Sports Talk
With Michael Betteridge
A Tree Has Roots
When I was young, I discovered a book in my Grandma’s attic one day, entitled The Bellows Genealogy – John Bellows the Boy Emigrant of 1635 and His Descendants. As I read through the tattered yellow pages of the book, I began to see names that I recognized: Austin Alonzo Bellows and his wife, Henrietta (Burgemeister) Bellows, my great-great-grandfather and grandmother. I immediately realized that I was one of those “descendants” in this book.
It began a two-year journey digging deeper and deeper into my family’s history. Along the way, I discovered some amazing and unlikely coincidences. For example, my mother and father first met in Washington, D.C. in the early 50s. My dad was from central Pennsylvania, and my mother was from eastern Long Island. I traced both of their families back to the same small valley in northeastern England, near the town of Newcastle in the 12th century. Coincidence or fate? I continued that journey tracing our ancestry all the way back to Emperor Charlemagne! I was stunned. Charlemagne was my great-great-great-grandfather, going back 42 generations. I meticulously compiled the ancestral tree and presented it to my family. We were all very proud of our heritage until one day, on a flight to England, I saw an edition of the Smithsonian Magazine on the table. The cover read: “Genealogy – the new craze.” I picked it up and began to read. The first paragraph sent me into a tailspin. It read: “50% of all people alive today of European ancestry are descended from Charlemagne.” How is that possible? The answer is simple: Given enough time and enough connections, our family trees are enormous and the branches of our lives reach some amazing people and places.
Several weeks ago, I had the honor of interviewing outgoing Catoctin Head Baseball Coach Mike Franklin for the radio. As Coach Franklin told his story, I began to visualize his connections, which reminded me of my genealogy journey. I began to see his tree and recognize the fateful connections that made him the man he is today. It was amazing. The coincidences were remarkable. His coaching lineage alone reads like the who’s who of Frederick County sports. It is a veritable sports “Hall of Fame.” But, then, the kids he has coached, the lives he has blessed, the talent he has produced…are they not new branches in that same tree? Their story is yet to be written.
Coach Mike closed out a remarkable 25-year run coaching sports at Catoctin. He decided to step down from the baseball team and turn the page to a new chapter in his life. This was not an easy decision for him to make. Our lives are complicated, and sometimes, it’s hard to understand what paths to take.
With our time together, I think I was able to comprehend the defining moment in his decision.
I asked Coach Franklin the following question: “Who has been your coach, on and off the field?”
He answered without hesitation: his father and his mother. “My father taught me leadership, and my mother taught me about people.”
Coach Franklin lost his father a little over a year ago. His mother needs him. His children are growing up fast. His startling decision makes sense now.
A tree has roots. Coach Franklin’s roots come from Coach Doug Williams. They shared an office for 25 years. Coach Williams was a profound influence on Coach Franklin, both on and off the field. Coach Williams guided the Catoctin football team longer than any other coach in its history. Under his leadership, they won two State championships. Coach Williams personified his Christian faith in his servant leadership. He was Coach Franklin’s mentor and friend.
Coach Franklin’s early coaching roots go back to Governor Thomas Johnson High School (TJ), where he substitute-taught physical education. He wanted to coach, so he volunteered to assist legendary Frederick baseball coach Phil Rhodes in the 90s. Phil Rhodes was a four-time Frederick County “Coach of the Year,” inducted into the Frederick County Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. At TJ, Coach Franklin was surrounded by what he called the “Mt Rushmore of Coaches” every day. Legendary soccer coach and 2000 National Soccer Coach of the Year, Chuck Nichols, taught him how to communicate with the players. The late, great TJ football coach Ben Wright taught him about discipline. Former TJ basketball coach and now athletic director at Hood College, Tom Dickman, who took more teams to Maryland State basketball championships than any coach in history, taught him about coaching and how to practice. They all worked together at TJ with the young Mike Franklin.
But what about the branches? One of the first limbs on Coach Franklin’s tree was the only football head coach at Oakdale High School, Kurt Stein. Coach Stein was the offensive coordinator under Doug Williams at Catoctin the year they won their first State championship in 2009. Early in his career at Catoctin, Coach Stein was an assistant JV football coach for Head Coach Mike Franklin. Coach Franklin realized that baseball was demanding more and more of his time, so in his final year coaching football, Coach Franklin flipped it around and moved Coach Stein to head coach and stepped back into the role of assistant coach so that Coach Stein would be ready. Coach Franklin told me his reasoning: “It was pretty evident to me that Coach Stein would be an amazing coach someday.” Coach Franklin’s vision was spot on. Coach Stein founded the Oakdale Bears football program. In 15 seasons, he has led the Bears to three State championships in his first and only varsity football head coaching position.
But what about the other branches, his players, and students? I asked him why he chose teaching. “If you don’t love kids, you are in the wrong business. That’s what teaching and coaching young kids is all about.”
Coach Franklin loves kids and they know it! He explained why by explaining that when one of his players made that game-saving play or came up with a clutch hit, he saw that ear-to-ear grin on his player’s face, and the kid seemed just a little bit taller. That made it worthwhile. Building their self-esteem made him feel great.
“That’s why we get out of bed in the morning,” Coach Franklin said, emphasizing. “The rings and the trophies, they don’t matter. The wins and losses are irrelevant. The lessons that we share with them, those are our trophies.”
Coach Mike Franklin has a lot of trophies! Roots and branches on the tree to further my analogy. He told me: “To grow, you need the right environment.” Catoctin baseball is fertile soil. Somehow, I have the feeling that tree still has a lot of growth left in it. Thanks, Coach Mike!
