Although
Franklin Hood was famous for his legendary passing feats,
he was also an all around football player. During his years at
Monaca High School, Bellefonte Academy, and the University of
Pittsburgh, he played fullback and was highly rated as a runner,
kicker, blocker, and defensive linebacker. Franklin was 6'-1" and
205 pounds, making him fairly big for a backfield player in the
1920s. In his two seasons at Monaca High (1922-1923), the Indians
outscored their opponents, 350 to 51. Franklin scored 192 of those
points on 22 touchdowns. He was captain of the 1925 Bellefonte
Academy football team that captured the national prep school title,
and during his three seasons Bellefonte outscored its opponents by a
lopsided margin of 1159 to 41. His passes in high school and prep
school were thrown low and fast but long and
accurate. Franklin's longest completion was 84 yards in the air.
Ironically, his career at Pitt, starting in 1927, was marred by knee
and hand injuries, but he nevertheless received All American honorable
mention as a senior. Franklin later played two years of semipro football
for the JP Rooneys and the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) in
1933. He died on August 21, 1955, at age 52.
Although
Franklin Hood was famous for his legendary passing feats,
he was also an all around football player. During his years at
Monaca High School, Bellefonte Academy, and the University of
Pittsburgh, he played fullback and was highly rated as a runner,
kicker, blocker, and defensive linebacker. Franklin was 6'-1" and
205 pounds, making him fairly big for a backfield player in the
1920s. In his two seasons at Monaca High (1922-1923), the Indians
outscored their opponents, 350 to 51. Franklin scored 192 of those
points on 22 touchdowns. He was captain of the 1925 Bellefonte
Academy football team that captured the national prep school title,
and during his three seasons Bellefonte outscored its opponents by a
lopsided margin of 1159 to 41. His passes in high school and prep
school were thrown low and fast but long and
accurate. Franklin's longest completion was 84 yards in the air.
Ironically, his career at Pitt, starting in 1927, was marred by knee
and hand injuries, but he nevertheless received All American honorable
mention as a senior. Franklin later played two years of semipro football
for the JP Rooneys and the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) in
1933. He died on August 21, 1955, at age 52.