2008 Record 11-2 .846 Overall 7-0 1.000 Conference Location: Franklin, IN Head Coach: Mike Leonard (Hanover '84) Stadium (cap.): Faught Stadium (2000) Conference: HCAC Region: North 2009 Schedule

With every succeeding season, Franklin College has more to live up.

Heading into the 2008 campaign, the Grizzlies sought to improve on their previous season – one of the best in school history – and continue their climb to national prominence in NCAA Division III football.

They did and did.

Franklin finished 11-2 overall, setting a school record for most victories in a season and finishing with highest-ever national rankings (seventh in the AFCA Top 25 poll and eighth in the D3football.com Top 25 poll). The Grizzlies' only losses were to two NCAA playoff teams - at Trine University (30-27 on Sept. 27) and at home with Wheaton College (45-28 at home in a NCAA Division III quarterfinal playoff game on Dec. 6).

Heading into the playoffs, the Grizzlies were ranked 18th in the D3football.com poll and rated 20th in the AFCA poll. Moreover, Franklin was 7-0 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, repeating as outright conference regular season football champions and earning its second consecutive automatic bid to the playoffs since the school began affiliation in the NCAA's Division III in 1992.

Despite losing the bulk of their starters, the “Griz” again is picked to finish first in the HCAC pre-season coaches poll and is ranked 19th in the D3football.com pre-season Top 25 poll. The recognition marks the second consecutive year Franklin’s program has been included in the D3football.com pre-season ranking list.

Franklin seventh-year head coach, Mike Leonard, the HCAC Coach of the Year the past three seasons, has built a program that has become more competitive each year since his first season of 2003. In 2009, however, the Grizzlies face the challenge of maintaining their stature with just four returning starters on offense and only two starters back on defense.

Gone is D3football.com All-America Second Team pick and HCAC Offensive MVP Chad Rupp, a quarterback, who broke most the Grizzlies' single-season and career passing records. Fortunately, the Grizzlies' four returning starters on offense are on their offensive line, including D3football.com All-North Region Third Team and All-HCAC First Team right tackle Seth Qualls, who’s a senior. Junior center Chad Schenkel was an All-HCAC First Team center. Both linemen helped Franklin rank in the top 10 among Division III schools in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense. FC's other two offensive line starters back are senior left tackle Kevin Jones and senior right guard (All-HCAC Second Team selection) Patrick Hillenburg.

On defense, the Grizzlies return just two starters, including one of their top tackles, junior inside linebacker Nick Cochran, plus senior outside linebacker Joe Rush. Franklin will miss defensive end Dan McManus, a D3football.com All-America Third Team selection and HCAC Defensive MVP, who led the team and HCAC in sacks, but will linebacker Teddy Henkle back. Henkle, a senior, was one of the Grizzlies' top tacklers in his freshman and sophomore years. He was sidelined by injury early in 2008.

Franklin returns its regular place kicker and punter. Senior kicker Machy Magdalinos, who booted a school-record 63 extra points and hit 8 of 11 field goal attempts. Max Woodbury, a senior who was FC’s punter last season, also returns.

Leonard has a 41-23-0 record at Franklin and as a head coach overall in six seasons. He took over a struggling program in January, 2003 and finished 2-8 in his first season. In 2004 and 2005, the Grizzlies were 5-5 and have since posted records of 9-1, 9-2 and 11-2. Moreover, Leonard has been voted HCAC Coach of the Year the past three seasons.

The Grizzlies open their 2009 season on the road – at Baldwin-Wallace College of the Ohio Athletic Conference in Berea, Ohio on Sept. 5. Franklin then hosts NCAA Football Championship Subdivision affiliate Butler University for the first time since 1986 on Sept. 12. The Grizzlies begin their HCAC schedule Oct. 3 at home with Defiance College. Two of the Grizzlies’ key Heartland Conference games will be with College of Mount St. Joseph at home on Oct. 24 and at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (FC's nearest challenger last season) on Oct. 31.