Who: Wallace Francis
Starring role in Falcons history:Francis, a wide receiver, caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Steve Bartkowski in the team's first-ever playoff game, a 14-13 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 24, 1978, in the wild-card round.
What he recalls: " 'Bart' threw the ball before I got to my break. That's what made the play so phenomenal. He read it and was going to be hit before I made my break, so he threw it where I was supposed to be. It's just the case that I ran a decent route that time.
"The winning touchdown was a play that was called from the sideline, and Coach [Leeman]Bennett had communicated to Steve to stay with the pattern and for me not to read the coverage, just to make sure that I got the first down. Bartkowski overruled the call and said, ‘Wallace, read it.' The thing that I remember most about that was the leadership of Steve and him understanding what Philadelphia was doing and having the wisdom and confidence to overrule a call that had come in from the sideline."
Where is he now?Francis, 59, is married and living in Douglasville with four children, two in college and two graduated. He is the national director for Ambassadors for Christ International-USA, which trains and equips pastors and churches in discipleship and evangelism.
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