At New Bedford High School, Francis was a successful pitcher on the baseball diamond before he switched to track during the spring of his junior year, and soon dominated the 880-yard run (now the 800-meter). As a senior, he won the Class A EMass, state, and New England titles; at the state meet, Francis set a new record, running a 1:52.5. As an athlete, Francis was an extremely talented middle distance runner. During the 1975 outdoor season, the seven-time All-American was ranked as the No. 2 half-miler in the nation. Francis went on to claim the 1,000-meter NCAA Championship in 2:08.4 that indoor season. Of the nine records he set at Boston College, five remain as the standards for the track and field program: the outdoor 800 meters (1:46.18), mile (4:00.8), 4x800-meter relay and sprint medley relay and the indoor 800 meters (1:50.2) and 1,000 meters (2:22.4). During the height of the Cold War, Francis represented the United States in international meets against the Soviet Union and China and competed in the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials. Just five years after graduating from BC, he was inducted into the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame.
Class: 1972 Inducted: 2007