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Remembering Bevo Francis

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Remembering Bevo Francis

Charter Inductee Clarence "Bevo" Francis, who scored 113 points during a University of Rio basketball game in 1954, died on June 3, 2015 at the age of 82. Francis died at his home in Highlandtown, Ohio. The cause was complications of esophageal cancer, Rio Grande spokesman Randy Payton said. His feat set an NCAA record that held for nearly 60 years.

Clarence Francis was born on Sept. 4, 1932, in Hammondsville, Ohio. His nickname, Bevo, came from his father’s favorite brand of near beer.

Francis married Jean Chrislip while they attended Wellsville High School. He played only one year of varsity basketball under Coach Newt Oliver, scoring 776 points in 25 games, before departing for Rio Grande with Oliver, who had accepted the head coaching job there.

His survivors include his wife; a son, Frank; a daughter, Marge Grimm; a sister, Norma Williams; and three grandchildren.

Francis’ 113-point record endured until 2012, when Jack Taylor of Grinnell College scored 138 points in a game against Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. Contacted by The New York Times, Francis had one question: “Is that a four-year school?”

Read the full New York Times tribute.


 

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