| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Crown |
| Conference | UMAC |
| Record | 15–41 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | Lindenwood University (2010) Dordt University (2015) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2006–2011 | Francis Howell North HS (MO) (assistant) |
| 2008–2009 | RiverCity Rage (OL) |
| 2012–2013 | Dordt (WR/RC) |
| 2014 | Dordt (OL) |
| 2015 | Dordt (ST/DL) |
| 2016 | Trinity International (DL) |
| 2017 | Trinity International (OL) |
| 2018 | Trinity International (AHC/RC/OL) |
| 2019–2020 | Trinity International (AHC/OC) |
| 2021 | Trinity International (interim HC/OC) |
| 2021–present | Crown |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 15–41 |
| Tournaments | 0–1 (NCAA D-III playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Anthony Franz is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, a position he has held since 2021. In 2025, Franz led Crown to the first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship and first NCAA Division III playoff appearance in program history. He was named the UMAC Coach of the Year following the season.
Franz began his coaching career at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri. He coached football at the school from 2006 to 2012 and also worked as a history teacher and coached track and girls' basketball.
From 2008 to 2009, Franz also worked with the RiverCity Rage of the Indoor Football League, serving in football operations and as an assistant coach. The Rage reached the 2009 United Bowl during his tenure.
Franz joined the football staff at Dordt University in 2012. He coached wide receivers and assisted with recruiting before moving to the offensive line. He later served as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach.
In 2016, Franz joined Trinity International University as defensive line coach. He moved to the offensive line in 2017 and later became assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. He eventually became the program's offensive coordinator.
In June 2021, Franz was named interim head football coach at Trinity International following the departure of head coach Lamont Butler. Franz also continued to serve as the team's offensive coordinator.
Franz was named the head football coach at Crown College in 2021. Crown went 1–9 in his first season before improving to 3–7 in 2022.
After consecutive one-win seasons in 2023 and 2024, Crown produced the best season in program history in 2025. The Polars finished the regular season 7–3 and went 6–1 in conference play, defeating Greenville, 38–20, in the regular-season finale to secure the first UMAC football championship in school history.
The conference championship gave Crown its first automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Crown finished the season 7–4 following its first-round playoff game. Franz was subsequently named the 2025 UMAC Coach of the Year. The Polars also produced the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, Offensive Lineman of the Year, and a co-Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Crown entered the 2026 season as the preseason favorite to repeat as UMAC champion.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Rank# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Polars (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) (2021–present) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Crown | 1–9 | 0–7 | 6th | |||||
| 2022 | Crown | 3–7 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2023 | Crown | 1–8 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2024 | Crown | 1–9 | 1–6 | 5th | |||||
| 2025 | Crown | 7–4 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| 2026 | Crown | 2–4 | 1–2 | ||||||
| Crown: | 15–41 | 12–23 | |||||||
| Total: | 15–41 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Franz is a native of St. Charles, Missouri. He earned a bachelor's degree in history, social studies, and secondary education from Lindenwood University in 2010 and a master's degree in educational leadership and administration from Dordt University in 2015.