Todd Burris was chosen as the first head coach and program director of Franklin’s eSports program in August of 2021.
“Todd’s energy and enthusiasm, combined with years of experience in project management, are just what we needed to kick off a great future for eSports here at Franklin College,” then-athletic director Andrew Hendricks said. “Todd has a wealth of experience building and growing a number of business divisions. His passion for gaming, drones and other modern technology will have a direct crossover to this new endeavor, and his lofty goals for the program are clearly in sync with our vision for what GRIZ Gaming can become.”
Gaming has been a passion of Burris’ since the 1970s, and he is still a casual player in the gaming world today. An owner of an extensive collection of games and consoles across many generations, Burris has an appreciation for the gaming world and is excited about the opportunity to integrate Franklin into the world of competitive eSports.
“It’s very humbling to be the first of anything,” Burris said. “It’s exciting to see something start from an initial concept to implementation. What’s exciting about this role is that it’s already past the concept stage and now it’s up to me to implement the strategy. I’m excited about being able to help these young students balance gaming activities with the most important reason why they’re here and that’s to get a great education.”
No stranger to athletic competition, Burris was a three-sport athlete in high school and walked on to the tennis team at St. Joseph’s College. He later caught on as a walk-on for the track and field team at Indiana State University, where he finished his bachelor’s degree in criminology in 1994.
Since heading up the program in the fall of 2021, Burris has led the Griz Gamers to 4 NACE conference championships in the Varsity Plus division. In the spring of 2022, the Grizzlies produced a Smash 1v1 national runner-up followed up by an undefeated 4v4 season in the spring of 2023. The Call of Duty squad posted an undefeated match record and a 24-1 map record in the fall of 2023. The team went on to win 14 consecutive matches, which is a program record. In the fall of 2024, Franklin won its first ECAC national championship in MLB the Show with an undefeated season. The Fortnite program has seen the national spotlight, with a Split Open championship in 2025, two Split Open runners-up and two top-five finishes in the Fortnite Collegiate Championships. The program has produced 27 NACE Academic All-Conference players since its inception and seven inductees into the National Collegiate Athlete Honor Society. Burris has posted 125 wins in four years as the head of the program.
