Juan "Papo" Franceschi
Juan "Papo" Franceschi (12 January 1947 – 20 October 1990),[2] was a Puerto Rican track and field athlete from Ponce, Puerto Rico.[3]
Juan "Papo" Franceschi Vega | |
---|---|
Born | 12 January 1947[1] |
Died | 20 October 1990 |
Occupation | Athlete |
Biography
Juan "Papo" Franceschi was born in Barrio San Anton, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 12 January 1947.[4] Franceschi Vega was known as "El Bolido de San Antón". He was a cousin of Otoniel Velez Franceschi, and a track and field runner in Puerto Rico, participating in the 1966 X Juegos CAC Games where he won a gold medal in the 400 meters with a time of 46.7, a new record in the Games. He also won Bronze in the long relay ("relevo largo").[5] In 1967 he won fourth place at the Panamerican Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with a score of 46.09.[6] He also competed in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City.[7] He was shot and killed on 20 October 1990 and is buried at Camposanto Cristo Resucitado in Ponce. He was father to two sons and three daughters.[8]
Awards
In 2000, he was inducted in the Ponce Sports Hall of Fame.[9] He is also recognized at Ponce's Parque de los Ponceños Ilustres in the area of sports.[10] In 2001, Franceschi became the 101st inductee in the Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame).[11]
Legacy
- In Ponce's Barrio San Anton, there is street named after him.[12]
- Starting in 1988, his birth city has celebrated a 5K Marathon in his memory.[13]
- Franceschi is honored at the Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens in Tricentennial Park in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[14]
References
- Pista llevara el nombre de Papo Franceschi. Es Noticia. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 25 October - 7 November 2019. p. 15. Accessed 25 October 2019.
- Globalization and Race: Transformations in the Cultural Production of Blackness. Kamari Maxine Clarke and Deborah A. Thomas, editors. Duke University Press. 2006. page 177.
- Galería de Corso-Puertorriqueños Ilustres. Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- Pista llevara el nombre de Papo Franceschi. Es Noticia. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 25 October - 7 November 2019. p. 15. Accessed 25 October 2019.
- Galería de Corso-Puertorriqueños Ilustres.Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- El Atletismo en Puerto Rico. Carlos Uriarte Gonzalez. El Nuevo Dia. 4 January 1998. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- Puerto Rico at the Olympics: Selected Puerto Rican Results. Sports Encyclopedia. 2018. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- A Escena el 1er Festival Deportivo Juan “Papo” Franceschi: Se Conmemora el 25to Aniversario del Maratón 5K Juan “Papo” Franceschi del Bo. San Antón de Ponce. Noticias Sur Puerto Rico. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- Corren 5K en honor a ‘Papo’ Franceschi. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2 April 2013. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- Sports. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño. Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- Scripts of Blackness: Race, Cultural Nationalism, and U.S. Colonialism in Puerto Rico. Isar P. Godreau. University of Illinois Press. 2015. p.54. ISBN 978-0-252-03890-7
- Corren 5K en honor a ‘Papo’ Franceschi. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2 April 2013. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- Sports. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 24 April 2013.