| No. 81, 49 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 3, 1953 Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | October 1, 2023 (aged 70) Lake Placid, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Kailua (HI) Pleasant Hill (OR) | ||||||||
| College: | Oregon | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1975 / round: 1 / pick: 16 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Russell Ross Francis (April 3, 1953 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. He was also a professional wrestler. Francis finished his NFL career with 393 receptions for 5,262 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
In 2021, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Francis to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2021.[1]