In 2021, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Francis to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2021.
[4] At the University of Oregon in Eugene, 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Francis threw the javelin and played only 14 games of varsity football for the Ducks.
[7] Briefly a pro wrestler,[8] he trained for the Superstars competition and was selected in the first round by the New England Patriots, the 16th overall pick and signed in May.
[9] During the Patriots 30–27 win in 1976 over the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on September 26, Francis caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan on fourth and one.
[13] Following the 1980 season, Francis opted to retire from professional football[14] after the Patriots refused to give him his promised bonus for making the Pro Bowl that he missed due to injury,[15] and when the team tried to cancel Darryl Stingley's medical insurance after he was paralyzed by a Jack Tatum hit two years earlier.
[17] He was on the roster in 1988 but after missing the 1989 season due to injury and then being released, he retired for the second time.
[28] In 2000, Francis challenged long-time Democratic incumbent Patsy Mink for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district.
[30] On October 1, 2023, Francis and AOPA Air Safety Institute vice president Richard McSpadden were both killed in a plane crash in Lake Placid, New York, after the 1976 Cessna 177 flown by Francis out of Lake Placid Airport experienced power failure and attempted to return to the airport, but struck a berm on the runway and crashed into a ravine.