Broyles, John Franklin, 2009 September 11

This is a Living History interview with Coach Frank Broyles, class of 1947, conducted by Marilyn Somers on September 11th, 2009 at the GTRI Conference Center on 14th Street in Atlanta, Georgia. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Coach Broyles was born in Decatur, Georgia on December 26, 1924. He grew up in Decatur, where his family had lived for decades. His first job was running orders for his father’s grocery store. The stores were lost during the Great Depression, but, in spite of the hard times, his family never missed a meal. Coach Broyles was the youngest of five children, and he was always spoiled and protected, especially by his mother and oldest sister. Coach Broyles attended Glenwood Elementary from first until fourth grade, and then he attended Oakhurst Elementary, where he began playing football for the school. In seventh grade, he towered over the other players and scored nine touchdowns in a single game. He went to high school at Decatur High School, where he played football, baseball and basketball. Coach Broyles also played on the American Legion Baseball team. During his high school years, Coach Broyles met and began dating Barbara, who would become his wife in 1942. For college, Coach Broyles was scouted by many schools, including the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Duke University, and Clemson University, but he decided to attend Georgia Tech, mostly because of Coach Bobby Dodd’s reputation. Coach Broyles remembers Bobby Dodd as an outstanding motivator out of encouragement not fear, and he emphasized that every player should get a degree. When Coach Broyles came to Georgia Tech in 1942, he played on the freshmen team. Two days before his eighteenth birthday, Coach Broyles signed up for the Navy Reserve, so he would not get drafted due to World War II. The Navy allowed him to finish school before deploying him. Georgia Tech was part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program, and through this, Georgia Tech received many football players from other schools, creating a “golden age” of football at Georgia Tech. When Coach Broyles went to serve in the Navy, he actually served under Dean George Griffin, who was able to have Coach Broyles honorably discharged after only serving around six months in Okinawa, Japan. Many of Coach Broyles teammates were not as fortunate though, such as Clint Castleberry and Gene Wright, who had their lives cut short by the war. After four years of Georgia Tech football, Coach Broyles contemplated signing with the Chicago Bears, but instead he decided to take a job with Bob Woodruff coaching for Baylor University. After three years at Baylor, Coach Broyles transferred with Bob Woodruff to the University of Florida. After a year there, Coach Broyles accepted an assistant coaching position at Georgia Tech under Bobby Dodd. After two perfect seasons and a national title in 1953, Coach Broyles moved to the University of Missouri as head coach and then ultimately the University of Arkansas, where he stayed for over fifty years as head coach and later, athletic director. Coach Broyles and Barbara had four boys and two girls, and many of his children and grandchildren attend or have attended the University of Arkansas. At the end of her life, Barbara suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and Coach Broyles cared for her until she passed in 2004. He now speaks and writes to give other caregivers preparation for the trials of caring for an Alzheimer’s sufferer. In 2005, he married a widowed friend of his secretary’s named Gen, and she accompanies him in his Alzheimer’s activism. Coach Broyles feels fortunate and lucky to have had such a blessed life.