Marshall delivers golden football to FHS

By COLIN MURPHEY
Staff Writer
A former Franklin High School student and star athlete returned to his alma mater Thursday to present the school with a special addition to their trophy case and offer some advice to the student body about the importance of an education.
Leonard Marshall, two-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Pro-Bowl defensive lineman with the New York Giants, attended Franklin High School in the 1970s and although he doesn’t call Franklin home anymore, he said he hasn’t forgotten his roots.
Marshall demonstrated this yesterday when he came to Franklin to present to the high school a token of his success that he said was born from this community. The item Marshall brought along was a golden football to be displayed at the school as part of a National Football League program that encourages Super Bowl Champions to recognize where they started their playing careers.
Marshall spoke to the entire student body not just about success in sports but also about success in other life endeavors.
“Dreams do come true if you aspire to greatness,” Marshall said. “I’m going to do whatever I can do to help this place. This is the first step. But I was a student before I was an athlete. You students need to understand what that means. Without an education, none of my success would’ve been possible. If you don’t strive for greatness, don’t expect it to just come to your door. You have to put in the work.”
Franklin High School Principal Ty Burdett, who played football with Marshall, said the program not only recognizes outstanding athletes and the high schools that helped foster their skills, but it also gives the athletes a chance to connect with students.
“We were really looking forward to hosting Leonard,” Burdett said. “He has been back a few times and has been really generous to us. We grew up together and played together.”