Chaz Hill, a 2019 Franklin College graduate, was named the first head coach of the Griz women’s flag football program in October of 2026. He will be tasked with navigating the team through club status in the spring of 2027 before jumping into a full NCAA schedule in 2028.
“One, being able to work for the college in some capacity is a pretty cool opportunity,” Hill said. “And two ... to be able to get in on the ground floor of something that is taking off in a big way is a really neat opportunity. To be able to be the one that starts a program that hopefully grows and grows — because women’s flag, from my point of view, is just going to the moon.”
Franklin will be among the first colleges in the state to start a varsity program, with a handful of others set to debut in either 2027 or 2028.
“Women’s flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and this is the right time for Franklin College to make its mark,” athletic director Lance Marshall said. “Chaz is a Grizzly through and through. He knows our standards because he lived them as a student-athlete, and now he gets to write the first chapter of this program. Our inaugural 2027 team will set every standard and every tradition, and I can’t think of a better person to guide them than Chaz.”
A native of New Palestine, Indiana, Hill initially decided to attend Franklin College in large part because of football coach Mike Leonard, who had played alongside Hill’s father, Charlie, at Hanover. Chaz Hill played four years of football for the Grizzlies as a defensive back, making 39 tackles in 24 career games. His best game came during his senior season against Manchester, when he collected six tackles and his first collegiate interception.
Currently a social studies teacher and assistant football coach at Franklin Community High School, Hill lives in Franklin with his wife Danielle, a fellow Griz alum.
