Fran Paradise, a three-year starter at quarterback, graduated from Knox in 1977. He helped the football team win a league championship and was a two-time, first-team all-conference selection.
Fran started at quarterback between 1974 and 1976. He guided Knox to the Midwest Conference title in 1976. The team finished that season with a 7-1-1 record, including a 33-0 win in the playoffs against Lake Forest College.
Fran is the only quarterback to lead Knox to a conference championship in football in the last 50 years. The team, with Fran at the controls, achieved its best record in the last 79 years and posted the highest winning percentage since the 1929 squad’s 7-1 record. As a starting quarterback, Fran’s record of 11-5-1 during his junior and senior seasons ranks as the best in more than 50 years.
Fran is also the only quarterback in Knox football history to be named to the All-Midwest Conference First-Team twice. He earned the honors as a junior in 1975 and as a senior in 1976.
Despite being an option quarterback, Fran averaged 140 passes a year during his three years as the starter. At the time of his graduation, he ranked first or second on the career list in every passing category: first in touchdowns, and second in attempts, completions, yards passing, games over 200 yards, and yards per game.
Fran remains in the all-time quarterback top 10 career list for touchdown passes (#5), yards passing (#9), attempts (#10), completions (#10), and efficiency rating (#8). He also ranks third all-time for most games with three or more touchdown passes in a game (4).
Fran has 12 entries in Knox football’s all-time quarterback passing top 10 lists, plus an additional three entries in the all-time quarterback rushing top 10 lists. The three are the most rushing touchdowns in a season, most rushing touchdowns in a career, and most rushing yards in a career.
Fran has coached youth basketball for many years, and he’s actively involved in his community of Naperville, Illinois, where he lives with his wife, Nancy.
