Congrats Rick Franklin

Pacific University's first wrestling national champion will be inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this Saturday.

Rick Franklin won the 142-pound title at the 1978 NAIA National Championships. He also won the NAIA District II and Northwest Conference championships while amassing a 29-5 record finishing the season with a 14-match win streak that culminated in the national title.

Since leaving the mat as a competitor, Franklin has been very active as an official. He has served as an official for the last 34 years and has officiated at the Pac-10 Championships, the Big-10 Tournament, the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star meet and numerous OSAA Oregon high school state championship events. He was an official at a number of Pacific events this season.

Franklin was inducted into the Pacific University Athletic Hall of Fame as part of its inaugaral class in 1992. He joins two former Pacific coaches who have been inducted into the hall of fame, Mike Clock in 2003 and Craig Olsen in 2006.

A short article on Franklin, from the Gresham Outlook newspaper, can be read here.