Bevo Francis: Difference between revisions

▲'''Clarence "Bevo" Francis''' (September 4, 1932 – June 3, 2015) was an American [[basketball]] player. Born on his family's farm in [[Hammondsville, Ohio]], he became one of the most prolific scorers in [[college basketball]] history during his career at [[University of Rio Grande|Rio Grande College]] (now known as the University of Rio Grande), topping over 100 points on two occasions. Standing {{convert|6|ft|9|in|m}} and known for his shooting touch, Francis held the NCAA record for points scored in a game from 1954–2012.

▲In 1951, during his senior year in high school in [[Wellsville, Ohio]], Francis scored 776 points in 25 games for an average of nearly 32 points per game.<ref name="FLS">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19530110&id=N_ITAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q4oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5711,845895|title=Bevo Francis, Collegiate Cager, Scores 116 Points for New Mark|date=January 10, 1953|last=Diles|first=Dave|agency=AP|newspaper=The Free-Lance Star}}</ref> In the process, he led his team to a 19-1 regular season record and a berth in the state playoffs. He was a unanimous all-state performer.

▲In 1953, Francis averaged 48.3 points a game, which is an NCAA record.<ref>Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball, p.39, Bill Madden, Harper Collins Publishing, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-06-169031-0</ref> He actually averaged 50.1 points per game over the season, but the [[NCAA]] excluded some of his best games because they were against lesser competition, such as junior colleges. One of the games that did not count in the official totals was an 116-point game against [[Ashland Community and Technical College|Ashland Junior College]].

▲In 1954, Francis averaged 48.0 points a game. He scored a then-record 113 in a single game, eclipsed in 2012 by [[Grinnell College|Grinnell]]'s [[Jack Taylor (basketball)|Jack Taylor]]'s 138 points against Faith Baptist Bible.<ref name=utsd>{{cite news|title=Bevo will always be the best in our record book|date=25 November 2012|newspaper=U-T San Diego|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/25/bevo-will-always-be-best-our-record-book/?print&page=all|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6CTWrJkfc|archivedate=26 November 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref> Francis still holds the top two scoring averages in [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] history, along with many NCAA records.

▲Bevo Francis, teammate Al Schreiber, and his coach Newt Oliver later signed with Boston Whirlwinds, a barnstorming team that played against the [[Harlem Globetrotters]]. He was subsequently drafted by [[Philadelphia Warriors|Philadelphia]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], but opted to return home to his wife and family.

▲Francis died on June 3, 2015, due to complications of esophageal cancer in [[Highlandtown, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Dauster|first=Rob|title=‘Bevo’ Francis, one of college basketball’s best scorers, died at 82|date=June 4, 2015|newspaper=NBCSports.com|url=http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/06/04/bevo-francis-one-of-college-basketballs-best-scorers-died-at-82/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/sports/basketball/bevo-francis-dies-at-82-scored-113-points-in-college-basketball-game.html|title=Bevo Francis Dies at 82; Scored 113 Points in College Basketball Game|newspaper=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=June 4, 2015|last=Slotnik|first=Daniel}}</ref>

▲| NAME = Francis, Bevo

▲| PLACE OF BIRTH = Hammondsville, Ohio

▲}}