In the middle of his sophomore year at the University of Miami, Orlando Franklin was selected by the Denver Broncos as a second-round pick in the National Football League draft.
Franklin would go on to play as an offensive lineman in the NFL for several years, retiring shortly after the birth of his first son. He says his proudest accomplishment to date is building a family with his wife, Kiaana.
With her blessing and support, he decided to return to the University of Miami to complete his degree in 2020. Now, Franklin is a proud graduate of the University.
Here, Franklin discusses his experience returning to campus as a retired NFL player, finding his wife, and the lessons he learned along the way.
Q: What made you decide to finish your degree?
Everything changed when I had my son in 2018. My wife had an emergency C-section in Denver, but I was playing for Washington at the time, so she and my son weren’t able to travel with me. I flew back and forth for a while, and I would be in tears on the tarmac when I had to leave.
I always wanted to be there for my son, to be the best father, so I decided to retire from the NFL that year. I say this to show you who I am and what I value.
Every decision I make, I put my family first and strive to be someone my kids are proud of. I decided to return to the University of Miami to show my children that I could do it, and that they can do anything they set their minds to.
I told my wife I wanted to do this—to complete my degree, already feeling guilty about how this might disrupt our lives or our children’s schedules. Instead, she said she and the kids would support me.
Q: How did you and your wife meet?
My wife and I met on Christmas Day. I was playing for the Denver Broncos, and my friends and I were at the only club open late on Christmas.
My wife was also in Denver because her father, who was a coach for Washington at the time, had a game there a few days earlier. She went out that night with her girlfriends.
I asked one of her friends, “Who is the girl in the Santa hat?” I asked about her job, where she went to school, things like that. Finally, I introduced myself to her and asked her to lunch.
Then she found out I played for the Denver Broncos and tried to cancel the date. She told me that she didn't date athletes.
I told her, “I get that, and I hear you, but let me take you to lunch, and if you don’t like me, I will let you delete your number off my phone yourself.”
She agreed to meet me for lunch, and we had a four-and-a-half-hour first date.
This past July, my wife and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary.
Q: How did it feel to return to classes as a retired NFL player? How were things different this time around?
I had lost 100 pounds since retiring from the NFL, so a lot of my classmates didn’t recognize me. For those who did reach out to me, I tried to be a resource to them as much as possible.
In school, things were drastically different this time around because I only had to focus on my classes. Before, I had practices, games, and meetings. And afterward, I would push through muscle soreness and fatigue to study and get good grades to maintain my eligibility to play.
On the other hand, I was the same. I still approached my work with the discipline and routine drilled into me from football. I was still waking up at 5:30 am, but this time it was to finish my work before my kids got up instead of meeting Coach [Randy] Shannon for training.
My time as a student-athlete taught me to balance a full plate of responsibilities, from getting the grades to giving my best on the field and making the most of the moment.
Q: Any advice for students?
Enjoy it. Some of my closest relationships were started at the University of Miami. When you’re in a place together like that, experiencing all these things for the first time or so much at the same time, it really cements those relationships.
I think football taught me that there’s always going to be a winner and a loser, but that shouldn’t necessarily be the focus of the game. I always ask my son after a hockey game, is there anything that you think you could have done better? That’s the only thing in our control, to get better every week. That’s part of the grind. Embrace it.
There are plenty of gifted and talented people, but it’s the effort that distinguishes some from the rest. How hard are you willing to work to accomplish your goals?
In anything you do, whether you’re a student, an athlete, a father, a mother, a gym teacher, a psychiatrist, understand why you are working toward this goal, and it becomes so much easier to put in the hard work.
I decided I wanted to be someone my kids are proud of, and that’s become my why for everything.
