Frank was born on August 16, 1930 as Francis Newton “Frank” Gifford in Santa Monica, Calif. He grew up in depression and during his childhood the footballer occasionally had to sleep in parks and family auto.
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“We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an wonderful human being”, the statement continued. “You know the flag is now flying half-mast at the Pro Football Hall of Fame – any time we lose one of our gold jackets – and we’ve now gone from 167 to 166 because of the loss of Frank Gifford”.
From the football field to the broadcast booth, Frank Gifford was a star.
The family announced the news and it was reported by multiple outlets, including NBC’s “Today” show, of which Gifford’s wife Kathie Lee Gifford is still a co-host.
He was also named MVP in 1956, the same season that he led the Giants to their fourth championship in franchise history. You had to live in New York in the ’50s and ’60s to truly understand what a big figure Frank Gifford was.
He replaced Keith Jackson in 1971 as the play-play announcer on ABC’s “Monday Night Football”, offering solid football descriptions and acting as a buffer between his voluble partners, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell.
Frank Gifford was all of that, a man who came to New York in 1952 as the “golden boy” halfback and flanker from USC, then transfixed Giants fans with his dazzling moves and a magnetic personality that positively glowed from atop the country’s biggest sports stage. His career spans 367 catches for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns and runs for 3,609 yards and 34 touchdowns.
“I’ve spent most of my life watching Frank”. Bednarik was pictured standing over the unconscious Gifford, pumping his fist in a celebration thought by many to be over the top. Frank’s contributions to ABC Sports and our company are immeasurable.
He is survived by Kathie Lee – to whom he’d been married for almost 30 years – and their two children, as well as his three children from his first marriage to Maxine Avis Ewart.
We should all be as lucky as Gifford to count on an eloquent speaker like Al Michaels to speak lovingly about us when we’re gone.
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What New York craves most is a victor, and Gifford’s Giants teams did some winning.
