Welcome to Franklin College. Franklin College has a proud tradition of success within the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and the NCAA Division III, including several HCAC all-sports championships in both men’s and women’s sports.
The formal dedication of the Grizzly Park athletics complex on Oct. 15, 2011 made the year’s Homecoming weekend one for the Franklin College history books.
In just 24 months, the college developed the park on 78 acres east of the main campus, upgrading and adding amenities designed to provide venues for Grizzly intercollegiate athletic programs for NCAA Division III competition and to encourage health and wellness in the campus community and Johnson County.
The $5.8 million complex, funded entirely through private donations, has many features named in recognition of alumni and special friends of the college.
The main features of Grizzly Park include the H. Dean Evans Track and Field Complex named in memory of Evans ’52, the Behrens Softball Field named in memory of Effie Behrens, a college trustee and 2005 honorary degree recipient, plus a 10-court tennis complex.
Other amenities in Grizzly Park include practice fields for intramurals, youth athletics camps and team practices as well as a 1.5 mile fitness trail for walking, jogging and biking, a hospitality pavilion for award ceremonies, concerts and picnics and extensive green space where students can study and conduct research on plants and wildlife.