THE LATE Russ Francis is remembered for his 10-plus years in the NFL.
During his career, the Super Bowl champion played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.
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Who was Russ Francis?
Born on April 3, 1953, Russ Francis was an American football player from Seattle, Washington.
Francis' formative years were spent between Oahu, Hawaii, and Eugene, Oregon.
In May 1975, he was drafted as a tight end by the New England Patriots.
On July 22, 1981, Francis briefly retired from the league after six seasons with the Patriots.
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"All I can say is that I am retiring because of personal reasons," he said in a statement.
"I've given this a lot of thought in the last few months.
"A career change is not something one does overnight. I have to explore other avenues.
"I have found that at this point, it is best to retire. It's been fun. It's been a good game. I'm going to miss it."
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In 1982, Francis came out of retirement to play for the San Francisco 49ers.
In 1985, he became a Super Bowl champion when the 49ers took home the win over the Miami Dolphins.
On December 24, 1987, the tight end was traded back to the Patriots.
When did Francis retire?
On November 17, 1989, it was announced Francis was released from the Patriots and subsequently retired.
Following his retirement, he ventured into pro wrestling, politics, broadcasting, sports commentary, and flying.
On July 19, 2023, he became one of the new co-owners of Lake Placid Airways.
Regarding the purchase, Francis shared with Lake Placid News: "We want to run this airport as a service to pilots in the area and here at the Lake Placid airport, with all the services that we can to provide them with the most enjoyable experience flying that is possible."
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The retired athlete added: "I’m not interested in (overdevelopment). I came from Hawaii, which got overdeveloped really fast when I was growing up.
"Coming from a destination resort like Hawaii, this place caught my eye because of the attention that they take to maintaining their Olympic image and their Olympic presence, with all the wide variety of sports events they do here every year.
"That was also a major reason to consider and then to act upon acquiring (the flight service)."
What caused Russ Francis' plane crash?
On October 1, 2023, 70-year-old Francis was pronounced dead after his plane crashed into a ravine near Lake Placid, New York.
Shortly following the plane's takeoff, the Cessna 177 he was aboard experienced an emergency.
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The plane attempted to emergency land at Lake Placid Airport but ultimately, the attempt was unsuccessful.
Francis is survived by his son from a previous relationship with Kate Naiman.
