Bio

Steve Francour enters his 25th overall season at the helm of the UW-Oshkosh women's tennis team in 2023 and his second since returning in 2022.

The Titans tallied a 6-4 overall record and a 2-4 WIAC mark in 2022 and took fifth in the WIAC Tournament.

Hannah Stitt earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and four were named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athletes in his first year back at UW-Oshkosh. The team also earned an All-Academic Team nod from the ITA.

Francour returned to UW-Oshkosh after piloting the men's and women's tennis programs at Lawrence University from 2013 to 2021. 

Francour coached the Lawrence University women to a 53-62 record, including a 6-5 mark in 2021, when the Vikings finished third at the Midwest Conference Tournament. He also led Lawrence University to an 8-7 record and a fourth-place finish at the league tournament in 2019.

On the men's side, Francour steered Lawrence University to a 68-61 record. The Vikings compiled an 11-8 record in 2019 and finished second at the Midwest Conference Tournament. He was chosen as Midwest Conference Men's Tennis Coach of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. 

In the classroom, Francour had 39 men and 37 women earn All-Academic honors from the ITA while coaching the Vikings.

Francour earned a 156-150 record coaching the UW-Oshkosh women from 1990-2012. He led the Titans to three second- and two third-place WIAC finishes as well as an appearance in the league's postseason team tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Francour was named the 2010 WIAC Coach of the Year after guiding UW-Oshkosh to a 9-8 record and a third-place finish in the league standings.

Francour's 2000 UW-Oshkosh team set a school record with 14 wins (14-5 record), and Jennifer Pekulik represented the Titans that spring at the 2001 NCAA Division III Championship. Francour also directed UW-Oshkosh's 1997 team to a 10-2 record and a second-place WIAC finish.

Francour coached seven WIAC singles and four league doubles champions during his first term at UW-Oshkosh. The Titans also has three WIAC Scholar-Athlete award winners as well as 35 ITA All-Academic selections.

Francour recorded his 100th women's tennis coaching victory during UW-Oshkosh's 7-2 win over UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 15, 2003, and his 200th during Lawrence University's 7-2 triumph over Knox College (Ill.) on Sept. 15, 2019.

Francour also served as the head men's tennis coach at UW-Oshkosh from 1991-2013. The Titans compiled a 240-238 record and participated in the Division III tournament in 1996, 1997 and 2001. UW-Oshkosh posted double-digit victories 14 times under Francour, including 10 consecutive winning seasons from 1994-2003. Francour had 30 men receive ITA All-Academic honors.

Francour registered his 500th overall coaching victory during Lawrence University's 6-3 women's victory over Cornell College (Iowa) on Sept. 7, 2019. 

Francour, a South Milwaukee High School graduate, earned a bachelor's degree in sports management from UW-Oshkosh in 1988 and a master's degree in sports administration from Baylor University (Texas) in 1989. He was a four-year member of the UW-Oshkosh men's tennis team.

Francour has been the head tennis professional at the Oshkosh Country Club since 1993 and the Butte des Morts Country Club since 2008. He also was the director of tennis at the Oshkosh YMCA Tennis Center from 1998-2012 and a physical education instructor at UW-Oshkosh from 1993-1998. 

Francour is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and serves on the UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame committee.

Francour and his wife, Patty, live in Oshkosh. Their son, Cade, graduated from Lawrence University in 2020 and starred in tennis for the Vikings.

(8/21/23)