Former Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis dies in a plane crash

Russ Francis (Google Images)

According to Matt Schooley of CBS Boston, former New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers tight end Russ Francis of Seattle, Washington passed away in a plane crash in Lake Placid, New York on Sunday at the age of 70. Francis’s plane crashed at the end of the runway at the Lake Placid airport in New York state.

Francis spent 14 seasons in the NFL. He was with the Patriots from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1987 to 1988. Francis was also with the 49ers from 1982 to 1987. He briefly retired in the 1981 NFL regular season before making his return to the NFL a year later.

In 167 regular season games, Francis had 393 catches for 5262 receiving yards and 40 touchdown receptions. He also had two rushes for 12 receiving yards.

Francis was selected to the Pro Bowl for three straight seasons from 1976 to 1978. He had 26 catches for 367 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 1976, 16 catches for 229 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 1977, and 39 catches for 543 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 1978. Interestingly, Francis’s best season in 1980, he was not selected to the Pro Bowl. That year he had career highs in receiving yards (664) and touchdown catches (eight).

In 1985, Francis was a Super Bowl champion with San Francisco. The 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX. In the 1985 postseason from the 1984 regular season, Francis had a nine yard touchdown catch from Joe Montana in a 21-10 49ers win over the New York Giants in the NFC Divisional Round.

Francis’s best game in terms of receiving yards came on September 26, 1976. He had 139 yards in a 30-27 Patriots win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This is the second time in the last two months that a former NFL player died in a transportation accident. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Alex Collins died in a motorcycle accident on August 13.

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