Dave Franklin was introduced as the seventh volleyball coach in Carson-Newman history by athletic director Allen Morgan at a press conference on Jan. 11, 2016.

"We are looking for someone that is passionate about their job or their position," Morgan said. "I think you will hear that. We are looking for people who are committed when the times are tough and when the times are good. I think you will see that. A lot of folks would like to be sitting in the position of Dave Franklin today. It's an outstanding job to be able to mentor young women. A number of applicants, but it came down to coach Dave Franklin."

During his three seasons as the mentor for the Eagles, seven players have earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors with two all-region selections. 

In 2018, Franklin continued to develop a young roster that featured 10 underclassmen. Carson-Newman finished the season ranked 19th in team blocks per set and 31st in opponent's attack percentage yielding a .140 clip. Katie Parnell ranked seventh in the nation with 1.36 rejections per frame, one of the best seasons in school history. The team ended the year winning five of its final seven matches.

Junior libero Morgan Ballard added to her resume becoming the second player in school history to be named all-region twice in her career earning first-team All-Southeast Region honors from the AVCA. 

The first career coaching victory for the mentor came on Sept. 9, 2016 at Holt Fieldhouse when his Eagles toppled Mars Hill in straight sets.

A pair of student-athletes garnered postseason honors under Franklin's tutelage in his first season as Taylor Lowe was named honorable mention All-South Atlantic Conference. Outside hitter Marnie Streeter earned a spot on the league's All-Freshman squad.

In his second season, Franklin returned Carson-Newman to the NCAA Tournament after guiding the team to a fourth-place finish in the regular season standings and guiding a trek through the conference tournament that finished in the title match against Queens (N.C.). In the semifinals of the field, the Eagles ended Anderson’s 22-match winning streak in a five-set thriller at Holt Fieldhouse overcoming 2-0 to bounce the regular season champs.

Carson-Newman became the fourth school in South Atlantic Conference history to win 200 league matches by defeating Lincoln Memorial in five sets on Oct. 24 to join Wingate, Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne in the 200-club.

A trio of players earned accolades from the SAC led by first-team libero Morgan Ballard. Outside hitter Marnie Streeter picked up a nod on the second team and Megan Oldenburger finished up her rookie season with a spot on the All-Freshman roster. Ballard was also named second-team all-region by D2CCA, honorable mention all-region by the AVCA and picking up a nod on the NCAA All-Southeast Region Tournament team.

Franklin became a first-time head coach at the collegiate level after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Xavier. He spent his first two years as a volunteer coach before being promoted to a full-time role in the spring of 2015.

"This is a place that I wanted to be," Franklin said. "First of all, because of these young ladies that are sitting over here. The accomplishments that they obtained under coach [Dan] Ahiers—and I have to give him his due. He has started something here and I get to come in here and keep it going. It's all because of your [players] hard work. Even coach Ahiers, he knows that. You are the ones that make this ship go. We simply guide it, but you put in the work. You guys have obviously showed the work ethic and dedication it takes to win a national championship."

The Kettering, Ohio native helped Xavier tally a 58-35 record in three years on the bench including a 36-14 mark in Big East play. Nine Musketeers were named to all-conference teams, six of which were first-team picks, during his time in Cincinnati.

In 2011-12, Franklin was on the bench at Ohio Dominican University serving as an assistant in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Carson-Newman is not Franklin's first time as a head coach as he served six seasons as a varsity coach in the Ohio high school ranks. Most recently, Lima Central Catholic High School was the stop from 2006-08 where the Thunderbirds won the 2007 Division III state championship over Albany Alexander. The Thunderbirds won three district titles and two regional titles.

"I started as a high school Biology teacher and about four or five years into that, I realized my passion lied in coaching," Franklin said. "[My wife and I] decided together that we were going to pursue college coaching. She was there for me and understood that relocation might be a part of it and that it was going to take a lot of time and effort to get there. I have to thank her because without her, I wouldn't be sitting here today. I would not have had the opportunities to go and learn under the coaches that I did and to get the experiences."

In 2008, Franklin was named the OHSVCA Division III State Coach of the Year on top of three coach of the year honors. His overall record in high school was 119-32.

As a collegiate player, Franklin was a four-year member of the men's varsity volleyball team at the University of Findlay from 2002-05. He finished his career as the program's leader in hitting percentage for the Oilers.

Franklin and his wife Alisa live in Jefferson City.