Francis Sweeney fought for injured workers, underprivileged students and other disenfranchised citizens. After graduating from Cleveland-Marshall, he served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Cuyahoga County. From 1970-1988, he was a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. He moved to the Eighth Appellate District Court of Appeals where he served until 1992. He was then appointed to the Supreme Court of Ohio, where he remained until his retirement in 2004. Prior to his judicial career, he played professional football for the Ottawa Rough Riders and served in the Army at Fort Knox. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including 14 Outstanding Judicial Service Awards from the Ohio Supreme Court.