Francis St. Paul (born April 25, 1979) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

wide receiver who was drafted from Northern Arizona University in the 2001 NFL Draft by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

. He spent two seasons with the Rams on their active roster and practice squad. He also spent time on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad. He was on the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

preseason roster before signing with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in 2003.

Early years

St. Paul is an alumnus of

Daniel Murphy High School Daniel Murphy High School was a Catholic all-boys high school located in Los Angeles, California. It was located in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. History Daniel Murphy High School was originally the home of Los Angeles College, a Catholic jun ...

, a

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high school in Los Angeles, California. At Daniel Murphy, he

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

four times in football and three times in both

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and track. In 1997, he was

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Div 4 100 and 200 meters champion.

College career

St. Paul finished his career among the all-time receivers in school history, ranking second in touchdowns (19), ninth in receptions (113) and 10th in receiving yards (1,617). St.Paul also ran track at Northern Arizona. In 2000, he was the

Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eig ...

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...

champion (10.48).

Professional career

He was a sixth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the 2001 NFL Draft, playing with the Rams on the active roster and practice squad over two seasons including

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

in New Orleans. He also had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. On March 5, 2004, St. Paul signed with the

Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league d ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. St. Paul was a subsequent

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

cut on June 5, 2004.

Coaching and scouting career

On May 5, 2007, St. Paul was hired as a graduate assistant wide receivers coach at Northern Arizona. In March of the following year, he was promoted to the full-time position as the wide receivers coach. St. Paul also served as the pro liaison for the staff and coordinated the summer camps. During his career at Northern Arizona, St. Paul coached three of the top six single-season receiving leaders in school history while the team has ranked among the top 30 in the nation in passing offense for four straight seasons, including fifth overall in the FCS in passing and total offense in 2009. In addition, his receivers helped the Lumberjacks post the top passing efficiency mark in the Big Sky and rank sixth overall in the nation in 2011. St. Paul is also responsible for developing Khalil Paden in 2011 to a career season. He was an All-Big Sky honorable mention selection, leading the team with 61 receptions, 991 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Overall, he ranked fifth in the Big Sky in receptions and receiving yards per game. In 2012, St. Paul resigned from his position as the wide receivers coach at NAU and became a west area scout for the Chicago Bears. He was responsible for the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

References

External links

Northern Arizona coaching profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Paul, Francis 1979 births Living people American football wide receivers American male sprinters Chicago Bears scouts Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football coaches Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football players Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's track and field athletes Ottawa Renegades players St. Louis Rams players Players of American football from Los Angeles Coaches of American football from California Track and field athletes from California Sports coaches from Los Angeles