The story of Deacon Francis Xavier Bice '82 is truly inspiring. He was heavily involved on campus, serving as the president of the Class of 1981 and captain of both the Siena lacrosse and football teams.

On October 4, 1980, he suffered a spinal cord injury while playing football that left him a quadriplegic. But he returned to Siena, coaching the football and lacrosse teams while finishing his senior year.

Terry Regan '82 was Frank's roommate and was with him on the field when he got hurt. He says Frank was still such an integral part of campus, despite his injury, and people seemed to have a renewed love for him not because he was changed, but because he didn't change at all.

"I asked God to let me live," he told me, "I told God that if He would do that for me, I would spend my life saying 'yes' to whatever He asked."

Mike Baldwin '82 says during Frank's last few years of life on earth, his smile became even more radiant. He wonders if Frank was put on earth to make the rest of us more "Christ-like."

"Francis Xavier Bice certainly never sat on the sidelines…" Baldwin says, "he played the entire game – and never rested for a second!"

The Deacon Francis Xavier Bice '82 Memorial Project is in place to honor and remember Frank at Siena College. Your donations will help make the following possible...
 

•	Lighting of all the candles in the Siena College Grotto on October 4, 2020, the Feast of St. Francis and the anniversary of Frank's injury ($1,400)
•	A memorial bench in Frank's name at the Siena College Grotto ($10,000)
•	An endowed scholarship in Frank's name at Siena College ($25,000)

Siena College will plan a mass and dedication for Frank at a later date when it is safe and we can once again welcome alumni groups back to campus.

Bice was a safety on the football team for four years and a member of the lacrosse team for three seasons. In 1979 and 1980, Bice was named Second Team All-American by the National Collegiate Football Association. He was a National Club Sports Association All-Conference performer in 1979 and 1980. Bice served as captain of the football team his senior season and he amassed 14 career interceptions. As a lacrosse player, he scored 22 goals and had nine assists while serving twice as team captain--after being elected following the Indians' undefeated 1979 season. Bice's athletic career was cut short in 1980 when he was partially paralyzed during a football game against St. John Fisher. He returned to Siena in 1981 to complete his degree and also served as an assistant coach with both the football and men's lacrosse programs. He remained involved in athletics as a coach following graduation, becoming a catholic deacon and starting the Cranwell Foundation to support young people in need of scholarship opportunities. He died on January 1, 2020 at the age of 60.