[3] Juan "Papo" Franceschi was born in Barrio San Anton, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 12 January 1947.
He was a cousin of Otoniel Velez Franceschi, and a track and field runner in Puerto Rico, participating in the 1966 X Juegos CAC Games where he won a gold medal in the 400 meters with a time of 46.7, a new record in the Games.
[5] In 1967 he won fourth place at the Panamerican Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with a score of 46.09.
[7] He was shot and killed on 20 October 1990 and is buried at Camposanto Cristo Resucitado in Ponce.
[9] He is also recognized at Ponce's Parque de los Ponceños Ilustres in the area of sports.