No. 39 | |
Date of birth | April 15, 1941 |
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Place of birth | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
Career information | |
Position(s) | Running back |
US college | Ohio State |
NFL draft | 1963 / Round: 7 / Pick: 91 |
Career history | |
As player | |
1963 | Washington Redskins |
Career stats | |
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David Lee Francis (born April 15, 1941) is a former American football fullback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1960 to 1962. Highly recruited nationally as a fullback prospect from Columbus West High School, Francis chose to attend his hometown university after being recruited by Woody Hayes.
Playing behind College Hall of Famer Bob Ferguson for two years, and a backfield that included future Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Warfield and future American Football League legend Matt Snell (AFL), Francis did not break into the starting lineup until his senior year. That year, Ohio State started out as the preseason AP #1 team in the country. Although close losses to UCLA and Northwestern derailed Ohio State's national championship hopes that season, Francis—in a backfield that still included Paul Warfield—led the team in rushing, averaging over 5 yds/carry. In 1962, David was the Big Ten rushing champion (5.2 yds per carry).
Francis' greatest achievement as an Ohio State football player was saved for his last game against arch-rival Michigan. [1] Until the 2007 season, his 186-yard, two touchdown performance was the most yards gained by an Ohio State running back against Michigan.(Beanie Wells) Most noteworthy about that performance, is that Francis, under complete exhaustion, collapsed untouched near the goal line in an open field run before he could tally his third touchdown.
Drafted by the Washington Redskins, Francis played one year in the National Football League (NFL) before his career was ended by injury. [2]
David is married to Polly Francis and lives in Fairview, Texas. David has two sons and two stepsons.
Edward Nathan George Jr. is an American football coach and former player who is the current head football coach at Tennessee State University. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise.
Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in NCAA history, 1974-1975, considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player to ever start in four Rose Bowls. He was selected in the first round by the Bengals in the 1976 NFL draft.
Roger Timothy Craig is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Craig went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey are the only other players to have accomplished that feat. He currently works as the VP of Business Development at TIBCO Software.
Paul Dryden Warfield is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1977 for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, except for a year in the World Football League (WFL) with the Memphis Southmen in 1975. He was known for his speed, fluid moves, grace, and jumping ability. A consistent big-play threat throughout his career, his 20.1 average yards per reception is the highest in NFL history among players with at least 300 receptions.
Fletcher Joseph Perry was an American football fullback who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1960, the Baltimore Colts from 1961 to 1962, and returned to the 49ers in 1963 for his final year in football. He was exceptionally fast, a trait uncommon for a fullback and one which earned him the nickname, "the Jet". The first African-American to be named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), he became one of American football's first black stars.
Leroy Kelly is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1973. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
John Henry Johnson was an American professional football player who was a running back. He was known for his excellence at the fullback position as both a runner and a blocker. His first professional stint was in Canada in the Western Interprovincial Football Union for one season with the Calgary Stampeders. He then played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers before spending his final season in the American Football League (AFL) with the Houston Oilers. Commonly referred to as simply John Henry, an allusion to the folk hero of the same name, Johnson was a tough and tenacious player who performed at a high level well into the tail end of his career.
Michael L. Pruitt is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1986. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1976 NFL draft and spent nine seasons with that club. He had five seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl in 1979 and 1980. He also played for the Buffalo Bills for four games in 1985 and for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1985 and 1986. In his NFL career, Pruitt appeared in a total of 152 games, gained 7,378 rushing yards and scored 56 touchdowns.
In each year of its ten-year existence (1960–1969), numerous sports-news services named their choice for the American Football League's best first-year player. UPI selected a rookie for each of the ten seasons, while the Associated Press did selections from 1961 to 1966, which ended up with the same selections that UPI made. In 1967, AP instead selected Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Years for the AFL, with the offensive choices matching the UPI selection.
Willie Burden was a professional Canadian football player with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), who subsequently became an academic and sports administrator. He was made a member of the Calgary Stampeder's Wall of Fame in 1992, and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2006, Burden was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
Robert Eugene Ferguson was an American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he won the Maxwell Award in 1961. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Pete Johnson is an American former football fullback who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 1977 NFL draft.
Robert Barton "Bullet Bob" Westfall was an American football fullback who played for the University of Michigan (1939–1941) and the Detroit Lions (1944–1947). He was a consensus first-team All-American in 1941 and a first-team All-Pro player in 1945. In 1987, Westfall was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Roland L. Hooks is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at North Carolina State University.
The 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan during the 1948 Big Nine Conference football season. In its first year under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents by a combined score of 122–17, won the Big Nine Conference and repeated as national champions. In the final AP Poll, Michigan received 192 first place votes, twice as many as second-place Notre Dame which garnered 97 first place votes. This remained the last unanimous national title won by the Wolverines until 2023.
The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–3 record, played in the 1970 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 8 in the final UPI poll.
The 1965 Michigan State Spartans football team represented the Michigan State University in the 1965 Big Ten Conference football season. The Spartans won the Big Ten Championship and competed in the 1966 Rose Bowl, losing to UCLA. Despite the loss, the Spartans shared the national championship with Alabama. Michigan State was selected national champion by UPI/coaches, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FB News, Helms, Litkenhous, NFF, Poling, Sagarin, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess) and also co-national champion by FW. Both Alabama and Michigan State were national champions for the season.
The 1940 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1940 Big Ten Conference football season. Under third-year head coach Fritz Crisler, Michigan compiled a 7–1 record and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. The team outscored opponents 196 to 34. The team's sole setback was a 7–6 loss on the road against a Minnesota team that finished the season No. 1 in the final AP Poll.
The 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1968 Big Ten Conference football season. In their tenth and final season under head coach Bump Elliott, the Wolverines compiled an 8–2 record, outscored opponents 277 to 155, and finished the season in second place in the Big Ten Conference and ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. After losing the season opener to California, the Wolverines won their next eight games by a combined score of 256 to 84. The team rose to No. 4 in the AP poll before losing to Ohio State by a 50–14 score in the final game of the season.
Frederick N. Baer was an American football player. He played at the fullback position for the University of Michigan from 1952 to 1954. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1954 Michigan Wolverines football team.