Northwest Insider

Former Hog scores again with return

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Former Arkansas tight end Luther Franklin is best remembered for the game-winning touchdown catch he made against Baylor as a senior in 1985.
All afternoon at War Memorial Stadium, the Razorbacks patiently ran their Wishbone offense even after Baylor jumped ahead 14-0.
Then, with six minutes left and the Bears leading 14-12, Arkansas pulled a shocker and the sucked-in Baylor defense left Franklin wide-open as he caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Greg Thomas.
Now Franklin is set to cap another late comeback.
Fifteen years after he last set foot on the UA campus, Franklin is back to resume taking classes Monday to complete the final 24 hours for his communications degree.
After leaving Arkansas and trying out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Franklin returned to his hometown of Houston, where he has worked as a sales representative for a radio station and as a delivery man for UPS.
"My mom has been on my back ever since I left Arkansas to finish my degree," said Franklin, whose career stats for the Razorbacks were 22 receptions for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns. "I've kept telling her, 'I'm going to go back, Mom, I promise.' "
Franklin, 37, said he has enjoyed his job at UPS but decided now is the time to finish his degree. He has taken a leave of absence from UPS to return to school at Arkansas, where the athletic department is paying for his tuition and books.
"My mom's really excited about this," Franklin said. "I'm really nervous.
"But I'm sure after a couple weeks back I'll get the hang of it. I'll be more focused than I was when I was younger, because getting this degree is something that's very important to me."

ZAK DOESN'T REALLY RAP
Player biographies in Arkansas' football media guide include an "inside information," section asking the player several personal questions, including who he most admires and if he has a hidden talent.
In freshman quarterback Zak Clark's bio, the answer to the person he most admires states: "Gary Brashears. If you knew him, you'd know why."
As for Clark's hidden talent: "I'm a rapper."
Those answers were meant as a joke, however, and Clark confessed it was his former teammate, Brashears, who made them up.
Last spring when the players were filling out questionnaires for the media guide bios, Clark said he was struggling with some of the responses, wondering what to say.
"We were just being funny, joking around about the questions, " Clark said.
Brashears volunteered to answer some of the questions for him and drop the questionnaire off at the sports information office, and Clark agreed.
"He told me what he was going to put, but I thought he was kidding," Clark said. "He ended up doing it."
Clark said if he could turn back time and answer who he most admires, he would put his dad, Arkansas baseball assistant coach Doug Clark.
And Clark's real hidden talent?
"Playing Nintendo," he said.

HEALTH OVER WEALTH
Kit Pellow, who earned All-SEC honors at Arkansas in 1995, may not have made the major leagues, but he made the Aug. 21 issue of Sports Illustrated.
In Rick Reilly's column about the rampant use of steroids by professional baseball players, Pellow -- who plays first base for the Class AAA Omaha Golden Spikes -- is cited as a voice of reason.
Pellow is quoted as saying he has seen teammates shoot up with steroids "right in the hotel room. A guy will get out his needle and stick it right in his butt. They don't care if I see. There's no testing in this sport."
Pellow also is quoted in Reilly's column as saying he has seen teammates who started using steroids get called up to the majors but that he isn't tempted to jeopardize his health.
"I don't think it's worth it," Pellow said. "Is a million dollars now worth dying at 40?"

SEAN SUTTON PROMOTED
Sean Sutton as been promoted to associate head coach at Oklahoma State.
It's another indication that Sutton -- who lived in Fayetteville for 11 years when his father, Eddie Sutton, coached at Arkansas -- is his father's likely replacement as OSU's coach when the elder Sutton decides to retire.

This article was published on Sunday, August 27, 2000

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