Stetson University Athletics

Jamie Francis was named head coach of the Stetson Men's and Women's Rowing programs in November 2021, bringing extensive collegiate coaching and program-building experience to DeLand… His career includes successful stops at Embry-Riddle, Mercyhurst and Penn State along with experience competing as a collegiate rower at UCF. At Stetson, Francis oversees the development of both rowing programs while emphasizing athlete development, recruiting, competitive depth and long-term program growth… His approach throughout his career has centered on building men's and women's programs capable of succeeding in the present while establishing a foundation for sustained success. Since arriving at Stetson, Francis has worked to strengthen both the men's and women's rowing programs through athlete development, recruiting and increased depth across multiple boats… His background leading successful men's and women's crews has helped shape a unified approach to development across the Hatters' rowing program. Francis has continued expanding the competitive foundation of both teams while creating opportunities for student-athletes to develop technically, physically and academically. The men's program produced several notable performances during the 2025-26 season, including Varsity 8 victories over Florida Tech at Canal 54 and Jacksonville… Stetson also captured the Men's Varsity 8 B Final at the SIRA Championship, while the Second Varsity 8 earned a runner-up finish in its B Final. Recruiting has been a major part of Francis' effort to build greater depth across Stetson Rowing… The program announced a record 12-athlete recruiting class during the 2025-26 academic year, representing the largest signing group in program history. The class included student-athletes from Florida, across the United States and internationally, reflecting an expanded recruiting reach as Francis and his staff continue developing both the men's and women's programs. The increased roster depth provides Stetson with greater flexibility across Varsity, Second Varsity and developmental boats while creating increased internal competition throughout the program. The Stetson men's program continued to make progress during the 2025-26 season… The Hatters' Varsity 8 earned victories over Florida Tech at Canal 54 and Jacksonville during the spring schedule. At the SIRA Championship, Stetson captured the Men's Varsity 8 B Final while the Second Varsity 8 earned a runner-up finish in its B Final… The results reflected increased depth throughout the men's lineup and continued development across multiple boats. Francis also oversees the continued development of Stetson's women's rowing program… His background coaching nationally competitive women's crews at Embry-Riddle, Mercyhurst and Penn State provides extensive experience in building lineups, developing athletes and preparing crews for championship-level competition. Throughout his career, Francis has coached women's crews to NCAA Championship appearances, conference and regional titles, national championship medals and extensive academic and athletic recognition. At Stetson, that experience has contributed to a program-wide emphasis on technical development, roster depth, recruiting and long-term competitive growth. Prior to Stetson, Francis spent five seasons as head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he built the Eagles' rowing program from the ground up… In just the program's fourth season, Embry-Riddle finished fourth at the 2021 NCAA National Championships. At the Sunshine State Conference Championship that same season, the Women's Four captured gold while Embry-Riddle finished second overall as a team. Francis also guided the Eagles' women's program to a state championship in 2018 during its first season as a varsity program… His tenure produced three Pocock All-Americans and 10 CRCA Scholar-Athletes. Francis spent five seasons at Mercyhurst University, serving as an assistant coach from 2011-15 before being named interim head coach for his final season… The Lakers advanced to the NCAA Championship during every season of his tenure. Mercyhurst recorded runner-up finishes at the NCAA National Championship Regatta in both 2011 and 2015. In 2016, Francis guided the Men's Lightweight Four and Women's Four to gold medals at the MACRA Regional Championships while the Men's Heavyweight Eight earned silver… Eight Mercyhurst rowers earned All-America honors during his tenure. Francis spent four seasons as head rowing coach at Penn State, overseeing both men's and women's crews… During his tenure, he was named the ACRA Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year. Francis guided Penn State's Women's Varsity Pair and Men's Varsity Four to gold medals at the ACRA National Championship… His teams also produced 29 Academic All-Americans, three All-Americans and five Mid-Atlantic All-Region student-athletes. Throughout his coaching career, Francis has worked extensively with both men's and women's rowing programs… His experience includes building new varsity programs, developing national championship crews, expanding recruiting pipelines and creating competitive depth across multiple boats. At Embry-Riddle, Francis helped take a newly established varsity program to a fourth-place NCAA finish in only its fourth season… At Mercyhurst and Penn State, he coached both men's and women's crews to championship success while developing numerous All-Americans and Academic All-Americans. That broad experience has shaped his approach at Stetson, where he oversees the development of both Hatter rowing programs. Beyond his work with individual programs, Francis has remained actively involved in the broader collegiate rowing community… Has held committee positions with both the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association and the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association. His career has provided experience across men's and women's collegiate rowing while working with programs at multiple competitive levels. Francis' collegiate coaching career includes head coaching stops at Stetson, Embry-Riddle and Penn State along with five seasons at Mercyhurst… His résumé includes NCAA Championship appearances, ACRA national champions, conference and regional medals, All-Americans and extensive experience building both men's and women's rowing programs. An Orlando native, Francis competed as a member of the men's rowing team at the University of Central Florida… His experience as a collegiate rower provided the foundation for his transition into coaching and program development. Francis graduated from UCF in 2000 with a degree in business marketing… Later earned a master's degree in organizational leadership from Mercyhurst University in 2020. Francis resides in Port Orange, Fla., with his wife, Christine, and their four children, Taylor, Alana, Natalie and Justin.