Our Own Emile “The Cat” Francis

North Battleford has given it’s share of successful people to the world, but, few, if any, scored as highly as Emile Francis. His hockey playing career along with his coaching and managing success throughout the years have placed his baseball days in a realm we may well refer to as history. As we all know, as achievements stop being repeated on a daily basis, they are eventually relegated to the category of history, and human beings soon begin to forget. In today’s world it may be hard to find anyone who remembers who in the hockey world, was called “The Cat”.

Emile was born September 12, 1926, in North Battleford’s Notre Dame Hospital, a hospital that still exists as part of the present-day Battlefords Union Hospital. His preliminary education was obtained at the Convent of the Child Jesus, then onto the North Battleford Collegiate Institute, now part of John Paul11 Collegiate.

Emile began his ball playing at the age of 17. From the start, he played short stop, playing the 1944-45 season with the North Battleford Beavers in the Saskatoon and District Senior League.

In 1945-46 he enlisted in the Army and played the Maple Creek Army Club. People with natural ability in sports, music and similar skills were granted a Sargeant’s rank. Thus Emile became Sargeant Emile Francis in the Canadian Army.

Emile’s baseball career extended from 1944-1945 into the late 1950’s. The years 1950 to 1958 were the years that baseball was at its best. This brand of baseball has not been played in our province since. Without a doubt the dominating team during that era was the North Battleford Beavers. They won 5 championships in eight [8] years along with winning practically every tournament attended in Saskatoon, Foam Lake, Lloydminster, Rosetown and Indian Head. These were big pay days for the Beavers!

In 1946-47 season, and the 2 following seasons, Emile was back with the Beavers who were not yet involved with the big money tournaments so he was picked up by the Regina Red Sox for tournaments in the south, by Neilburg for Saskatoon and the northern communities.

The 1949-50 season saw Emile with the Delisle Commodores of the Northern Saskatchewan League, winning the championship and several tournaments. He was hired by Delisle and spent the whole summer playing 118 games with the Bentleys. Emile was 1 of 7 imports on the team.

Emile then decided to go all out and get into baseball with both feet, returning to the Beavers as the playing manager of the team for the 1950-1951 season. The team won the Northern Saskatchewan Championship!

1951-1952-1953-1954 saw the team win 3 Western Canada League Championships in a row. He was back as Manager of the Beavers again in 1956-1957, winning another Western Canada League Championship. 1956 was the year the North Battleford Beaver Baseball Team represented Canada at the Global World Series in Milwaukee. The 1957-58, the Beavers again were the Western Canada League Champions. The following year the Western Canada League, as they had known it, disbanded and the Golden Era of baseball was curtailed.

Emile had been associated with many teams, hockey and baseball over the years, but he once stated none were as good or as competitive as those Beaver teams. Their records of championships attest to that. He said it was a once in a lifetime deal and he had been fortunate enough to recruit and develop a winning team. Also, he said the team was backed by a tremendous following of fans in North Battleford!

When Emile retired from playing hockey he was given the opportunity to go into hockey on a full time basis, 12 months of the year. He was offered jobs by 3 of the then 6 NHL Clubs, one of the reasons being what he had accomplished in running baseball clubs. In essence, baseball laid a solid base for him and his hockey career. Baseball was behind him, but never forgotten. From the time Emile was a kid, the Yankees were his favourite team. In a final memoir of what Emile called the Golden Era, the New York Yankees billboard were the words in lights, “Welcome Emile Francis”. He was presented with a Golden Pass to New York Stadium.

It was with the greatest of pleasure and in honour of his great contribution to our Saskatchewan baseball heritage, Emile was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. How proud we are!

Jane Shury, President and CEO of the Sask Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum