Mike Leonard

Biography

Mike Leonard returned for his second stint as the head coach of the Franklin College football program in December, 2024. Leonard carries a career 129-55 record after his 17 years leading the program from 2003-2019 and holds the program's career record for winning percentage at 70.1. During his 16 years on the sidelines, Franklin won nine HCAC championships and earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs. He was enshrined in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame after his first stint leading the Grizzlies, entering as part of the 2021 inductee class. When Leonard arrived at the Franklin College helm in January of 2003, he sought to raise the confidence and conditioning levels of his new team right away. The Grizzlies' new attitude in Leonard's program involves: always think positive; strive for perfection; stay on the aggressive; enjoy football and enjoy life. The Franklin head coach is maintaining a long-standing tradition at FC, throwing the football with a quick-strike offensive attack. Leonard carries on the offensive philosophy of the great Coach Red Faught, who had been the head football coach at Franklin College from 1957-1988. Leonard has been involved with many other successful football programs in his career, including DePauw University, the University of Alabama, the University of Tulsa, Hanover College, Holy Cross College, Butler University, Wittenberg University, as well as coaching professional football in Tokyo, Japan with the Recruit Seagulls. As a q