Russ Francis Russell Ross Francis ( born April 3 , 1953 ) , is a former professional football player who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1st round ( 16th pick ) of the 1975 NFL Draft . He grew up in Hawaii . A 6 ' 6 " , 242 lbs . tight end from the University of Oregon , Francis played in 13 NFL seasons . He retired temporarily in 1981 , then played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1982 to 1986 . He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 . Francis finished his career with 393 receptions for 5 , 262 yards and 40 touchdowns . Early life . During his high school years at Kailua High School on Oahu , Hawaii and at Pleasant Hill High School in Oregon , he set the national high school record for the javelin in 1971 at 259 feet , 9 inches ; the record stood until 1988 . Francis was also a decathlete for Pleasant Hill . American football career . New England Patriots ( 1975 – 1980 ) . During the Patriots 30 – 27 win over the Steelers on September 26 , 1976 , Francis caught a 38 yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan , on 4th & 2 . In that same game , Francis had a career best 139 yards receiving . As a result , Howard Cosell proclaimed him as the " All World Tight End " . He also had a career longest 53 yard reception and 126 yards receiving in the Patriots 21 - 14 win over the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum on September 24 , 1978 . That year , Russ led the Patriots in receptions in 1978 with 39 catches for 543 yards . During his span with the Patriots , Russ was the first Patriot tight end with three career receptions on fourth down plays . Francis is the only Patriot player with three receptions from a pass thrown by a wide receiver . Francis was a three - time Pro Bowl selection from 1977 – 1979 . Following the 1980 NFL season , Francis retired from professional football . Two things that Francis has said contributed greatly to this decision were , one , when the Patriots refused to give him his promised bonus for making the Pro Bowl ( because his injury from a motorcycle accident kept him out of the game ) ; and , secondly , when his roommate , Darryl Stingley , was paralyzed by a Jack Tatum hit , the Patriots tried to cancel Stingley ' s medical insurance . Francis was the first Patriot player at Stingley ' s side immediately after the hit . Francis has said it was tough to play after that . San Francisco 49ers ( 1982 – 1987 ) . After leaving the Patriots , Francis got a job with ABC Sports . While in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl , Francis interviewed Bill Walsh , the 49ers head coach . Walsh told him this was the only time in his life he would be able to play football , and that he would never get these years back and should not turn his back on this chance . Francis came out of retirement , after sitting out the 1981 season , joined the 49ers and eventually won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 1984 49er team . Francis played a key role in San Francisco ' s win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX ( 5 catches for 60 yards ) . In 1985 , Francis had a career - high 44 receptions . New England Patriots ( 1987 – 1988 ) . After being waived by the 49ers during the 1987 season , Francis signed with his old team , the Patriots , before the season ' s final game . His second tenure in New England was less successful than his first , however , and he played just one more season . Francis spent 1989 injured before being waived and retiring . Superstars , Professional wrestling career ; retirement . Francis qualified for The Superstars final and the World Superstars in 1980 and 1981 , finishing second in the 1980 final and fourth in 1981 . He won the football preliminary in 1981 and set a record of 23 . 91 seconds in the 50 yard swimming event . The record stood until 1986 when it was broken by Greg Louganis . Francis appeared in a twenty - man battle royal at WrestleMania 2 along with other NFL stars . He is the son of wrestling promoter Ed Francis , He briefly competed full - time in the American Wrestling Association after retiring from football . He also competed in the National Wrestling Alliance ' s NWA Hawaii where he held the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship one time with his older brother , Billy Roy Francis . After retiring , he hosted " The Russ Francis Show " from 8 AM to 12 PM on 107 . 7 WTPL " " The Pulse " " , out of Concord , New Hampshire .