Bob Francis
Born: January 24, 1954 in Lorain, Ohio
Residence: Coppell, Texas
Mentors: John Binder and Jim Lawhead
Athletic highlights
Lorain Catholic (1968-72)
Track and field
1972: Francis became the Spartans’ first and only Ohio state champion for any sport in school history (1969-2004) when he won Class A state high jump title at Ohio Stadium as he defeated Clearview freshman Larry Fortner. Both jumpers cleared 6-5, but Francis won out on fewer misses. Fortner went on placed second at state again in 1973 before winning state titles in 1974 and ’75.
1972: Captured the Kent Class A District high jump crown with a meet-record height of 6-7, beating the 1971 meet record of 6-2 set by Lutheran East’s Phil Pickens in 1971. Earlier he won the Cuyahoga Heights Class A Sectional title with a mark of 6-6.75, shattering the previous record of 6-2.75 set by Pickens in 1971.
1972: Francis capped his prep career as he set the Ohio Classic meet record with both a meet- and Lorain County record jump of 6-7.25. The meet was an all-star competition held after the state meet at Mansfield Malabar.
1972: Broke his own North Central Conference meet record with a jump of 6-4.25. He also cleared 6-6 at the prestigious Bellaire Relays.
1971: Francis got his start in high jumping as a junior. There was no varsity track team at LC in the early 1970s so Spartan basketball coach Jim Lawhead organized a mini squad to go to the 1971 NCC championships in Parma. Francis won NCC title with a meet-record 6-3.25.
Basketball
1968-72: Four-year varsity letterwinner. A key bench player for the Spartans. He helped Lorain Catholic to a 16-4 won-lost record as a junior and to a 19-2 record as a senior before the Spartans were eliminated in the Class A district semis by Cortland Maplewood.
Kent State University (1972-76)
Track and field
Francis lettered four times each in indoor and outdoor track for KSU under legendary Doug Raymond. The Amherst native qualified for the NCAA championships on several occasions for the Golden Flashes and one of only two Lorain County athletes to clear 7-1 career wise, in track and field’s high jump.
1976: Francis earned All-America honors by finishing sixth in a field of 39 as he cleared 7-1 at the NCAA Championships at the University of Pennsylvania. He just missed the Olympic qualifying standard of 7-2 and a higher placement when barely nicked the bar attempting a career-best 7-3.
1976: Won the MAC indoor title with a career-equaling 7-1 at Western Michigan University in March.
1974: Francis became the first KSU high jumper to clear 7-0 when he finished third at the 34th annual Knights of Columbus meet in Cleveland. He captured MAC championships both indoor and outdoor. Francis took the MAC outdoor title with his 6-8 upset of triumph over defending champ Chris Adams of Ohio University.
1973: Francis tied the KSU school record at 6-10 as a freshman.
Halls of fame
1993: Kent State University Varsity “K” Athletics Hall of Fame
1994: Lorain Sports Hall of Fame
Professional experience
1977-2012: Shermco Industries (Irving, Texas)
Education
1972: Lorain Catholic High School
1976: Kent State University