Quincy Francis ’06 is the starting middle linebacker and defensive leader on a new and improved Cardinal football team this season. He currently leads the team in tackles with 45. He also has two tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery return for a touchdown.

DL: What is your goal for the football team this season? What is a realistic record to strive for?

QF: My goal leading up to the football season was to go undefeated. I think any athlete should approach their sport as if they can never lose.  We lost two games by a total of six points, but we can’t feel good about it because we can easily be 3-0. I know we have enough talent to compete with any team in this league. We just need to put it all together. Looking forward, I expect to win every time I go out on the field, and 6-2 is very
realistic for this football team.

DL: What is your most memorable Wesleyan football moment?

QF: My most memorable Wesleyan football moment goes back to 2002 when we beat Amherst on Homecoming on a blocked field goal as time expired. We ended up on ESPN’s Top Plays that week.

DL: What songs do you listen to before every game to pump you up?

QF: Before every game I listen to alot of Lil Wayne freestyles, but the song I need to hear as close to kickoff as possible is Tupac, “Ambitionz Az A Ridah”. Camron and Lil Wayne also have songs on the same beat, and those are pretty sweet as well.

DL: Which professional athlete do you admire most and why?

QF: The professional athlete I most admire has to be Bill Russell. The man has 11 championship rings. Tell them.

DL: Who do you try to emulate on the football field?

QF: As for on the football field, Lawerence Taylor was the reason I wanted to be a linebacker. He was a pure intimidator. He played with no regard for his body, and terrorized all over the field. That’s the only way to play. Ray Lewis, Joey Porter, and Shawne Merriman are some of my current favorites. They are all great linebackers, but the reason I love to watch these guys play is they work hard and play with emotion. You can see they are intense competitors and love the game. Football is a tough sport, but it’s still a game, and like any game, you should be having fun. Whenever you watch these guys play, there’s no question that they’re having fun, and that’s what I try to do.

DL: Which underclassmen on the football team have the most potential to be future stars?

QF: We have some very good underclassmen, so this might be the toughest question…I’ll give you one guy in each class:
Freshman: Shea Dwyer, Running Back… He’s very fast, and has a little shake in his game.
Sophomore: Kwasi Ansu, Defensive Back…. He’s got all the tools, whenever he realizes it, he’s gonna be nasty.
Junior: Tim O’Callaghan, Linebacker…Flat out one of the toughest kids I’ve ever played with.

DL: One fact that the average Wesleyan student would never know about the
football team?

QF: We are a very close knit group, and we watch out for each other, on and off the field. But we all agree that Joe Pepe looks like Uncle Jesse from Full House.

DL: Why do you wear number 5?

QF: The number 5 is actually very important to me. It was the number given to me in spring of 2002 when I was initiated into Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. It’s the prettiest number there is.

DL: Favorite comedian?

QF: Richard Pryor RIP…currently
Kat Williams.

DL: Favorite movie?

QF: There’s way too many to choose from, but if I could only choose one, I would say Hoodlum. I can watch that movie anytime.

DL: Favorite rapper/artist?

QF: Lil Wayne. No one in the game is on his level right now. The greatest of all time is B.I.G.

Look for Quincy this Saturday at 1 p.m. on Andrus Field when the Cardinals look to move over .500 for the first time since the 2002 season, in which they finished 5-3.