Tulsa World: Moving on after tragedy

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Moving on after tragedy

Dominique Franks

By JOHN E. HOOVER, World sports writer
Published: 8/24/2008 2:31 AM
Last Modified: 8/24/2008 4:38 AM

No one needs to remind Dominique Franks when Mother's Day is. He honors her daily.

"My mom? That's my best friend," he said. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now. I talk to her about football and just life in general. I feel like I can come to her with anything I need."

Thelma Franks is a three-time state hurdles champ and still holds the 100-meter record she set almost 20 years ago. But her real legacy is her son — a sophomore cornerback at OU — and the lessons she's passed on to him.

When he was a freshman at Owasso, his stepfather died in a car crash. When he was a senior at Union, his biological father shot himself.

"I found out the day we played Enid," Franks said.

Afterward, Franks didn't know what he felt — frustrated, abandoned, even bitter. But mother knew best.

"We sat around and I was kind of wondering why he did it," he said. "She told me that I can't blame him because I didn't really know what he was going through She told me I need to look at details and see what's really going on before I judge any situation." By JOHN E. HOOVER, World sports writer

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