William Francis
Athlete
1879 –
Who is William Francis?
William Henry "Bill" Francis was a Negro Leagues Third baseman for a few years before the founding of the first Negro National League, and in its first few seasons.
He was playing for the Philadelphia Giants at the age of 27 years old in 1906, and continued with that team until 1910, playing Winter Ball for the Matanzas team in Cuba in 1908 and 1909.
Francis went to the Leland Giants in 1911 and stayed there for three seasons. He went back to Cuba, playing for Club Fé in 1912-1913.
During a 1914 four-game series against the Chicago Giants, sportswriter Cary B. Lewis said of Francis, "Although short, Francis runs like a deer." Sources show Lewis stood 5 foot, 5 inches tall.
When Francis left Chicago in 1919, he played the rest of the season for the Detroit Stars.
At the forming of the first Negro National League, the 41-year old Francis found himself on the Hilldale Club where he would also manage the team.
Francis died in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 62. He is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"William Francis." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/william-francis/m/0nd540v>.
Discuss this William Francis biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In