Stacy Francis begins her tenth season as head coach of the Lady Rams basketball team. During the 2008-09 season, Francis became the program’s all-time winningest coach with her 106th career victory and the record now stands at 133.
Under Francis' guidance the team has seen steady improvement since 2001. From the 2001-02 season to the 2003-04 season, the Rams made an 18 game improvement, going from 1-24 to 22-9.
Last season, the Lady Rams posted a 20-10 overall record and a 15-5 Red River Athletic Conference mark. The team featured four All-Conference selections and came within inches of the NAIA National Tournament, but senior guard Ashley Davis' shot at the end of regulation in an RRAC semifinal game at Southwestern Assemblies of God just missed and the Lady Rams fell in overtime.
In 2008-09, Francis made history with her 106th career victory, surpassing Miriam Satern for the top spot on the Texas Wesleyan coaching wins list. The win came in the Lady Rams’ home opener as Texas Wesleyan defeated Philander Smith College 64-60 on November 15, 2008.
In her second season at Texas Wesleyan, Francis led the Lady Rams to an 11-19 record, which was a 7.5 game turnaround from her first year. That marks the second biggest turnaround in school history. In the 2003-04 season, the Lady Rams turned in the largest improvement in school history, by gaining 10.5 games on the season before, going 22-9.
The 2004-05 season saw the Lady Rams make a little history. Texas Wesleyan finished second in the RRAC and made its first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. Their 23 wins also marked the second highest total in school history.
In 2005-06, Francis led the team to its third consecutive season with at least 15 wins. The Lady Rams’ 60 wins between 2003-06 are the most in a three-year span since 1983-86 when the program took 67 wins.
In the 2007-08 season, the Rams started hot and marched to a 21-10 overall record. Their 61-41 blasting of Bacone in the first round of the RRAC Tournament tied Francis for the Texas Wesleyan record with 105 career wins.
A three-sport star at Austin's Sidney Lanier High School, Francis was named 1st-team All-District in basketball, softball, and track in her sophomore through senior years. Francis shot 60 percent from the field during her three-year career. She was district champion in the long jump in her senior season. Francis was also named to the district all-academic team for three straight years. In addition, she was named Who's Who Among American High School Students following her senior year.
After her high school graduation, she accepted a basketball scholarship to TCU, where, following a red-shirt season, she was a four-year starter. She started 101 of 108 games for the Lady Horned Frogs during her four-year tenure. Francis is fourth on the school's all-time rebounding list with 637 boards and third all-time in games started with 101. She also ranks eleventh in career free-throws made with 178 and tenth in free-throws attempted with 290. Francis received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1998. She also received her Master’s in Education from Texas Wesleyan in December of 2004.
Prior to joining Texas Wesleyan, Francis taught social studies and coached volleyball, basketball, and track at Fort Worth's Meadowbrook Middle School. She lives in Arlington, TX.
Francis is the daughter of Barbara Price and Michael Gay. She has two brothers, Demarcus and Michael Jr., and one sister, LaShonda.
