Jason Francis enters his 10th season (2026–27) as Assistant Coach for the Missouri Southern State University men's and women's track & field programs, in addition to his coaching responsibilities he also acts as the Recruiting and Academic Coordinator. He oversees the Lions' sprinters, hurdlers, 800m, high jumpers, and combined event athletes.
Since joining the Missouri Southern coaching staff in 2017, Francis has helped establish the Lions as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division II programs. Under his guidance, Missouri Southern athletes have earned 66 All-MIAA performances, captured 21 MIAA individual championships, set two MIAA Championship meet records, and broken 46 school records. On the national stage, his athletes have produced 57 NCAA Championship qualifiers, 37 All-America honors, and 11 entries on the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor All-Time Top 25 lists.
Francis has played a key role in several of the most successful seasons in program history. He helped lead the Missouri Southern men to the 2020 MIAA Indoor Championship and the women's team to the 2021 MIAA Outdoor Championship. Most recently, he was part of the coaching staff that guided both the men's and women's teams to program-best third place finishes at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, marking the highest national finish in school history for the men's and women's program. He also helped the men's team earn historic fourth place finishes at the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships and the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. In recognition of his coaching success, Francis was named the NCAA Division II Women's Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020.
Before arriving at Missouri Southern, Francis spent five seasons as head women's track & field coach at the University of Dayton. During his tenure, the Flyers recorded two Atlantic 10 runner-up finishes while producing 21 conference champions and six NCAA East Preliminary Round qualifiers. Dayton also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in each of his five seasons, with eight student-athletes receiving individual All-Academic recognition. His team maintained a 3.48 cumulative GPA during his tenure.
Prior to Dayton, Francis served seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he coached the sprints, hurdles, jumps, 800 meters, and combined events. During his time with the Panthers, the men's program captured seven consecutive Horizon League Indoor and Outdoor Championships while producing two NCAA national qualifiers and 25 NCAA First Round qualifiers. Milwaukee's men's and women's programs combined to win 22 Horizon League team championships and more than 150 individual conference titles. The Panthers' men's program continues to hold one of the longest conference championship streaks in NCAA Division I history with 16 consecutive league titles.
Prior to Milwaukee, Francis spent one season as assistant pole vault coach at Lewis University, helping coach two NCAA Division II national champions and six All-Americans. He began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Indiana State University, where he served two seasons as an assistant coach working with the men's and women's pole vault.
A two-time graduate of Indiana State, Francis earned a bachelor's degree in sports science and a master's degree in exercise science. As a student-athlete, he was a four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference performer, won the MVC decathlon title, and helped the Sycamores capture a conference team championship.
Francis holds the USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification and USATF Level 1 certification. He also holds USATF Level 2 certifications in Sprints, Hurdles & Relays, Jumps, Combined Events, and Throws, and has completed the USATF Instructor Training Course.
Jason and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Joplin with their family.
