Russ Francis – NFL Career and Football History
Russ Francis was a first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 1975 out of Oregon. He became the Patriots’ leading receiver in 1978, catching 39 passes, and earned Pro Bowl honors three straight seasons from 1978 through 1980.
In 1980, Francis was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, where he remained through the 1987 season and won a Super Bowl with the team in 1984. Released just before the final week of the 1987 season, he was picked up by his former team, the Patriots, and played in their final game of the season.
Francis finished his 13-year NFL career in 1988, appearing in 167 games with 393 receptions for 5,262 yards and 49 touchdowns.
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Russ Francis All-Time Career Statistics
| Season | Age | Team | # | Pos | Games | Starts | Catches | Yards | Y/R | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 22 | NWE | 81 | TE | 14 | 11 | 35 | 636 | 18.2 | 48 | 4 |
| 1976 | 23 | NWE | 81 | TE | 13 | 12 | 26 | 367 | 14.1 | 48 | 3 |
| 1977 | 24 | NWE | 81 | TE | 10 | 10 | 16 | 229 | 14.3 | 31 | 4 |
| 1978* | 25 | NWE | 81 | TE | 15 | 15 | 39 | 543 | 13.9 | 53 | 4 |
| 1979* | 26 | NWE | 81 | TE | 12 | 12 | 39 | 557 | 14.3 | 44 | 5 |
| 1980* | 27 | NWE | 81 | TE | 15 | 15 | 41 | 664 | 16.2 | 39 | 8 |
| 1981 | Did Not Play | ||||||||||
| 1982 | 29 | SFO | 81 | TE | 9 | 4 | 23 | 278 | 12.1 | 26 | 2 |
| 1983 | 30 | SFO | TE | 16 | 16 | 33 | 357 | 10.8 | 25 | 4 | |
| 1984 | 31 | SFO♚ | 81 | TE | 10 | 8 | 23 | 285 | 12.4 | 32 | 2 |
| 1985 | 32 | SFO | 81 | TE | 16 | 16 | 44 | 478 | 10.9 | 25 | 3 |
| 1986 | 33 | SFO | 81 | TE | 16 | 14 | 41 | 505 | 12.3 | 52 | 1 |
| 1987 | 34 | 2 Teams | TE | 9 | 7 | 22 | 202 | 9.2 | 19 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 34 | SFO | 49 | TE | 8 | 7 | 22 | 202 | 9.2 | 19 | 0 |
| 1987 | 34 | NWE | 81 | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1988 | 35 | NWE | 81 | TE | 12 | 8 | 11 | 161 | 14.6 | 51 | 0 |
| 8 Years | NWE | 92 | 83 | 207 | 3157 | 15.3 | 53 | 28 | |||
| 5 Years | SFO | 75 | 65 | 186 | 2105 | 11.3 | 52 | 12 | |||
| 13 Years | NFL | 167 | 148 | 393 | 5262 | 13.4 | 53 | 40 | |||
| Season | Age | Team | Games | Catches | Yards | Y/R | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 23 | NWE | 1 | 4 | 96 | 24.0 | 40 | 1 |
| 1978 | 25 | NWE | 1 | 8 | 101 | 12.6 | 24 | 1 |
| 1983 | 30 | SFO | 2 | 8 | 123 | 15.4 | 27 | 0 |
| 1984 | 31 | SFO♚ | 3 | 8 | 89 | 11.1 | 19 | 1 |
| 1985 | 32 | SFO | 1 | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 20 | 0 |
| 1986 | 33 | SFO | 1 | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 20 | 0 |
| Totals | SFO | 7 | 23 | 277 | 12.0 | 27 | 1 | |
| Totals | NWE | 2 | 12 | 197 | 16.4 | 40 | 2 | |
| Totals | NFL | 9 | 35 | 474 | 13.5 | 40 | 3 | |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
- * – Pro Bowl Selection
- ♚ – NFL Champion
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