![]() Franklin (37) in Super Bowl XVII | |||||||
No. 37 | |||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Anniston, Alabama, U.S. | August 22, 1959||||||
Died: | December 6, 2006 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. | (aged 47)||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Anniston (AL) | ||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1981 / Round: 2 / Pick: 56 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Andra Bernard Franklin (August 22, 1959 – December 6, 2006) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1984 for the Miami Dolphins. Franklin played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers; he died at age 47 from heart failure in 2006.[1][2][3]
From Anniston, Alabama, Franklin played at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1977 through 1980,[1][2] rushing for 1,738 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was selected in the second round of the 1981 NFL draft (56th overall) by the Dolphins, and played under head coach Don Shula.
Franklin led the Dolphins in rushing during the strike-shortened 1982 season, third overall in the NFL, with 701 yards in nine games. The Dolphins won the AFC title and met the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII in January 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated after Miami's win over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC semifinals.[4]
His playing career was cut short by a knee injury,[3] his last game was on September 9, 1984.[5]