Fran Polsfoot
Encyclopedia
Francis Charles Polsfoot (April 19, 1927 – April 5, 1985) was an American football
tight end
in the National Football League
for the Chicago Cardinals
and the Washington Redskins
. He later was an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos
. Polsfoot played college football
at Washington State University
and was drafted
in the third round of the 1950 NFL Draft
. He caught 57 passes in the 1951 season for the Chicago Cardinals and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He started his coaching career with the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. In 1961 he joined the St. Louis Cardinals for the NFL as an assistant coach. Polsfoot later coached with the Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos. His NFL coaching career lasted over 20 years and he was an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
He was also a PAC-10 high hurdle champion for Washington State. Francis was married to Mary Hesterman and had two children, Sally Baldwin (Houston, Texas) and Thomas Polsfoot (Sachse, Texas). He had a brother, Curtis Frederic Polsfoot and a sister Bea Polsfoot. Both Francis and Curt had served in the Merchant Marines during WWII. Fran, as he liked to be called, battled brain cancer in 1984 and was an inspiration to those who watched his fight against the disease. He died on Good Friday, April 5, 1985.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He later was an assistant coach with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Polsfoot played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the third round of the 1950 NFL Draft
1950 NFL Draft
The 1950 National Football League Draft was held on January 20–21, 1950.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
. He caught 57 passes in the 1951 season for the Chicago Cardinals and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He started his coaching career with the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. In 1961 he joined the St. Louis Cardinals for the NFL as an assistant coach. Polsfoot later coached with the Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos. His NFL coaching career lasted over 20 years and he was an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
He was also a PAC-10 high hurdle champion for Washington State. Francis was married to Mary Hesterman and had two children, Sally Baldwin (Houston, Texas) and Thomas Polsfoot (Sachse, Texas). He had a brother, Curtis Frederic Polsfoot and a sister Bea Polsfoot. Both Francis and Curt had served in the Merchant Marines during WWII. Fran, as he liked to be called, battled brain cancer in 1984 and was an inspiration to those who watched his fight against the disease. He died on Good Friday, April 5, 1985.
Pro Coaching Timeline
- WR - St. Louis Cardinals (1962–1967)
- WR - Houston Oilers (1968–1971)
- WR - Cleveland Browns (1972–1974)
- WR - Houston Oilers (1975–1976)
- WR - Denver Broncos (1977–1980)
- TE - Denver Broncos (1981)
- TE and ST - Denver Broncos (1982)