Russ Francis killed in plane crash

[italian pat patriot]

A very very sad news...a great great playier
One of the best
Awful...i have his red throwback jersey...
No words
R.i.p legend
You were amazing

 

[bormio]

Never think about Russ Francis without thinking about Phil Villapiano

 

[scout]

My favorite. RIP Russ.

 

[raduray]

Two experienced pilots, and they just ran out of altitude. Beware gravity. Sad.

Accident Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG N545PZ,

On October 1, 2023, at 1608 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N545PZ, owned and operated by Lake Placid Air Service was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near...

aviation-safety.net

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

All World TE before Coates, Gronk, Kelse

Coates, Gronk, who?

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Wow, that clip shows both Daryl Stingley and Russ Francis catching long TD passes. Both were amazing talents, both died too young.

They were roommates on the road

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Damn. This hits home hard for me.

I loved Russ as a player, and he seemed a great guy. I’m also a member of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and know Sr VP Richard McSpadden was very well regarded. Ironically, he was Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute. McSpadden was also former commander of the USAF Thunderbirds. Both are tremendous losses.

Plus, I was flying yesterday myself. I missed yesterday’s game because I was delayed getting home when my plane had problems after I flew a friend to NC. I assume Russ experienced a mechanical problem. The article below states that they experienced an emergency after take-off and crashed attempting to return to the airport, which is consistent with mechanical failure.

It also contained this lovely anecdote:


Investigation into fatal Lake Placid plane crash continues

Aircraft maintenance and safety is suspect today, due to cost-cutting and slovenliness.

This, Kobe, Boeing Max were avoidable.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Russ Francis being dubbed “All World” by the great Howard Cosell gave us Patriots fans validity. It mattered.

The Patriots were valid, and this was in contradiction to the universe of the false laughingstock narrative, and jeopardized the entire space-time continuum for the media, the league, opponents and their fans - and an enormous section of so-called local Patriots 'fans' and non-sports following locals who casually then and to this day dismiss the team as pathetic.

Ben Dreith was their Deus ex machina, although Patriots' on-field accomplishments-denigrating would have continued anyway, or even intensified, as the Davis/Raiders crybabying would have increased as well. I expect the Raiders would likely have won the following year, as they could well have beaten the Broncos if still focused on winning for the first time. However, I think Staubach & Dorsett would have still handled them.

The reason for their only two legitimate titles is Plunkett.

Most Patriots fans, bring younger than 55-60, will never know

Thanks to local media, and Kraft, who adores people like Orthwein and Goodell whose singular purpose is to subvert the franchise.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Sorry to hear that, one of the Patriot's greatest ever.

Yet the 'Hall' is loaded with players who are not fit to carry his jockstrap

Nor Julius Adams', Mosi Tatupu's or Darryl Stingley's

F Kraft. What a tool.

His employees at the plant (not surprisingly) said he was an ******* for a boss.

He's done a few nice things, and in this culture it takes a certain approach to succeed...that's probably it.

He can't just give up the life/business modus operandi that he relied on to make it.

The prevalent analysis today that Brady is completely responsible for taking an irrelevant organization to success is being confirmed by Kraft.

He is who he is. Maybe we'll get an owner someday who gets it.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

RIP Russ, hopefully you will be in the Pats HOF in the next couple years.

Don't count on it.

Although now that he'd dead, it's more likely eventually.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Never think about Russ Francis without thinking about Phil Villapiano

Look at the date on this article.

Foreboding.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1977/09/04/no-killer-instinct-for-francis/6383fe98-c146-4d3a-a36b-3e4618d64522/

F*ck Dreith, Madden and them all to Hell.

 

[VJCPatriot]

RIP Russ. It's a shame he went that way.

I guess airplanes aren't that safe after all, at least the small kind.

 

[TheBeers]

damn, RIP Russ

 

[DaBruinz]

If Sunday couldn’t get any worse for Patriots fans. Rest in Peace.

Russ Francis, former NFL great from Hawaii, dies in plane crash | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Russ Francis, a former Kailua High School athlete who went on to star in the NFL and win a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, was killed in an airplane crash Sunday, according to the Lake Placid News. He was 70 years old.

www.staradvertiser.com

First Wakefield and now Russ Francis.. RIP to both of them.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I worked at The Globe as a copy boy in the sports department the night Russ Francis was drafted. I remember hundreds, maybe thousands of phone calls one after another, "who did the Patriots draft?" (For some reason, that was how the news traveled.) Everyone said. "who?"

Fairbanks and Kilroy knew what they were doing.

 

[cupofjoe1962]

Francis is a longtime pilot who has flown for almost 50 years

He was the president of the Lake Placid airways

Not sure if he was the captain, but he was doing what he loved in an area he was quite familiar with.

 

[Patstopia]

All World !!! RIP

 

[bresna]

Look at the date on this article.

Foreboding.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1977/09/04/no-killer-instinct-for-francis/6383fe98-c146-4d3a-a36b-3e4618d64522/

F*ck Dreith, Madden and them all to Hell.

There is a major transcription error in this archived story. It says, "With the help of another controversial play - Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano held Francis with the penalty being called". It should say, "With the help of another controversial play - Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano held Francis with no penalty being called".

Strike that... it should say, "With the help of another controversial play - Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano tackled Francis with no pass interference penalty being called".

 

[Ivan]

If Sunday couldn’t get any worse for Patriots fans. Rest in Peace.

Russ Francis, former NFL great from Hawaii, dies in plane crash | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Russ Francis, a former Kailua High School athlete who went on to star in the NFL and win a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, was killed in an airplane crash Sunday, according to the Lake Placid News. He was 70 years old.

www.staradvertiser.com

That’s awful. RIP Russ.

 

[captain stone]

Two experienced pilots, and they just ran out of altitude. Beware gravity. Sad.

Accident Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG N545PZ,

On October 1, 2023, at 1608 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N545PZ, owned and operated by Lake Placid Air Service was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near...

aviation-safety.net

Did you notice the year that airplane was built? Spooky...

Speaking of, I remember watching that ****tsdirt game in 1976 at home with my dad & brother... We all thought they would attempt some kind of running play... That might've been the loudest my brother & I got at home watching a Pats game since Bob Windsor broke his leg while catching the game-winning TD as time expired in Minnesota two years earlier...

Surprised no-one mentioned that Russ participated in a Battle Royale during Wrestlemania 2 with Jimbo Covert, William Perry & Ed Jones; and won by Andre the Babysitter... Russ' dad ran the Hawaii territory until he sold it to Peter Maivia I believe, aka Duane Johnson's granpappy; and that's probably when the family moved to the 48...

Kinda sucks that it takes a tragedy as this to once again ask the question: Why isn't Russ Francis ALREADY in the NEP HOF, Mr Kraft?