Career
He played college football at Baylor University. Francis was one of the best state running backs at Louisiana Marque High School, before moving on to Baylor University. In college he was a running back during his first two years.
In 1984, he was the starter at tailback and was also used as the short yardage quarterback, becoming the team"s top rusher.
As a junior he was moved to cornerback, where he teamed with Thomas Everett to form one of the best defensive secondaries in college football. In 1985, the defense ranked number 3 in the nation against the pass and he was named Southwest Conference defensive player of the year.
Dallas Cowboys
He was drafted in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. That year he was the first rookie in 6 years, to open the season as a starter for the team
In 1988, Francis entered the season as the starter at right cornerback, before dislocating his left shoulder during an intrasquad game in pre-season.
New England Patriots
Francis was traded to the New England Patriots on February 19, 1991. In exchange for the first overall draft pick of the 1991 NFL Draft (Russell Maryland), he was traded to the Patriots along with linebacker Eugene Lockhart, linebacker David Howard, a 1991 first round pick (#11 Pat Harlow) and a 1991 second round pick (#41 Jerome Henderson). He was waived before the 1991 season started.
