Eli Gold enjoyed a privileged perspective on Alabama football throughout his career, having served as the Voice of the Crimson Tide until recently. In a recent episode of AL.com’s “Beat Everyone’s Golden Age” miniseries, Gold shared an intriguing insight about his experiences with Alabama’s coaching staff, specifically mentioning that one coach had deceived him.
Gold began his tenure with Alabama in 1989 during Bill Curry’s coaching era and covered games under six different head coaches, excluding Mike Price, who never actually coached a game, and Joe Kines, who led the team for only one game in 2006.
In his podcast interview, Gold reflected on his relationships with the various coaches he worked with, saying, “I got along with everybody.” However, he revealed that Coach Dennis Franchione was the only one who misled him. Gold mentioned that Franchione, who led the Tide from 2001 to 2002, was known for his dishonesty.
Franchione, who posted a 17-8 record at Alabama with a 7-5 record in 2001 and a 10-3 record in 2002, faced a complicated situation. His 2001 team won the Independence Bowl, marking Alabama’s first bowl victory in five years, while his 2002 squad won the SEC West Division. Unfortunately, due to NCAA sanctions from the previous coach, Mike DuBose, the 2002 team was barred from postseason play.
Despite receiving a lucrative 10-year, $15 million contract extension offer from Alabama, Franchione was rumored to be negotiating with Texas A&M. He denied these rumors before the 2002 Iron Bowl. However, shortly after the game, Franchione traveled to Texas to interview for the A&M position and did not return to Alabama. He informed his players of his decision to leave via video teleconference.
Gold recounted asking Franchione if he was leaving, to which Franchione replied no. However, Gold later ran into Ron Franklin, the former ESPN college football announcer, who advised him that Franchione was indeed moving to A&M. Franklin’s information proved accurate, as Franchione eventually accepted the A&M job.
In a 2008 reflection, Franchione admitted he regretted how he departed from Alabama. He acknowledged that the situation could have been handled better and expressed regret over not saying a proper farewell to his players. Franchione, who stepped down from coaching A&M after the 2007 season, mentioned that there were aspects of his departure that were misunderstood but did not provide further details.