[5] Francis served as a substitute goalkeeper for Leo Pinto in his maiden Olympic appearance, in 1948, when India beat Great Britain 4–0 in the final to clinch gold.

[6][7] He was also part of the Indian team which secured gold medal in the final against the Netherlands where India registered a comfortable 6–1 win during the 1952 Summer Olympics.

[8] Francis served as a second goalkeeper besides Shankar Laxman at the 1956 Summer Olympics where India claimed gold defeating neighbours arch-rivals Pakistan 1–0 in the final.

He was also nicknamed as 'Titan between the Posts' as he was regarded as a very good technician during his playing days who came way out of his gate when the Indian team attacked and acted as a defender.

[3] In April 2019, musical sports drama film Natpe Thunai was released which was partially based on the true life story of Ranganathan Francis.