Nikki Franke (born March 31, 1951) is an American former
fencer and fencing coach. She fenced for
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus.
Being New York City's first publ ...
, and was an
All American. She competed in the women's individual and team
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
events at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
, and fenced at the 1975 and 1979
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
, earning a silver medal in the individual competition in 1975, and a bronze medal in the team event in both years. As head coach of the Temple University women’s fencing team, she was named the
USFCA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1987, 1988, and 1991.
Brooklyn College
Franke attended
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus.
Being New York City's first publ ...
, where she earned a B.S. with honors in 1972.
She chose it for its fencing, and fenced for Brooklyn College for four years, from 1968–72. She was an
All-American, and her senior year she took third at the NIWFA collegiate championship.
In 1979 she was inducted into the Brooklyn College Hall of Fame.
Competition
She competed in the women's individual and team
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
events at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
.
Franke competed at the 1975 and 1979
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
, earning a silver medal in the individual competition in 1975 and a bronze medal in the team event in both years. She qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's
boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
years later.
Temple University
She is currently the head coach of the
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
women's fencing team. Franke was named the
USFCA Coach of the Year four times (in 1983, 1987, 1988, and 1991). Franke received a master's degree in Health Education from Temple in 1975 and completed the doctoral program in 1988. She recently retired as an Associate Professor in Temple University’s Department of Public Health.
In the 2017-2018 season. she reached a significant milestone with getting her 800th victory at Temple on February 4 at
Northwestern. In her 46 years as the head coach of the woman's foil she compiled a record of 807-242-1. While leading the fencers to 46 postseason appearances that include 22 straight
NIWFA championships titles.
Black Women In Sport Foundation
She is one of the co-founders of the foundation along with
Tina Sloan Green,
Alpha Alexander, and Linda Greene. It's a non-profit foundation that is based in Philadelphia that encourages black women and girls to participate in all areas of sport such as coaching and the administration of it.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franke, Nikki
1951 births
Living people
American female foil fencers
Olympic fencers of the United States
Fencers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from New York City
Pan American Games medalists in fencing
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
Congressional Gold Medal recipients
Fencers at the 1975 Pan American Games
Fencers at the 1979 Pan American Games
Brooklyn College alumni
21st-century American women
Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games