ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — All NFL players come from somewhere. Denver Broncos rookie receiver Troy Franklin grew up in East Palo Alto, Calif., which in 1992 was deemed the murder capital of the country.
While across Highway 101 tech-centered Palo Alto is one of the most affluent cities, per capita, in the U.S., East Palo Alto had 42 homicides reported in a city of 24,000 people in 1992. It was none other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation that came up with the statistics that cemented East Palo Alto with the dubious distinction of having the most murders per capita in the U.S. that year.
Franklin was born there 11 years later, in 2003, and by then East Palo Alto had begun a considerable regeneration project that included new housing developments and an influx of employees from Google and Facebook.
“Earlier in my life growing up it was more dangerous I would say,’’ Franklin said at his locker this week. “But when I got into 8th grade it kind of slowed down. Facebook came in. They came in on the East Palo Alto side. So that’s why it was a little different, people moved in for the better.
“It was a cool environment. When I was younger, I wasn’t running the streets or anything like that. I was school, Boys & Girls Club, sports. I am a Boys & Girls Club kid. And then after Boys & Girls Club I had practice. Pop Warner, and after practice I just went home. I didn’t have any time to do anything else.”
Chris DeTrinidad is the Director of Sports Leagues for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and has been a leader with the East Palo Alto club for 15 years, including all through Franklin’s time from kindergarten through 8th grade.
“When I first got the job I was scared because I heard all the stories,’’ DeTrinidad said. “But then you quickly got the feeling you were doing something meaningful just because of sports and having impacts on all these kids.
“But there were things happening (in East Palo Alto) when Troy was growing up there. Shootings and stuff. But Troy was part of 10 or 12 kids who hung out with each other. It’s funny because four or five of those kids made it to the professional level. Troy was a year or two younger than the group but they all hung out together.
“The Boys and Girls Club was a safe haven for him. The boys on streets understood those kids were off limits and they left you alone. They knew Troy was special kid and special talent. He had a good crowd around him and a community that backed him up.”
Franklin was part of the same Boys & Girls Club in East Palo Alto as fellow future NFL players Jordan Mims and Mekhi Blackmon. Jets’ and former Packers’ star receiver Davante Adams was a member of the same club a few years earlier – a star basketball player who would return to visit the Boys & Girls Club of East Palo Alto during his high school years and mentor kids like Franklin.
“Davante wasn’t there to take a few pictures,’’ DeTrinidad said. “He’d spend all day with those kids.”
It’s not always the place but the parents that make the kid. Troy’s mom, DaNesha Fuller, has three college degrees, including a Masters in Education.
“Troy was always this tall, lanky kid,’’ DeTrinidad said. “He played in all our sports leagues: From basketball to soccer to football. Always an athletic kid. He was one of those kids who came every single day. He came from a single-parent home at the time and mom was super involved cheering him on every single game. No matter what, she was always there. That mother-son relationship was always crystal clear. She was very supportive and also very grateful and thankful for the work we did at the Boys & Girls Club.”
Franklin became nationally known as a top college prospect during his freshman year when he was a rare starter on the varsity at Menlo-Atherton High School. As a sophomore, when he helped Menlo-Atherton win the state championship, he was named the No. 1 California player in the class of 2021.
“First four games my freshman year got me on the college recruiting radar and I think I got my offer from Oregon my freshman year, maybe sophomore year,’’ Franklin said. “Oregon has always been a dream school for me. And then when that opportunity came to my table I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I can do that.’ Once you go up there, change how they viewed the passing game, because we were known more as a run, RPO team.”
Franklin had 18 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as the Ducks’ No. 4 receiver as a freshman. Late in that season, head coach Mario Cristobal left to become head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
“Once we had a coaching staff change and Anthony (Brown, Oregon’s quarterback) left, I was in the mindset of ‘All right, we’re going to see what’s going to happen,’’’ Franklin said. “See what the new coaching staff is talking about, who they’re going to bring in. Talked to (new head coach Dan) Lanning. He told me he could promise me he’s going to get a quarterback in who’s going to be a contender for the Heisman. We’re going to have a good defense and he did that.”
Lanning recruited former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix from the transfer portal. Franklin had 61 catches for 891 yards and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore, then boosted those totals to 81, 1,383 and 14 last season as a junior, when Nix finished third in the Heisman voting.
With Nix leaving after his fifth year of college eligibility, Franklin bypassed his true senior season to enter the draft. Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton took Nix with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round, then nudged general manager George Paton to move up in the fourth round to select Franklin.
After a slow start as a 21-year-old rookie with the Broncos, Franklin in his last six games has 13 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
“There’s always a warm spot when you see the kids play at the professional level,’’ DeTrinidad said. “It shows you how much talent there is in that East Palo Alto community. They hung out together and kept each other busy. It’s so cool to see some of their dreams come true.”
And by the way, East Palo Alto police announced on New Year’s Day there were zero reported homicides in the 2023 calendar year.
