Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The entire story of Russ Francis getting drafted is my favorite. I had the story from him personally in an email a long time ago, but sadly that died with my computer at the time. But the gist of it is that:

- He was injured as a sophomore at Oregon (on the same team as Dan Fouts)
- He played as a junior
- He quit the team and didn't play as a senior, but was working as a professional wrestler
- A scout came to find him over the winter, and wanted to time him in the 40-yard dash. But the track was full of snow, and Francis was wearing cowboy boots. Francis got a shovel and shoveled off 40 yards of track, and then I forget if he ran in his cowboy boots or in his socks (I think it was his socks), and ran a spectacular time.
- Told that he had a year of eligibility left and was thus ineligible for the 1975 NFL Draft, Francis enlisted at Oregon State for a week to use up his final week of eligibility.
- The Patriots took 11 minutes of their draft clock to pick him, after which Chuck Fairbanks said Francis was the best TE prospect he had ever seen.

by Evan » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:16 pm
"...- A scout came to find him over the winter, and wanted to time him in the 40-yard dash. But the track was full of snow, and Francis was wearing cowboy boots. Francis got a shovel and shoveled off 40 yards of track, and then I forget if he ran in his cowboy boots or in his socks (I think it was his socks), and ran a spectacular time..."

In Cambridge, there's the "Plough and Stars" - a noted IRA hang-out.
At Patriot Place, there's the "Plow and Shovel" exhibit.
A great story if it is true; an even better story if it is not...