Falcons try 2nd consecutive title
Millwood coach Darwin Franklin has the defending champion Falcons in the state title game this season. He is building his own legacy at the school where his father became a legendary coach.
“It’s not creating my own culture or nothing like that, it’s creating our culture. Put in the work. Don’t cut corners, and we will be successful beyond measure.”
With the pressure mounting, the wise words from dad proved to be spot on.
Keep building your program through discipline and accountability, but don't forget to look after your players when the stadium lights are turned off.
As Millwood prepares to play Washington for a shot at a second-straight Class 2A state football title, coach Darwin Franklin sees daily reminders of the work that’s gone into building a champion.
For Franklin, it's been the struggles more than the victories that have helped him establish his own program and cement his own name at the school where his father is a legend on the basketball hardwood.
Practically born and raised in Falcon blue, Franklin said he wasn’t intimidated to take the spot as the head football coach when hired in 2013.
Yes, his father, Varryl, has been the boys basketball coach for more than four decades, the winner of 13 state championships and an all-around pillar for the community, but Darwin believed there was room for him, too.
Varryl said despite his son's confidence, even he wondered what it would be like for Darwin to join him at Millwood.
"I thought he might be a bit shy working in the same school with his dad," Varryl said. "But he's really embraced it."
The comparisons to his dad don't bother Darwin. He recognizes he's fortunate to have learned from a legend.
“I think it would be dumb to diminish that he is my father and that I’ve had the opportunities I've had in part because of him,” Darwin said. “But I’ve been his son my whole life, and it's nothing new to me.”
Things could not have started off better for Darwin. In his first season in 2013, the Falcons went 13-1 and made it to the state title game for the first time since 2006. But Millwood was upset by Davis in the finals despite having led by 22 points in the first half.
Millwood followed that state championship appearance with a two-year run of six-win seasons. Darwin said the heat was on.
“It wasn’t a matter of if I felt it,” Darwin Franklin said. “The pressure was real. We sat down and asked ourselves what do we have to do to get back to where we need to be.”
Darwin and Varryl have an unspoken rule between each other; no unsolicited advice.
Varryl said he didn’t want to help out early because he didn’t want people to get the wrong impression.
“If he needs help, he knows I’m here,” Varryl said. “I didn’t want to cast any kind of shadow.”
But after the disappointing seasons in 2014 and 2015, Darwin asked dad what he thought could be fixed.
The advice was simple. “Stay with the program,” Varryl said. “He
Millwood football coach Darwin Franklin
had instilled great character in his kids, invest even more in them.”
Darwin said it was his goal when taking over at Millwood to create a college-type program. Players and coaches would hold each other accountable not only on the field, but also off it.
Team unity and family atmosphere are two cornerstones at Millwood. Nobody is above the guy playing next to him.
“It’s not creating my own culture or nothing like that, it’s creating our culture,” Darwin said. “Put in the work. Don’t cut corners, and we will be successful beyond measure.”
Darwin doubled down on his beliefs.
"He embraced the pressure he felt," Varryl said.
"He stopped trying to fight against it and instead used it to hone his kids' potential."
After-school study hall became mandatory. If someone got caught loafing during practice, they did field-length rolls afterward. If you got in trouble off the field, you got to meet one-on-one with head man to figure out how best to handle the situation.
But it wasn’t just the discipline. Darwin said he and his coaching staff really became invested in the lives of their players.
He knows when kids are having trouble at home if they haven’t eaten or if they don’t have a winter coat for when the weather turns cold.
“This man legitimately loves the kids,” assistant coach Cory Wilson said. “If he gets half of these kids to graduate and walk across the stage, to get a scholarship and get out from the east side of town and be successful ... that’s the ultimate goal.”
Others believe that is where Varryl's influences shines the most in his son, that compassion instilled long ago by Darwin's parents.
"They know about every aspect of every kid," says Cecelia Robinson-Woods, Millwood’s superintendent. "He makes sure that everybody that is around the kids knows about them and knows what they need.
"He has worked to establish that culture and to be able to kind wrap his arms around the team like that."
The hard work has paid off.
Millwood went undefeated last season, blitzing almost every team in its path on the way to the program's sixth championship. Last season fueled the fire for fans and alumni heading into this year. The Falcons have not disappointed. They've won games by an average of 44 points and currently ride a six-game shutout streak on defense.
Robinson-Woods said she believes the entire community has recognized the work put in by Franklin and his staff.
“The Franklin name is not just huge at Millwood, but generally in the community,” she said. “I get asked all the time if that Franklin basketball coach is still there. But now people stop me now to talk about Darwin Franklin.”
The winning is nice, but what Darwin says what he has cherished the most in the turnaround as head coach is the faith of his players.
The team often pregames to the sound of gospel music, singing a cappella hymns as a team while strapping on pads to head to the gridiron.
“Those moments mean more than anything on the field.” Darwin said. “A person’s soul is more valuable than a ring or gold ball or championship win.
“That’s winning forever.”
So with the possibilities in front of them and the chance of adding a second-straight gold ball to the trophy case, what advice does one coach Franklin have for the other?
“One thing I failed to do was stop and enjoy the work we put in,” Varryl said. “I told him, make sure you enjoy the journey.”