Ed Francis
Encyclopedia
Ed Francis was a professional wrestler
and wrestling promoter
in Hawaii
in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in the '60s and '70s
were bound to come across the name Ed Francis. However, the glory days of territorial wrestling were coming to an end, and in 1979, he sold the dwindling Polynesian Pacific Wrestling promotion to "High Chief” Peter Maivia
.
. His two sons, Bill and Russ
, also enjoyed a wrestling career for a little while. Russ also had a career in the NFL. One of the Francis brothers' contemporaries was wrestler Don Muraco
; they attended high school together. Along with his two famous sons he also had four other sons and a daughter, Ed 'sonny' Francis, Steven, Bob, James and Arlene Francis, respectively. He later moved his brood to Corvallis, Oregon.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and wrestling promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in the '60s and '70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
were bound to come across the name Ed Francis. However, the glory days of territorial wrestling were coming to an end, and in 1979, he sold the dwindling Polynesian Pacific Wrestling promotion to "High Chief” Peter Maivia
Peter Maivia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia was a American Samoan professional wrestler better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family...
.
Personal life
Francis raised his children on the windward side of Kailua, OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. His two sons, Bill and Russ
Russ Francis
Russell Ross Francis , is a former professional football player who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1st round 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...
, also enjoyed a wrestling career for a little while. Russ also had a career in the NFL. One of the Francis brothers' contemporaries was wrestler Don Muraco
Don Muraco
Donald Muraco , better known by his ring name "The Rock" Don Muraco, is a retired American professional wrestler...
; they attended high school together. Along with his two famous sons he also had four other sons and a daughter, Ed 'sonny' Francis, Steven, Bob, James and Arlene Francis, respectively. He later moved his brood to Corvallis, Oregon.
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley ClubCauliflower Alley ClubThe Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
- Other honoree (1994)
- Midwest Wrestling Association
- MWA Ohio Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Ray StevensRay Stevens (wrestler)Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
(1) and Leon Graham (1)
- NWA Tri-StateNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship and secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was for the lighter wrestlers. It started in 1945 and still exists today. The title was unified with the National Boxing/Wrestling Association's...
(1 time)
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(5 times)
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version)NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version)The Calgary version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was established in 1946, and became the top championship in Stampede Wrestling when that promotion opened in 1948; it held that status until 1972, when the title was vacated and later abandoned after the last champion, Dave Ruhl, was...
(1 time)