Players

Francis Florian

Year Inducted: 1993

Category: Players

Schools / Organizations:

West Frankfort High School

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Georgia Southern University

Biography:

Francis Florian was a 4-year starter for West Frankfort High School.  He was an all-state player as a junior and as a senior.  Francis held every scoring record at West Frankfort upon his graduation.  Francis played on two state tournament teams in 1956 and 1958.  In 1956, after defeating Pinckneyville HS in the IHSA super-sectional game, the team lost in the quarterfinal game to eventual champion Rockford West HS.  In 1958 the team lost a 76-75 game to Herrin HS in the IHSA Super-sectional game.   He became a member of the Redbird Hall of Fame.

Francis originally attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (1958-59) but transferred to Georgia Southern University (1960-64)  where he set the single game record of 60 points–a record that was still his at the time of his induction.  Francis is a member of the GSU Basketball Hall of Fame.  He was the team’s MVP in 1964.