Richard Roy France (April 6, 1879 – April 19, 1953)("Richard Roy France, m'98-'99, d'99-'00, d. at Louisville, O., Apr. 19, 1953; aged 74. Buried, Alliance O.") was an

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 with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1898 and 1899. The 1898 team won the Western Conference. He was named an All-American in 1899.

Biography

France was born in

Decatur, Indiana Decatur is a city in Root Township, Adams County, Indiana, Root and Washington Township, Adams County, Indiana, Washington townships, Adams County, Indiana, Adams County, Indiana, United States. It is the county seat (and the largest community ...

, in 1879. He was the son of John T. France, a lawyer, and Belle France. France enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...

team. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1899 by the '' Philadelphia Inquirer'', and was a consensus All-Western player that year. France played on the 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the school's first Western Conference championship, outscoring opponents 205–26 with a perfect 10–0 record. He also played on the 1899 Michigan team that outscored opponents 176–43 and compiled an 8–2 record. France gained press coverage for his role in the 1899 game against the Wisconsin Badgers that decided the Western Conference championship. Wisconsin was led that year by Pat O'Dea, considered the greatest kicker in the history of the game to that time. The game was played in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on Thanksgiving Day in front of a crowd of 18,000, the largest crowd to that date to watch a football game west of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Wisconsin took an 11–0 lead in the game, largely through the play of O'Dea. There were reports that Michigan's strategy was to put O'Dea out of the game, and he was subjected to a number of rough hits by France and William Cunningham. On one play, France "came into him like a battering ram after he had punted the ball." O'Dea warned France that if he did it again "there would be trouble." After another punt, France came for O'Dea again, and O'Dea slugged him in the face. A Wisconsin newspaper account described the incident as follows:

"Meantime O'Dea had been laying out France, hitting him with such force that the big guard was stretched out and but for the time gained through the wrangle at the end of the goal line and the speedy ending of the half, would hardly have been able to continue playing. O'Dea claimed that the knockout blow was accidental."

The game's referee saw the blow, and O'Dea was ejected from the game. Even without O'Dea, Wisconsin hung on in the second half to win the game, 17–5. In a draft registration card completed in 1918, France listed his residence as

Alliance, Ohio Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. With a small district lying in adjacent Mahoning County, the city is approximately northeast of Canton, southwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 21 ...

, and his employer as the Morgan Engineering Co. In a later draft registration card completed at the time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, France list his residence as

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

, and his occupation as the Sheriff of

Stark County, Ohio Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John Stark, an officer in th ...

.United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. National Archives and Records Administration Branch locations: National Archives and Records Administration Region Branches. France died in 1953 at age 74 in

Louisville, Ohio Louisville ( /ˈluːɪsvɪl/) is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,521 at the time of the 2020 census. Located northeast of Canton, it is a suburb of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History On Octo ...

. He was buried in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France, Richard 1879 births 1953 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football guards Michigan Wolverines football players People from Decatur, Indiana People from Stark County, Ohio