Russ Francis

Russell Ross Francis (born April 3, 1953), is a retired American football player, a tight end for thirteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

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.

Francis began high school at Kailua High School on Oahu, Hawaii, and finished at Pleasant Hill High School in Oregon, southeast of Eugene. He set the national high school record for the javelin as a senior in 1971 at 259 ft 9 in (79.17 m); the record stood until 1988. Francis was also a decathlete for Pleasant Hill.