Clarence "Bevo" Francis (September 4, 1932 – June 3, 2015) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Born on his family's farm in Hammondsville, Ohio, he became one of the most prolific scorers in

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

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 1954–2012. In 1951, during his senior year in high school in

Wellsville, Ohio Wellsville is a village in southern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. Its population was 3,113 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Salem micropolitan area, north of Steubenville and south of Youngstown. In its ...

, 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 student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

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. Bevo 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 are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...

. He was subsequently drafted by

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

, 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 Highlandtown is an unincorporated community in eastern Washington Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. It is immediately south of Highlandtown Lake, a reservoir which takes its name. History Highlandtown was originally built up chiefly by settle ...

. 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 Ashland Community and Technical College (ACTC) is a public community college in Ashland, Kentucky. It is an open-admissions college and part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. It was founded in 1938 to allow students the o ...

*113 vs

Hillsdale College , mottoeng = Strength Rejoices in the Challenge , established = , type = Liberal arts college , religious_affiliation = Not affiliatedBaptist (historical) , endowment = $900 million ( ...

53–54 *84 vs

Alliance College Alliance College was an independent, liberal arts college located in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, offering a special program in Polish and Slavic languages (cf Slavistics). It was originally an academy at the high school level. In the 192 ...

53–54 *82 vs

Bluffton College Bluffton University is a private Mennonite university in Bluffton, Ohio. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with four programs that have earned programmatic accreditation: dietetics, education, music, and social work. The univ ...

53–54 *76 vs Lees College 52–53 *72 vs California State 52–53 *69 vs

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates i ...

52–53 *68 vs Mountain State 52–53 *64 vs Erie Tech 53–54

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 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)

Top scoring performances

See also

References

External links