Francis Presley left a legacy at Millersville as one of the most accomplished individual athlete in school history. As a wrestler from 1977-79, he achieved the unmatched feat of two NCAA Division III Championships.
Presley, wrestling at 150 pounds, emerged as a force in 1976-77, posting a 28-8 record, taking second place at the PSAC Championships and becoming just the third Marauder to win a national championship. He didn’t disappoint the following year as he posted a 19-8-2 mark, finished as PSAC runner-up and repeated as national champion. He is still the only Millersville athlete to be a two-time national champion.
At the conclusion of his junior year, Presley was the recipient of the Theodore H. Rupp Award. He scored his third PSAC runner-up finish in his senior season of 1978-79.
Prior to arriving at Millersville, Presley wrestled at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and was later inducted into school’s hall of fame. He is also a member of the Mercer County Athletic Hall of Fame and most impressively, the Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame.
After his wrestling career, Presley worked as an assistant coach at Franklin and Marshall for eight years and followed it with a five-year stint as the head coach from 1993-98. He was also an assistant at Millersville from 1981-83.
Presley received a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts/technology education in 1981 and a master’s degree in counselor education from Millersville in 1989. He currently works as a probation officer for Lancaster County Adult Probation and Parole.
