Russ Francis Dies in Air Accident

 Russ Francis, the great tight end of the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, has died in an aircraft accident at Lake Placid tody.  He was an avid pilot and loved to fly.

I first knew of Francis when my brother and I were rapid Track and Field fans in the 1070's.  He was the US High School Javelin record holder and his 217' throw stood for 17 years.  Even when he emerged as such an accomplished player on the Pats, I still thought of him primarily as a track and field guy.

So it was great for me when I was in one of the boxes at Gillette Stadium for a game one day when Francis came by to talk with the box owners and their guests.  He was making the rounds of the room and I waited patiently until he came near, then introduced myself to him saying, "Aren't you the great Javelin Thrower?"  His face lit right up, and we had a half hour conversation talking about his track days in Hawaii and at the University of Oregon.

When Francis went to Oregon in the the early seventies, Steve Prefontaine was the star attraction of the track program that was coached by Bill Bowerman, who went on to found the Nike Athletic shoe company.  He said Pre and he were great friends.  To followers of Track and Field, Steve Prefontaine was a mythical and legendary figure and two movies have been created about him

Francis told me that Prefontaine presented him with an opportunity to get in the ground floor of the Nike startup for $25k, but he passed on it.  "Imagine how much my stake would have been worth now?" he said.  It was so cool talking to him and he seemed to really appreciate that I recognized his track and field background, rather than dwell on his football career.

He was a talented athelete with a tremendous enthusiasm for life and his sudden passing will affect many.

RIP Russ Francis