About Mark Franklin

Mark Franklin earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering in 1980. He played one year on the Miner football team and was an all-conference performer the two years he played on the Miner basketball team.

Mark was a member of the 1974-75 basketball squad, which finished second in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference (MIAA), and for the first time in team history advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Mark was co-captain of the 1975-76 team, where he led the Miners in scoring and ranked among the MIAA leaders in scoring and field goal percentage. For the first time in team history, the 1975-76 basketball team won the MIAA conference and again returned to the NCAA Division II basketball tournament. Mark played fullback on the 1976 Miner football team, scoring five touchdowns and was named All-Conference for his position. He was inducted into the athletic hall of fame (HOF) in 1996 and is a member of the HOF 1975-76 basketball team inducted in 1999.

Mark worked for Union Pacific Railroad as a both an engineering manager and a transportation superintendent for 36 years. He achieved the pinnacle of safety excellence by three times being voted by his peers as Safety Manager of the Year. Mark served as president of Houston Chapter of Union Pacific’s Black Employee Network for the final four years of his career, focusing on diversity and networking to create scholarships for Houston area high school students. He retired in December 2016.

Mark and his wife, Deborah, reside in the North Spring/Woodlands area just north of Houston, Texas. They have two children, Lauren a Texas Longhorn, and Steven, Bus’17, who was also a Miner football player. Steven and his wife, Tamara, blessed Mark and Deborah 17 months ago with twin grandchildren: grandson Steven and granddaughter Riley. Mark spends most of his spare time golfing to a 7-handicap and is anxious to teach his grandchildren many sports and engineering with the hope of seeing a third generation of Miner graduates.