Logan Francis, a senior defensive back on the Malone University football team, was recently named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Defensive Player of the Week after his strong performance in the Pioneers' 33-27 double-overtime victory against Tiffin University on Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium.

Francis, a 6'3 safety from Sidney, Ohio (Troy Christian H.S.), tallied five tackles and two interceptions in Malone's first-ever GLIAC win.  His first pick came on the final play of the second quarter as he brought the first half to an end by snagging an errant Dragon pass attempt just before it hit the turf.

Francis' second interception then came at a critical moment in the third quarter.  After the Pioneers had scored a touchdown to re-gain the lead at 17-14, Tiffin drove the ball into Pioneer territory.  On second-and-four from the Malone 35-yard line, the Dragons threw a long pass down the middle of the field.  Francis grabbed the ball out of the air before tumbling to the ground at the Malone four-yard line, extinguishing the Dragon scoring threat and keeping the momentum in the home team's favor. 

The Pioneer offense then responded with a 96-yard TD drive to take a 24-14 advantage in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

On the year, Francis has posted 28 total tackles with one tackle for loss.

His award marks Malone's first-ever GLIAC Player of the Week honor in any sport.

The Pioneers, now 1-3 overall, will be back in action at Fawcett Stadium on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm when they will compete as the road team in the annual rivalry battle with Walsh University. 

View Player of the Week press release on GLIAC website

View full recap from Saturday's win over Tiffin