Tony Franklin in Berkeley

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BERKELEY, Calif. -- Tony Franklin is a fan of Tuesdays. He likes that it’s still dark when he leaves his home in downtown Berkeley around 6 a.m., and begins his walk to work. He usually stops at Starbucks and often to speak with some of the city’s homeless, including a local legend known as “Pink Cloud.”

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Another man, whose name Franklin kept confidential, used to heckle him as he walked by, yelling “Portland State, Portland State,” in reference to Cal’s only win last season. But after hearing it for two weeks, Franklin decided enough was enough.

“I finally stopped and introduced myself and he goes, ‘I know who you are … Y’all stink,’” Franklin said. “And I said, ‘You’re right.’ So we got to be friends after that.”

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In Berkeley, that’s not unusual. And after a lifetime spent in the South, the 57-year-old Franklin somehow feels right at home. He appreciates the city’s eclectic nature, and says he has more friends than anywhere he’s ever lived “and they don’t care anything about football.”

“It’s so uniquely different here than any place I’ve ever been because nobody really knows who I am and they don’t care,” he said. “So [walking home from games] you get to listen to them talk about the game without them having any idea that you’re right beside them.

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They remained friends over the years, and shortly after being named head coach at Louisiana Tech before the 2010 season, Dykes called Franklin to gauge his interest in becoming the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.

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“I started off the first day and gave him a piece of paper and said ‘This is who I am,’” Franklin said. “I’m not easy to get along with. I’m hard to work with. I’m stubborn. It has to be my way or else it won’t work and if it won’t work the best thing to do is just fire me and let’s move on and maybe we can still be friends and maybe we won’t be.

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Dykes said he knew who he was hiring when he brought him aboard at Louisiana Tech, but felt Franklin was the best coach to lead the offense. And it is Franklin’s offense. He does the game planning, he calls the plays and he spends a lot of time alone figuring out what he wants to do. Occasionally Dykes will pop in with a few ideas, but his input is limited.

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