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Clarence "Bevo" Francis (September 4, 1932 – June 3, 2015) was an American basketball player. Born on his family's farm in
Hammondsville, Ohio Hammondsville is an unincorporated community in central Saline Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area. It lies along Ohio State Route 213. History Hammondsville was laid out ...
, he became one of the most prolific scorers in
college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
history during his career at Rio Grande College (now known as the University of Rio Grande), topping over 100 points on two occasions. Standing and known for his shooting touch, Francis held the NCAA record for points scored in a game from 1954 to 2012.


Biography

Francis started his high school career in 1948 as a freshman at Irondale High School. In 1949 he transferred to nearby Wellsville High School when his father became employed by the Wellsville School District. Concerns about his eligibility prevented him from playing basketball in 1949 & 1950. In 1951, during his senior year in high school at Wellsville, Ohio, Francis scored 776 points in 25 games for an average of nearly 32 points per game. In the process, he led his team to a 19–1 regular season record and a berth in the state playoffs. He was a unanimous all-state performer. In 1953, Francis averaged 48.3 points a game, which is an NCAA record. He actually averaged 50.1 points per game over the season, but the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
excluded some of his best games because they were against lesser competition, such as junior colleges. One of the games that did not count in the official totals was a 116-point game against Ashland Junior College. In 1954, Francis averaged 48.0 points a game. He scored a then-record 113 in a single game, eclipsed in 2012 by Grinnell's Jack Taylor's 138 points against Faith Baptist Bible. Francis still holds the top two scoring averages in NAIA history, along with many NCAA records. Francis, teammate Al Schreiber, and his coach Newt Oliver later signed with the Boston Whirlwinds, a barnstorming team that played against the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
. He was subsequently drafted by
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
of the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, but opted to return home to his wife and family. Francis died on June 3, 2015, due to complications of esophageal cancer in Highlandtown, Ohio. The Bevo Francis Award, which is given to the top small college basketball player in the United States, is named in his honor.


Top scoring performances

*116 vs Ashland Junior College of Kentucky 52–53. Now called the Ashland Community and Technical College *113 vs
Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...
53–54 *84 vs Alliance College 53–54 *82 vs Bluffton College 53–54 *76 vs Lees College 52–53 *72 vs California State 52–53 *69 vs Wilberforce University 52–53 *68 vs Mountain State 52–53 *64 vs Erie Tech 53–54


See also

*
List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game In basketball, point (basketball), points are the sum of the score accumulated through field goal (basketball), field goals (two or three points) and free throws (one point). It is a rare achievement for an individual player to score 100 points ...


References


External links


Sportscentury: Bevo Francis


{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Bevo 1932 births 2015 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American Basketball League (1961–62) players Basketball players from Ohio Cleveland Pipers players Deaths from cancer in Ohio Deaths from esophageal cancer in the United States People from Gallia County, Ohio Philadelphia Warriors draft picks Rio Grande RedStorm men's basketball players People from Jefferson County, Ohio American men's basketball players Forwards (basketball)