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Barney Francis

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Barney Francis
Biographical details
Born(1910-07-16)July 16, 1910
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 9, 1978(1978-08-09) (aged 68)
Maumee, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materOtterbein College
Columbia University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Men's basketball
1933–1937Struthers HS (OH)
1937–1944Shaker Heights HS (OH)
1946–1949Lancaster HS (OH)
Football
1937–1943Shaker Heights HS (OH)
1944–1945Upper Arlington HS (OH)
1946–1948Lancaster HS (OH)
Golf
1955–1974Toledo
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1946–1949Lancaster HS (OH)
1949–1954Toledo
1954–1973Toledo (Business manager)

Arthur G. "Barney" Francis (July 16,[1] 1910 – August 9, 1978) was an American athletic director and coach who worked for the University of Toledo from 1949 to 1975.

Early life

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Francis was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised at the Tiffin Junior Order Home in Tiffin, Ohio.[2][3] He played for the orphanage's football team and went on to earn twelve varsity letters in basketball, football, baseball, and track from Otterbein College.[2][3] In 1934, he married Bessie Chamberlain in Bay Village, Ohio. They had one daughter.[4]

High school coaching

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After graduating, Francis coached basketball at Struthers High School. While working towards his master's degree at Columbia University, Francis recommended a Struthers' running back, Steve Belichick, to Western Reserve football coach Bill Edwards, who gave Belichick a football scholarship.[5] In 1937, Francis was named head football and basketball at Shaker Heights High School.[6] From 1944 to 1945, he was the head football coach at Upper Arlington High School, where he complied a 13-3–2 record and won a Central Buckeye League championship.[7] He then served as athletic director and head football and basketball coach at Lancaster High School.[8]

University of Toledo

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On May 5, 1949, University of Toledo president Wilbur W. White announced Francis' appointment as athletic director. He was chosen over Charles Wertz, a former Toledo coach and city government official, who had the support of many in the city's industrial community.[9] When Wertz was passed over, these men withdrew their financial support from Toledo's athletic programs, which forced Barney to run his department on a shoestring budget.[10] In 1953, Francis, who felt that the university would attract a better football coach by pairing the job with the position of athletic director, submitted his resignation to president Asa S. Knowles.[11] On January 19, 1954, Forrest England was named head football coach and athletic director at the University of Toledo.[12]

Four months later, Knowles brought Francis back as the business manager of the athletic department.[13] In 1956, he was given the duties of the athletic auditor, which included budgetary control of the athletic department as well as oversight of the ticket sales, gate receipts, rentals, and advertising.[14] He also served as director of the local district and regional high school basketball tournaments, which were held at the University of Toledo's Field House.[15] In 1957, he served as interim athletic director following the dismissal of Forrest England.[16] Francis resigned as business manager in 1973. The following spring he completed his twentieth and final season as Toledo's golf coach.[17]

Death

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Francis died on August 9, 1978, at St. Luke's Hospital after suffering an apparent heart attack at his Perrysburg, Ohio home. He was 68 years old.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Wolfe, Don (July 12, 1965). "I've Heard". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Barney Francis: Former TU Athletic Director, Active in Developing MAC". Toledo Blade. August 9, 1978. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Rothman, Seymour (December 22, 1969). "I've Heard". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Obituaries". Toledo Blade. October 6, 1998. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Halberstam, David (2012). The Education of a Coach. New York: Hachette Books. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  6. ^ Cleveland Plain Dealer Index. Cleveland: Works Progress Administration. 1937. p. 386. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Upper Arlington Golden Bears Football History Year by Year Team Records". UA Golden Bears Football. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Francis Submits Resignation As Athletic Director At TU". Toledo Blade. December 3, 1953. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "TU Directorate Backs Francis As Athletic Head". Toledo Blade. May 18, 1949. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Rothman, Seymour (November 10, 1991). "An intimate, informal, and irreverent look at the early days of UT football". Toledo Blade. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  11. ^ "Francis Resigns TU Athletic Post". Toledo Blade. December 3, 1953. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  12. ^ "England Named Toledo U Coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 20, 1954. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "Barney Francis Named TU Business Manager". Toledo Blade. May 5, 1954. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "Francis, Appleby Change TU Jobs". Toledo Blade. July 25, 1956. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Sama, Dominic (January 18, 1960). "Shift Tourney From TU? Ridiculous Says Francis". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Rothman, Seymour (January 14, 1957). "Larche Hired As TU Grid Coach". Toledo Blade. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Francis To Coach TU Golf For 20th Season". Toledo Blade. November 6, 1973. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
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