The author Dick Francis was formerly famous in which sport?
"town of Newmarket is considered the centre of English racing, largely because of the famous Newmarket Racecourse. The two forms of horseracing in the United Kingdom are National Hunt, which involves jumping over fences or hurdles, and the more glamorous flat racing. National Hunt is a winter sport and flat racing is a summer sport, but the seasons are very long and they overlap. In flat racing the three races which make up the Triple Crown are the 2,000 Guineas, The Derby, and the St. Leger Stakes. Other leading flat races include the 1,000 Guineas and The Oaks, and these"
"and Mary will see people reading the novels on planes and trains."" Francis was elected in 1999 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His first novel, ""Dead Cert"", was adapted as a film under the same title in 1974. Directed by Tony Richardson, it starred Scott Antony, Judi Dench and Michael Williams. It was adapted again as ""Favorit"" (a Soviet made-for-television movie) in 1976. Francis's protagonist Sid Halley was featured in six TV movies made for the program ""The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game"" (1979-1980), starring Mike Gwilym as Halley and Mick Ford as his partner, Chico"
"deal with crime in the horse-racing world, with some of the criminals being outwardly respectable figures. The stories are narrated by one of the key players, often a jockey, but sometimes a trainer, an owner, a bookie, or someone in a different profession, peripherally linked to racing. This person is always facing great obstacles, often including physical injury, from which he must fight back with determination. More than forty of these novels became international best-sellers. Francis was born in Coedcanlas, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some sources report his birthplace as the inland town of Lawrenny, but at least two of his obituaries"
"Dead Cert (novel) Dead Cert is Dick Francis' first novel, published in 1962. Featured in the 2007 book ""100 Must-Read Crime Novels"". It was filmed by Tony Richardson in 1974. The title is a shortened form of ""It's a dead certainty,"" in this case a play on words referring to the fact that the steeplechase horse Admiral should have won, but his jockey died. Admiral should have won his race at Maidenhead, but an unexpected fall and the death of top jockey Bill Davidson gave jockey Alan York and his mount the win instead. But Alan recognized sabotage when he"
"Sam Francis (American football) Harrison Samuel ""Sam"" Francis (October 26, 1913 – April 23, 2002) was an American football player and coach, Olympic shot putter, and Army officer. Francis was born in Dunbar, Nebraska, and graduated from high school in Oberlin, Kansas. He played college football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where, in 1936, he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. Francis was also an exceptional athlete in track and field and placed fourth in the shot put at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Francis was the first overall selection in the 1937 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. His"
"was particularly true in the era before the Second World War, for example, during the Edwardian era, and in the 1920s and 1930s. An early chapter of Dickens's famous first novel ""The Pickwick Papers"", serialised as early as 1836, features a brief description of a cricket match between the All-Muggleton team and the Dingley Dell Cricket Club. Mr Pickwick watches as Mr Jingle provides a running commentary on the game (""""Capital game—smart sport—fine exercise—very"""" is a typical Jingle comment.) Cricket also plays a prominent part in ""Tom Brown's Schooldays"" (1857), Thomas Hughes' classic novel of life at Rugby. A century"
"Russ also had a career in the NFL, going on to work with the Omaha Beef Arena Football Team. 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 ""Pixie"" Francis, respectively. He later moved his brood to Eugene, Oregon. Ed Francis Edmund Charles ""Ed"" Francis (June 11, 1926 – November 18, 2016) was a professional wrestler and wrestling promoter in Hawaii in the 1960s. Many wrestlers who came through Hawaii in"
"David Francis (cyclist) David Francis is a former member of the United States Cycling Team (1989–1991) and was part of the next generation of American cyclists (after the success of Greg LeMond and Andrew Hampsten) to compete in professional cycling, a sport traditionally dominated by Europeans. His teammates included Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Bobby Julich and Jonathan Vaughters. He was originally coached by Bob Bills, but in 1990 USA Cycling Team Director Chris Carmichael hired former European professional rider, Rene Wenzel, to replace him. Francis traveled and raced internationally as a member of the United States Cycling Team for three"
"out on three occasions. Their closest contest was a two-point loss to New Mexico at home, and their most lopsided defeat was a 55–0 rout by rival Kansas. Francis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Sam Francis (American football) Harrison Samuel ""Sam"" Francis (October 26, 1913 – April 23, 2002) was an American football player and coach, Olympic shot putter, and Army officer. Francis was born in Dunbar, Nebraska, and graduated from high school in Oberlin, Kansas. He played college football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where, in 1936, he"
"April 1998. He moved to Canada, where he worked as a police officer in Calgary, Alberta. He is married to Sharon, with whom he has two children, Stacey and Keisha. Stacey plays netball for England and West Coast Fever in Perth, Western Australia as a defender. Stockport County Kevin Francis (footballer) Kevin Derek Michael Francis (born 6 December 1967) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker and is tall. He is most famous for his four-year spell at Stockport County, where he scored 117 goals. Francis started his career at Mile Oak Rovers, before a big move"
"a mere football game. This passage, although famous, is far from atypical, as Rice's writing tended to be of an ""inspirational"" or ""heroic"" style, raising games to the level of ancient combat and their heroes to the status of demigods. He became even better known after his columns were nationally syndicated beginning in 1930, and became known as the ""Dean of American Sports Writers"". He and his writing are among the reasons that the 1920s in the United States are sometimes referred to as the ""Golden Age of Sports"". Rice's all-time All-America backfield was Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Ken Strong,"
"jockey was able to do the trick with such effortless ease."" ""The New York Times"" added, A chance encounter with a literary agent led to his writing ""The Sport of Queens"", published the year after he retired. Emboldened by its success (and further motivated by his paltry wages as a journalist), he began writing ""Dead Cert"". Drawing on his experiences as a jockey and his intimate knowledge of the racetrack crowd — from aristocratic owners to Cockney stable boys — the novel contained all the elements that readers would come to relish from a Dick Francis thriller. There was the"
"first appearance with Victoria. Opening the batting, Francis scored 135 to help the Victorians draw with Tasmania. He played two further first-class matches, both later in the season and as an opener, but did not make any major contributions for his team. His brothers Jim and Syd also played VFL football. Jack Francis John Charles ""Jack"" Francis (22 June 1908 – 6 July 2001) was an Australian sportsman who played first-class cricket for Victoria and Australian rules football with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Born in Hawthorn and educated at Melbourne High School, Francis began his sporting career"
"succeed at the elite level. Both were later implicated, with Montgomery admitting his drug use to a grand jury and Jones going to prison for lying to a grand jury about her drug use. Francis was not named as being involved in these specific drug use cases. He also became a highly sought after personal trainer, working with clients ranging from businessmen to professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, and NHL, including former Toronto Maple Leaf forward Tie Domi, who hired Francis to help him become a better all-round athlete. He authored two books on sprinting: ""Speed Trap"" and ""Training"
"player being Oxford champion in 1883 (and winning the varsity competition the same year) and won the British championship in 1889, 1891, 1895, 1896 and 1898. He was runner-up in 1892, 1893 and 1894, years in which he held office. He was also a lifelong fly fisherman, publishing a book, ""Fly Fishing"", on his exploits in 1899, which remains one of the most popular books ever written on the subject. He continued to fish by touch after his deteriorating eye-sight meant he was no longer able to see the fly or a rising fish. He was also an avid ornithologist;"
"known as St Francis House: A Home for Inland Children, and over the next 14 years, more than 50 children found at home at St Francis. Former residents include Dr Charles Perkins AO, Dr Gordon Briscoe AO, Dr John Moriarty AM, Mr Les Nayda AM, and Inspector Bill Espie (Queens Medal for Bravery). Some notable sporting identities including Vincent Copley AM, Richie Bray and Reverend Ken Hampton OAM went on to play football for Port Adelaide, and Wally McArthur became an accomplished track and field athlete. The history of St Francis House has being written by former Australian test cricketer"
"Dick Young (sportswriter) Dick Young (October 17, 1917 – August 30, 1987) was a sportswriter best known for his direct and abrasive style, and his 45-year association with the ""New York Daily News"". He was elected to the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was a former president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Young was the first sportswriter to treat the clubhouse as a central and necessary part of the sports ""beat"", and his success at ferreting out scoops and insights from within the previously private sanctum of the team was influential and"
"won it in 1985 and Carl Llewellyn who won the race in 1992 and again in 1998. Another notable Welsh jockey was Dick Francis, who was British jump racing Champion Jockey in the 1953-54 season and was famous for riding Devon Loch when the horse slipped close to the winning post when leading the 1956 Grand National. In retirement Francis became a best-selling author of crime novels set in the racing world. Two jockeys have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. Jack Anthony and Geoff Lewis, who in 1971 won both the Derby and the Prix de"
"only allowing passes to certain areas of the field. Scoring rules also changed during this time: field goals were lowered to three points in 1909 and touchdowns raised to six points in 1912. Star players that emerged in the early 20th century include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and Bronko Nagurski; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and helped turn it into a successful league. Sportswriter Grantland Rice helped popularize the sport with his poetic descriptions of games and colorful nicknames for the game's biggest players, including Notre Dame's ""Four Horsemen"" backfield and Fordham University's linemen, known as"
"in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Paul Prudhomme, American celebrity chef, Elemore Morgan, Jr., internationally known landscape painter, and Burton Raffel, poet noted for his translation of Cervantes's ""Don Quixote"". Several football alumni have played in the National Football League, including Jake Delhomme (retired), Brian Mitchell (retired), Brandon Stokley (retired), the late Minnesota Viking Orlando Thomas, Ike Taylor (retired), Charles Tillman (retired) and Richie Cunningham (retired). Two alumni were inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame: Chris Cagle and Weldon Humble. Baseball alumni who played in the Major Leagues include Ron Guidry, retired (New York Yankees), who"
"according to ""The Philadelphia Inquirer"". News reporter Don Clippinger wrote, ""Britain's Jockey Club negotiated a $14 million deal to buy the land and save the race forever. The only problem was that the Jockey Club did not have $14 million, so two prominent racing personalities—Lord Derby and novelist Dick Francis—were selected to raise the money in a worldwide campaign"".Other philanthropists, including Charles C. Fenwick Jr., who rode Ben Nevis to victory in the 1980 Grand National, and Paul Mellon, an American breeder and racing enthusiast, also contributed to save the race. Francis wrote more than 40 international best-sellers. His first"
"and amateur real tennis champion of the world in 1898-1903 and 1905. He was a prolific author, including collaborations with lifelong friend E.F. Benson with whom he may have had a college romance, on diverse subjects including health (e.g. ""Fitness for Play and Work"" 1912), athletics (""An Alphabet of Athletics""), diet (""The Failures of Vegetarianism"" 1902), ancient history (""A History of Rome up to 500 AD, with Essays, Maps and Aids to Memory"" 1901) and Classics (""Comparative Syntax of Greek and Latin"") with many of his books still available on Amazon. He married Hallie Killick, also an author, and both"
"Steve Francis Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season. He was a three-time NBA All-Star while playing for the Houston Rockets. Francis also played for the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, finishing his career with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks. He was given the nickname ""The Franchise"". Francis was born and"
"service plus a fine of $7,300. Steve Francis Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season. He was a three-time NBA All-Star while playing for the Houston Rockets. Francis also played for the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, finishing his career with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks. He was given the nickname"
"who lifted professional wrestling to new heights of popularity. When he became world champion, there were not many sports competing with wrestling for public attention. Horse racing remained a favorite sport and major league baseball was growing in popularity, but was not yet the national pastime. Automobile racing was in its infancy; golf was still the province of the wealthy; basketball had just been invented and was vying for attention; boxing offered a man a chance at fame and fortune, but was at this time riddled with scandals; the National Hockey League was formed the same year; and college football—the"
"era of contested scrums, and coached club level rugby union (RU) for Grammar RFC. Francis was born in Wanganui, New Zealand. He was educated at Auckland Grammar. Francis played club rugby union for Ponsonby RFC, and was part of successive Auckland Rugby Union championships between 1908 and 1910. Francis made his Auckland début in 1904 and scored a penalty in the 1905 Ranfurly Shield victory over Wellington. Francis made his All Blacks début in 1905 against Australia and became an automatic selection, playing in a total of ten Test matches in the next five years. In 1910 Francis and team"
"Roy Francis (rugby) L. Roy Francis (c. 1919 – April 1989) was a Welsh rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer and coach of the mid 20th century. He was the first Black British professional coach in any sport. Francis was also a highly accomplished player, scoring 229 tries in his 356 career games, chiefly as a . A Great Britain and Wales national representative three-quarter back, he played for English clubs Wigan, Barrow, Dewsbury (World War II guest), Warrington and Hull F.C. Francis then became a coach with Hull F.C. Renowned for his innovative coaching methods, he was regarded"
"the ""fiction core list"" in Carol Alabaster's book ""Developing an Outstanding Core Collection: A Guide for Libraries"" by Carol Alabaster (2002). Dead Cert (novel) Dead Cert is Dick Francis' first novel, published in 1962. Featured in the 2007 book ""100 Must-Read Crime Novels"". It was filmed by Tony Richardson in 1974. The title is a shortened form of ""It's a dead certainty,"" in this case a play on words referring to the fact that the steeplechase horse Admiral should have won, but his jockey died. Admiral should have won his race at Maidenhead, but an unexpected fall and the death"
"his wife Flora, two sons, and two daughters. He won the Gold Cup, the most prestigious British competition, twice, in 1969 and 1980. He represented Scotland twelve times in the Camrose Trophy, played between the constituent countries of the British Isles. He was the non-playing captain of the Great Britain women's team in the 7th World Team Olympiad held at Seattle in 1984. However, he was most famous and will be remembered as a writer. He wrote some fifty books on the game, mostly aimed at intermediate to advanced players. It is a measure of their quality that many of"
"for the javelin as a senior in 1971 at ; the record stood until 1988. Francis was also a decathlete for Pleasant Hill. At the University of Oregon in Eugene, Francis threw the javelin and played only 14 games of varsity football for the Ducks. Injured after three games as a sophomore in 1972, he played in 1973, but sat out his senior season in 1974. He enrolled at rival Oregon State University in Corvallis in order to expire his collegiate eligibility and be eligible for the 1975 NFL Draft. Briefly a pro wrestler, he trained for the ""Superstars"" competition"
"and as a professional, Francis had played no first-class cricket when he was picked for 1923 West Indies tour of England. Francis' obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 1943 states that he was a ""groundsman"" and that his selection for the tour came about through the ""influence"" of the captain, Harold Austin. The Trinidadian writer C. L. R. James, in ""Beyond a Boundary"", wrote of how the non-selection of the Trinidad-born Herman Griffith, who played for Barbados, rankled and ""an unknown, a bowler at the Austin nets, had been chosen instead"". James continued: ""To us it seemed that here was"
"Arthur Francis (rugby) Arthur Reginald Howe Francis (8 June 1882 – 15 June 1957), also known by the nickname of ""Bolla"", was a New Zealand dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s, and rugby union coach of the 1930s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for New Zealand, Auckland, and at club level for Ponsonby RFC. He also played representative level rugby league (RL) for New Zealand and Australasia, as well as at club level for Wigan, as , or , i.e. number 8 or 10, or 13, during the"
"Arthur Francis (rugby) Arthur Reginald Howe Francis (8 June 1882 – 15 June 1957), also known by the nickname of ""Bolla"", was a New Zealand dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s, and rugby union coach of the 1930s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for New Zealand, Auckland, and at club level for Ponsonby RFC. He also played representative level rugby league (RL) for New Zealand and Australasia, as well as at club level for Wigan, as , or , i.e. number 8 or 10, or 13, during the"