Nebraska two-sport All-American Sam Francis One of the finest two-sport athletes to ever compete at Nebraska, Francis was an All-American in both football and track and field during his Husker career. As a fullback for the Nebraska football team, Francis claimed All-America honors as a senior, while finishing second in voting for the Heisman Trophy, trailing only Yale's Larry Kelley.
Francis also helped Coach Dana X. Bible's team to a Big Six title with a perfect 5-0 conference mark and a 7-2 overall record, while finishing ninth in the final Associated Press rankings.
After his college career, Francis played in the East-West Shrine Game and the College All-Star Game before being selected as the No. 1 overall pick of Philadelphia in the 1937 NFL Draft. He played the 1937 and 1938 seasons with the Chicago Bears, before splitting time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939.
Along with his achievements on the gridiron, Francis earned All-America honors as a shot putter for the Nebraska track and field team, before capturing fourth place in the shot put at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Francis, who lettered as a member of the track and field team in 1935, 1936 and 1937, won the 1937 NCAA shot put title after finishing second in the event in 1936.
