UBC Reports Extras | Oct. 19, 2007
Former UBC Thunderbird Jeff Francis, star pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, is the toast of the sports world after helping the Colorado Rockies to reach their first-ever World Series.
The 26-year-old product of North Delta, B.C., is on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Ben Shpigel of the New York Times calls him “the best pitcher on what is right now the best team in baseball.”
“There are a lot of Canadians doing great things in baseball,” said Francis when the Globe and Mail recently asked him how it feels to be the poster boy for baseball in Canada. “I’m just one of them who’s proud to be from Canada who’s making a lot of people back home proud.”
Instead of heading to a big-name NCAA school in the United States – the route taken by many Canadians with dreams of playing professional baseball – Francis chose to stay close to home, attending UBC from 1999-2002.
The 6’5,” 205-pound southpaw studied physics and astronomy while rewriting pitching records for the UBC Thunderbirds, the only Canadian entry in the U.S.-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
“Jeff has shown Canadian kids that you can play baseball at UBC, get a Canadian education and if you’re good enough to play pro ball, it’s not going to hurt you one bit,” said Terry McKaig, Francis’ (and current) UBC baseball coach.
McKaig, who plans to attend Game 1 of the World Series, says the “Francis factor” has benefited UBC’s baseball program tremendously, especially with recruiting efforts in Canada and the U.S.
“When I used to go into the living room of an Ontario kid, and I’m trying to convince the kid why to stay in Canada, many of them honestly thought it would hurt their baseball career to stay in Canada,” McKaig said in an interview with the Globe and Mail. “They all thought you had to go to the U.S. to be drafted or to go to junior college or what have you.”
That all changed when the Rockies selected Francis ninth overall in the 2002 Major League Baseball entry draft, says McKaig, who still talks with Francis regularly. Since then, 10 UBC players have been drafted to pro teams, including: Brooks McNiven (San Francisco Giants), Jonathan “Joe” Forrest (Philadelphia Phillies) and Connor James (Arizona Diamondbacks).
At UBC, Francis was a regular volunteer with I’m Going to UBC, a program that pairs varsity athletes with inner city kids for campus tours, sports clinics and Thunderbirds games, with the ultimate goal of increasing the accessibility of post-secondary education to children who may think it is beyond their grasp. He also participated in UBC’s Learning Exchange community service learning programs.
Francis, who signed a four-year $13.25 million deal with Colorado earlier this year, continues to keep strong connections with UBC and grassroots baseball in Canada. “This will be the first year Jeff has missed our alumni day since he graduated – but that’s because of the World Series, so he has a pretty good excuse,” says McKaig.
“Jeff is also really interested in growing baseball in Canada,” McKaig adds. “The UBC program is very active in the community through little league systems and coaches clinics, but Jeff and I are going to talk in December about how to continue growing things.”
Francis is scheduled to start in Game 1 of the World Series, which begins Oct. 24. The Colorado Rockies play either the Boston Red Sox or the Cleveland Indians in a best-of-seven-game series.
For more information on varsity sports at UBC, visit www.gothunderbirds.ca.
Media Contact
Terry McKaig
Head Coach
UBC Thunderbirds Baseball Team
Cell: 604.816.4535
Tel: 604.822.4720
