Bio

Francis “Fran” Bushman had a passion for education as well as athletics. He had a successful career as a counselor at Riverside City College from 1966 until his retirement in 1991. He enjoyed guiding students so much that he continued to serve as a part-time counselor until shortly before his death in 2008. Bushman also served as the men’s tennis coach. In 2007, the College honored him by naming the tennis complex, the Fran Bushman Tennis Complex.Born and raised in Riverside, Bushman was always involved in sports.

He earned varsity letters in basketball and baseball at Riverside Poly High School and was the Bears’ outstanding athlete one year. After high school, Bushman served in the Navy during World War II, earning the rank of Lieutenant Jr. Grade. After the War, Bushman returned to Southern California and earned a bachelor of arts degree from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree from USC. Bushman was a natural athlete. He not only played baseball and basketball, he also enjoyed playing golf.

At the young age of 28 after an operation hindered his golf swing he took up the sport of tennis.Before coming to RCC Bushman coached at Ramona High School and said he accepted a counseling position at RCC because he wanted to get away from coaching. “I was the baseball coach at Ramona for 10 years so I came to RCC to become a counselor.” No one was surprised when the need for a new tennis coach arose, Bushman was up for the challenge. 

In addition to being an excellent counselor and coach, Bushman was known as one of the best tennis players in the area. He won several Senior Olympics tennis titles in the 55-year-and-older division as well as the USTA sanctioned Riverside Tennis Tournament where he competed against players 10 years his junior. He was a fierce competitor winning many local tennis tournaments at the Canyon Crest Country Club.Bushman’s athletic accomplishments earned him a spot in the list of original inductees into the Riverside Sports Hall of Fame.