The trio of Gifford, Don Meredith and the incomparable Howard Cosell as the broadcasting team for ABC’s Monday Night Football found three prolific wordsmiths with three distinctly different styles and personalities melding together like the metals that make a fine sword, cutting through the airwaves with razor precision – and the stately Frank Gifford gripping above the pommel to hold everything together.
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Gifford’s wife, Kathie Lee, is a host for the Today Show on NBC.
A running back, defensive back, wide receiver and special teams player in his career, Gifford was the NFL’s MVP in 1956. Gifford was the NFL’s most valuable player in 1956 when he led the New York Giants to a league championship.
“We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an fantastic human being”, Gifford’s family said in a statement, via NBC.
– Kathie Lee and Hoda (@klgandhoda)The play-by-play voice on this game, the notorious 1972 USA-USSR Olympic basketball final, is Frank Gifford’s.
“Not my greatest game”, Gifford told the AP in 2008. He also played in the famous December 1958 title game won in overtime by the Baltimore Colts; that game transformed the NFL into a big-time league for the first time.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued a statement Sunday night following the passing of NFL legend Frank Gifford. By the time he retired for the second and last time, after the 1964 season, the Giants and the N.F.L. had gained the national sports spotlight, and the versatile and handsome Gifford had become a celebrity.
In 1995, Gifford was the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Award, which acknowledged his exceptional longtime contributions to radio and TV in pro football.
ESPN says “Gifford amassed 9,753 combined yards and his 78 touchdowns is still a Giants record”. The Giants routed the Chicago Bears 47-7 at Yankee Stadium, where Gifford shared a locker with Mickey Mantle. More importantly, he was a treasured member of our family.
A crushing hit by 233-pound Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik in November 1960 flattened Gifford and likely shortened his football career. Bednarik was pictured standing over the unconscious Gifford, pumping his fist in a celebration thought by many to be over the top. I was a fan of Frank Gifford’s during his playing days, but grew to be an even bigger fan long after his playing career had ended.
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Born in Santa Monica in 1930, Gifford attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship and went pro after being selected 11th overall in the first round of the 1952 draft.
