"Perfection in the Horseshoe Pit"

NY Times front page story by John Branch (photo by Doug Benz for the NY Times)
(Click on above picture to read the corresponding story)

Click Here for the NY Times follow-up sports brief by John Branch, covering Francis' 8th straight World Title win in Cedar Rapids, IA
 

 "How to Pitch a Ringer" story in ESPN the Magazine

Alan Francis Demonstrates how to pitch various turns and the flip for ESPN the Magazine. 
(Click on above picture to watch video and read corresponding ESPN Mag story)
 

Live appearance on ESPN HD's "First Take" 9/1/10

Alan Francis takes on the ESPN "First Take" broadcasters in horseshoes and other games at ESPN HD in Bristol, CT
(Click on above picture to watch ESPN video)

Alan Francis Career Record in the NHPA World Horseshoe Tournament:
 

*Pitched the Alan Francis Signature shoe     **Current World Tournament Record in any division

Men's championship horseshoe pitching moved into its modern era in 1940, breaking the 80% ringer average barrier for the first time that year.  Since then, it has taken an average of over 83.5% ringers to win the world title.  Alan Francis has won 16 of them!  In nearly a hundred tries, it's a short list of six players who've pitched better than 85% ringers to win the title... the greatest of the greats... Fernando Isais, Ted Allen, Curt Day, Elmer Hohl, Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Alan Francis...  Alan has done this seven times!  As of 2010, he's made 23 appearances in the Men's Championship Division at the World Championships and including all the bad days (there haven't been very many), he still has an overall lifetime average over 81% in the championship... In 2009, in Springfield, IL he set the all-time record for highest ringer average in the Men's World Championship Division with an astonishing 90.26% ringer average, putting Alan in a class of his own being the first world champion to ever average over 90%!  He's arguably one of the greatest to ever compete in this sport and he pitches this shoe that bares his signature!

NEW!     Click Here to watch a 17 minute video of Alan Francis talking about, demonstrating and instructing horseshoes... this was filmed in July of 2008.  The video feed starts right away, without snags and it's absolutely worth taking a bit of your day to see him talk horseshoes and pitch a few ringers!

Note: Actual shoes  will vary slightly  in color from the photos below (Shoes are one solid color-- current colors are blue & red)

         
One Year Warranty
Dead Soft Rating
Unique Iron Alloy.. resists burring
Now with hardened tips!
Choice of colors, white or blue
Meets NHPA specs for official weight (Approx 2-1/2 lbs per shoe)

View prices and options

Other Alan Francis horseshoes: All-On, Legacy & Bullseye

These horseshoes are designed to hold up for commercial and professional use.  We ship them daily to clubs and institutions as well as to individuals who all pitch them regularly for extended sessions, which often amount to hours upon hours of continuous daily use.  If being purchased for occasional use (a few times a summer in the backyard), they could easily last a lifetime!  Click here for more specifics on our quality...

Alan Francis won his 15th Men's World Championship title in Springlfield, IL in 2009, topping most of the records he set in his victory the year prior in York, PA... He was undefeated all the way through the finals at 19-0 with a world record performance of 90.26% ringers!  That's 917 ringers out of 1,016 shoes pitched! With that performance, Alan now tops an elite club of just three men who have pitched over 88% in the world championships, the other two being horseshoe legends Elmer Hohl and Walter Ray Williams Jr... what an accomplishment!  And yes, he pitches his "signature shoe"    ...maybe you should too!  Hey, why not make it 16 titles?  Check out the stats record above to see how Alan won #16 and his 8th straight world title in Cedar Rapids, IA in 2010.  What the stats don't show is that the final regulation between Alan and Brian Simmons of Vermont turned out to be the longest 40 point game ever played in an NHPA competition... many records were set in that single game! Alan was the victor, pitching 133 ringers out of 144 shoes pitched for 92.36% ringers!  What does it take to beat this guy?

Click Here to watch a nice full-size video of the unprecedented 12-time world champion Alan Francis pitching in the 2005 Greenville Ringer Classic on July 3, 2005, warming up for his record breaking 11th World Title (approximately 1 1/2 minutes)... There's another video link at the bottom of this page for another look at Alan pitching.

Here's a nice photo of Alan displaying his championship form, pitching his way to winning his 10th men's world title in Pocatello, ID on August 8th, 2004.  This shot really captures his perfectly straight forward pitching style and shows him deeply concentrating on the target, obviously all the way through his delivery.  Notice how his eyes are trained on the stake, not the shoe he just let go of?  This tenth victory tied the all time record holder, the great Ted Allen, who's record had stood since 1959.  Alan has now broken that record, winning two more titles since then... the only question now is how many titles will he win by the time he's finished???

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Alan Francis Signature Horseshoe Pricing & Product Options Price: $70.00 plus S & H     Click Add to continue and enter quantities on next page Above price is for one pair (2 shoes) Buy multi-pairs and save! 2 pair for $124.00 ($62.00 each) 6 pair for $360.00 ($60.00 each) (plus S & H) Discounted prices will show in the cart as you add enough of an item to achieve a discount. (Please take a minute to read the options below) When you proceed to the next page to enter this item into your shopping cart, you will be prompted to choose quantity, color and weight options. Most horseshoes are made to weigh in at about the official weight of 2-1/2 pounds with little variance.  This shoe is different.  It is available in two specific weight ranges, which you can choose from... Medium weight is approximately 2 lbs. 7.5 oz to 2 lbs. 8.7 oz. and Heavy weight is approx. 2 lbs. 8.8 oz up to 2 lbs. 10 oz.  Most all players select medium, which is the"official" weight.  If you select "no preference" for the weight, we'll send you something right in the mid range of what's currently in stock. Note: If you want to order multiple pairs of the same item with different colors and weights on each you will  have to enter the items individually into the cart. by color and weight.  But don't worry, the appropriate quantity discount will still be applied.

Don't you need a carrying bag or case for your shoes too?  Check these out before you check out:

Our all new Hard Shell Horseshoe Cases... best case for horseshoes ever!  It holds two pair and many accessories

Also, there's our all new Horseshoe Saddle Bags... designed to fit two pair!