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| Franklin & Marshall athletics photo |
John Troxell, the head coach of the Franklin & Marshall football team since 2006, has announced that he is stepping down to become the head coach at his alma mater, Lafayette. Troxell recently completed his 16th year at F&M and has recorded 92 wins while leading the Diplomats.
Lafayette is a Division I FCS program in the Patriot League.
"The entire Franklin & Marshall community is certainly disappointed to lose a coach and leader of John Troxell's stature and character," stated athletic director Lauren Packer Webster. "Nevertheless, the character, integrity, and family atmosphere instilled in this program and showcased by our current student-athletes and numerous alumni leave the team in a very strong position to build upon the foundation of Franklin & Marshall football."
After being named the head coach in March 2006, Troxell turned the Diplomats into one of the top teams in the Centennial Conference. By his fifth season, he had led F&M to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 14 years. Since that time, he has guided the Diplomats to a bowl game during nine of the past 12 seasons.
A two-time Centennial Conference Coach of the Year, Troxell led the Diplomats to the Centennial Conference championship in 2017. That season also marked the first of four consecutive Centennial-MAC Bowl Series championships for the Diplomats. Troxell's teams additionally made four bowl appearances as a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference from 2009-13. Troxell was also recognized as a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year following the 2009 season.
The 39th coach in program history, Troxell ranks second all-time in school history with 92 career victories as he mentored 111 All-Centennial Conference performers. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Diplomats set the program record from most wins in a two-year span. That total was highlighted by 10 victories during the 2017 championship season as the Diplomats reached that milestone for just the second time in school history.
Troxell previously spent the 2001-05 seasons as Lafayette's running backs coach, recruiting coordinator, and special teams coach where he helped the team to 2004 and 2005 Patriot League championships. He graduated from Lafayette in 1994 where he was the starting free safety for the Patriot League champions and received the team's Unsung Hero Award as a senior.