Francia Honored with IMLCA Humanitarian Award
12/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Dec. 14, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Former University of Michigan men's lacrosse attackman Mike Francia (2013-15) was presented with the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) Humanitarian Award at the association's annual convention on Friday (Dec. 11) in Baltimore, Maryland.
Francia notched 24 goals and 15 assists in his U-M career after transferring to Michigan following his freshman season at Villanova. He led the team in man-up goals during his senior campaign. Off the field, Francia earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2015) and was the team's community service liaison for two seasons.
"I feel extremely honored to be recognized as someone who has make an impact in the community," said Francia of the honor. "Head coach John Paul always has stressed the importance we play in the community and the impact we can make, so being recognized by him and the association is a big honor."
After beating childhood Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of nine, Francia found a calling in promoting cancer awareness and research through the Headstrong Foundation, Team Impact and Replay for Life.
"Over my NCAA career, I have tried to give back some of the fortune I am lucky to have. One of the most rewarding experiences has been bringing Brendan Randolph onto the team via Team Impact, and see him progress as an athlete and teammate," he said. "Getting to know his parents and family has been an unbelievable experience for both him and the team. I owe a lot to the current team because they are the ones who have really pushed that relationship to the next level and continued to grow the connection between Brendan and the team."
Francia also keyed efforts in the team's participation in Relay for Life on multiple occasions during his time in Ann Arbor.
"Relay for life has always been a big part of my community service efforts," Francia said. "Being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma gave me a different outlook on life. It gave me an appreciation for how lucky we are to be student-athletes and trying to move towards a cure is something that is important to me and the Michigan Lacrosse family."
About the IMLCA Humanitarian Award
The award was created to recognize student-athletes for their strategies and efforts in addressing community needs with campus-based efforts.
- An innovative approach to building or enhancing campus-based efforts to address community issues and needs;
- Use of diverse strategies of engagement (service, service-learning, policy work, advocacy, etc.);
- Ability to lead, inspire, and engage other students and/or members of the institution;
- Efforts to sustain engagement by developing strategies to build their work into the institution's structure.
The IMLCA Humanitarian Award was created to promote the leadership skills of those within the lacrosse community, past, current and future, who have generated value to their communities and institutions by assisting others in need. These individuals have learned that by assisting others, their actions benefit everyone around them.
• Mike Francia Has Plenty to Celebrate (April 7, 2014)
Communications Contact: Scott Kemps
