Dave Francis

Running back, American football player

1941 –

26

Who is Dave Francis?

David Lee Francis 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, 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.

Francis' greatest achievement as an Ohio State football player was saved for his last game against arch-rival Michigan. Until the 2007 season, his 186 yard, two touchdown performance was the most yards gained by an Ohio State running back against Michigan. 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.

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Born
Apr 15, 1941
Columbus
Also known as
  • David Francis OSU
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Ohio State University
Lived in
  • Columbus

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Dave Francis." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/dave_francis>.

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