Russ Francisand former tight end NFL who played 12 professional seasons and made three Pro Bowls, He died on Sunday at the age of 70 in a plane crash at the Lake Placid airport, New York.
Francis had become part owner of Lake Placid Airways in July, and on Sunday I was on a plane con el vicepresidente senior de la Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Richard McSpaddenwhen it experienced problems shortly after takeoff, around 4 p.m., according to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and a statement from AOPA.
The AOPA wrote that Francis and McSpadden, who also died in the accidentthey tried to return to the airport, but they did not reach the runway, he published The Post.
Francis was born in Kailua, Hawaiiand attended college in Oregon before the New England Patriots they will select him in the first round of 1975 NFL Draft.
Francis was also selected in the MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royalsbut he decided to continue in American football, although his career was not always so clear, and even in the NCAA he played only one full season with the University of Oregon.
In his last year of college he opted not to play football for the Ducks, and He took lessons three times a day to obtain his flight license in a few weeksaccording to an article in Washington Post de 1977.
Despite everything, he had the opportunity to play in the NFL, and Francis finished with 393 receptions for 5,262 yards and 40 touchdowns. in seven seasons with the Patriots and five more with the 49ers.
Russ Francis was champion alongside Joe Montana
In January 1985, Francis won Super Bowl XIX next to the legendary Joe Montana with the San Francisco 49ersal defeat Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphins 38-16.
Francis was an important part of the game by catching five passes for 60 yards.
“This guy was a superstar before Tua, before Marcus, and he really put Hawaii on the map”Rich Miano, who played in the NFL at the same time as Francis, told KHON News in Hawaii.“He was Hawaiian football. He had that appreciation, that love for Hawaii that, to me, is so special”.
Francis He was also a professional wrestler and announcer at different stages of his life, but earlier this year, Francis pursued his passion for flying and was selected as the winning bid to purchase Lake Placid Airwayswhich offers charter and scenic flights, according to its website.
Francis told the Lake Placid News in August that he thought his bid was selected because of his commitment to maintaining local service after he and co-owner Rives Plotts “fell in love with this place”.
2023-10-02 15:59:23
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