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BEVO FRANCIS AWARD

The Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements.  This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season.

Bevo Francis Award Watch List Dates

               

                January 15, 2020

                            

                       100 Players

 

CLICK HERE

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                February 15, 2020                                  50 Players

                   

                 

                March 15, 2020                                     25 Players

              

              April 4, 2020                                         Finalists

               

                April 6, 2020                         Bevo Francis Award Winner

            

             

Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson - St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gary Stewart - Stevenson (Md.), Arlen Galloway - Wentworth (Mass.), Chris Briggs - Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen - Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Klint Pleasant - Rochester (Mich.), Ryan Kane - Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Hillsdale Baptist (Okla.), Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Olivet (Mich.), Stacy Hollowell – Loyola (LA), Jon VanderWal – Marietta, Cleo Hill – Winston - Salem State and Stephen Brennan – Babson.

 2020 Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List Announced 

 Kansas City, MO – Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee are excited to announce the Top 100 watch list for the 2020 Bevo Francis Award. This list consists of some of the top players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA. John McCarthy had this to say about this year’s Top 100 watch list.

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"Congratulations to all of the players that have made the initial Bevo Francis Award Watch List of 100 players for the 2019-20 season. This is a very elite group of players that have been chosen from approximately 1,100 - 1,200 colleges and universities throughout the country. The committee takes into consideration season statistics, individual achievements, awards, milestones, and - importantly - team success. As we move further along in the process, we will dig into personal character of the candidates as well. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season." 

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The Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award will only be given to one player within Small College Basketball per season. 

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2020 marks the fifth year of the Bevo Francis Award. Past winners include Dominez Burnett of Davenport University in 2016, Justin Pitts of Northwest Missouri State University in 2017, Emanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial University in 2018, and Aston Francis of Wheaton College in 2019.

 

On February 15th, the list will be reduced to the Top 50 players. One month later on March 15th, the Top 25 players will be announced. On April 4th, the finalists of this year’s award will be announced, followed by the Bevo Francis Award winner being crowned on April 6th. 

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For the complete list of the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List Click Here. 

The evaluation process for the Bevo Francis Award is an ongoing process; as such, there is not a nomination form or deadlines.  We will publish Watch Lists of 100 players on January 15, 50 players on February 15, and 25 players on March 15. On March 31, we will release a video of the finalists, and the Bevo Francis Award will be presented in person shortly thereafter on April 2.  The e-mail address to send nominations and detailed information is bevofrancisaward@gmail.com.  To send physical information to Small College Basketball, P.O. Box 901878, Kansas City, MO 64190.

 

 

About Bevo Francis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bevo Francis played at Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) in Ohio in 1952-53 and 1953-54.  When he arrived on campus, the school had 38 male students enrolled in the school and was on the verge of bankruptcy, planning to close its doors at the end of the 1952-53 school year.  In the season before Bevo arrived at Rio Grande, the Redmen (now the Red Storm) had gone 4-19. 

During his two seasons at Rio Grande, Bevo became the most popular basketball player in the world, and ultimately helped to save the school from bankruptcy.  During his first year, the Redmen went 39-0, and Bevo scored 1,954 points and averaged 50.1 points per game.  Against Ashland College (KY), Francis scored 116 points, which included 55 points in the final 10 minutes of the game.  

(You can learn more about Bevo Francis through the Bevo Francis page on the Rio Grande website:  http://www.rioredstorm.com/f/Bevo.php).

 

Articles about Bevo Francis

Remembering the Great Bevo Francis
http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-11-22/college-basketball-remembering-great-bevo-francis

At One Time, Everyone Knew Bevo Francis
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Francis_Bevo.html

Bevo Francis Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevo_Francis

Hero Sports Feature on Bevo Francis Award
http://herosports.com/collegebasketball/new-award-honors-top-player-across-divisions-small-college-basketball/ 

 

Video about Bevo Francis

They Could Really Play The Game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioPBkpF-V5A