| NEWS Former ESPN college basketball and college football sportscaster Ron Franklin passed away Tuesday at the age of 79


Former ESPN college basketball and college football sportscaster Ron Franklin passed away Tuesday at the age of 79, according to his friend and former colleague Mike Barnes. He called ESPN on ABC games, the French Open and the U.S. Olympic Festival along with many other events over his long broadcasting career.

Franklin grew up in Hazelhurst, Mississippi and attending the University of Mississippi. He started working in radio early in his career and eventually worked as the basketball and football play-by-play commentator for the University of Texas from 1983-88. Franklin also did play-by-play work for the Houston Oilers and served as sports director at several different local news stations.

He made the move to ESPN in 1987, where he worked until 2011. Franklin worked with several different color commentators over his career, including Mike Gottfried, Ed Cunningham and Fran Fraschilla.

As the news that Ron Franklin passed away spread, former sports broadcaster Mike Barnes shared a message about the loss of his friend.

“Just got the sad news that my friend Ron Franklin has passed away,” Barnes posted on Twitter. “If you’re a sports fan, you knew Ron Franklin and his amazing voice. Incredibly talented and knowledgeable and very nice and gracious. RIP.”
 
Oh no, I absolutely hate hearing this. I was thinking about him last night because one of the guys calling the Duke-Florida State basketball game sounded just like him. Can't recall his name. I grew up listening to him call games on Saturday's. Him and Keith Jackson were my favorites. Gosh, he is one of the reasons I fell in love with college football at such a young age and kept me interested even when my team wasn't doing well. He had a heck of a voice for college football.
 
Ron and the "sweetcakes comment"

Being a female sideline reporter just gets more fun all the time — on Friday, ESPN announcer Rod Franklin's sexist comments to reporter Jeannine Edwards got him pulled from a bowl game. And it's not his first offense.

According to Sports by Brooks, Franklin, Edwards, and fellow announcers Ed Cunningham and Rod Gilmore got into a discussion before Friday's Chick-fil-A Bowl about Gilmore's wife's election as mayor of Alameda, CA. When Edwards tried to add something, Franklin said, "Why don't you leave this to the boys, sweetcakes." She stood up for herself, replying, "don't call me sweetcakes, I don't like being talked to like that." His response: "okay then, asshole."

RIP Ron

Note...Jeannine later clarified that Ron called her Sweet Baby not Cakes
 
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