Veteran sports editor Tony Francis passes away
Legendary sports editor Tony Francis has passed away at the age of 73.
His passing at 8.20am today was confirmed by another veteran Malay Mail editor Tony Mariadass who worked under him in the 1980s.
Francis worked for the New Straits Times organisation for 35 years from 1967 to 2002.
At the age of 20, he joined his older brothers, Jeffrey and Jerry, at the...
Legendary sports editor Tony Francis has passed away at the age of 73.
His passing at 8.20am today was confirmed by another veteran Malay Mail editor Tony Mariadass who worked under him in the 1980s.
Francis worked for the New Straits Times (NST) organisation for 35 years from 1967 to 2002.
At the age of 20, he joined his older brothers, Jeffrey and Jerry, at the company when he started at the news desk in 1967.
It was at the sports desk, however, that he found his true calling under the tutelage of the late Normal Sibel.
He rotated between the NST and the Malay Mail which were then part of the same organisation.
Upon retiring, Francis was the editor of Golf Digest with Blu Inc before joining Malay Mail under its new management as the editor-in-chief. He also worked as a consultant with motoring magazine Top Gear.
Francis covered two Olympics (Korea 1988 and Barcelona 1992) and three football World Cups (Germany 1974, Berlin 2006 and South Africa 2010), besides a host of international events like the Thomas Cup, Sea Games and Asian Games.
Among the many sports celebrities he covered and got to know included Indonesia’s badminton legend Rudy Hartono, who became a close friend to him after Francis ghostwrote his columns.
He also got up close and personal with Muhammad Ali during the Ali-Joe Bugner world heavyweight fight in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, and secured Kevin Keegan as a guest columnist when he was in Malaysia in 1982 for a few months to work with the national junior team.
In 2015, Francis was inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Hall of Fame to join the sportswriters he idolised growing up.
Reflecting on Francis' contributions to his field, Mariadass said: "He was my boss for only four years in the early 80s when I was a rookie sports journalist at the Malay Mail and was responsible for my growth as a sports journalist and being in the industry all these years.
"Tony was a true and true journalist moving from sports to news and heading the news desk at the NST and later back at the Malay Mail.
"I am going to miss him greatly, as I have always kept in touch with him, have regular conversations with him and we message each other almost every day," he added.
Veteran journalist R Nadeswaran also paid tribute to Francis.
"Tony was a great guy to work with. We covered several sports events together.
"He was the journalists' dream editor - always counselling, advising on both official and personal matters. A great guy and team man," he said.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.