degree in business management in 2004. He earned a master’s degree in performance enhancement and injury prevention from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to be coaching at Simpson University,” Franklin stated. “My staff and I are dedicated to working with the current players and bringing in high character, Christian student-athletes who are looking to perform at a high level, not only on the court, but also in the classroom and the community.”
Along with his success at Liberty Christian, Franklin has amassed an impressive resume leading some of the most talented collegiate players through the EA Sports All-Star Team (2000-04) and elite level Adidas individual camps, including the All-American Camp in New York City in 2015 and the Uprising Camp in Chicago in 2014.
The Todd Franklin Basketball Camp has grown from just one camper in its inaugural summer of 1996 to over 300 participants currently, with camps in three different states (California, Oregon, Hawaii) and internationally in Honduras.
