| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 16, 1910 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 9, 1978 (aged 68) Maumee, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Otterbein College Columbia University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Men's basketball | |
| 1933–1937 | Struthers HS (OH) |
| 1937–1944 | Shaker Heights HS (OH) |
| 1946–1949 | Lancaster HS (OH) |
| Football | |
| 1937–1943 | Shaker Heights HS (OH) |
| 1944–1945 | Upper Arlington HS (OH) |
| 1946–1948 | Lancaster HS (OH) |
| Golf | |
| 1955–1974 | Toledo |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1946–1949 | Lancaster HS (OH) |
| 1949–1954 | Toledo |
| 1954–1973 | Toledo (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
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
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
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
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
- ^ Wolfe, Don (July 12, 1965). "I've Heard". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "Barney Francis: Former TU Athletic Director, Active in Developing MAC". Toledo Blade. August 9, 1978. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ a b Rothman, Seymour (December 22, 1969). "I've Heard". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Obituaries". Toledo Blade. October 6, 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Halberstam, David (2012). The Education of a Coach. New York: Hachette Books. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Cleveland Plain Dealer Index. Cleveland: Works Progress Administration. 1937. p. 386. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Upper Arlington Golden Bears Football History Year by Year Team Records". UA Golden Bears Football. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Francis Submits Resignation As Athletic Director At TU". Toledo Blade. December 3, 1953. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "TU Directorate Backs Francis As Athletic Head". Toledo Blade. May 18, 1949. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Rothman, Seymour (November 10, 1991). "An intimate, informal, and irreverent look at the early days of UT football". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Francis Resigns TU Athletic Post". Toledo Blade. December 3, 1953. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "England Named Toledo U Coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 20, 1954. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Barney Francis Named TU Business Manager". Toledo Blade. May 5, 1954. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Francis, Appleby Change TU Jobs". Toledo Blade. July 25, 1956. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Sama, Dominic (January 18, 1960). "Shift Tourney From TU? Ridiculous Says Francis". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Rothman, Seymour (January 14, 1957). "Larche Hired As TU Grid Coach". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "Francis To Coach TU Golf For 20th Season". Toledo Blade. November 6, 1973. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
This page was last edited on 25 March 2024, at 19:23