Frank Gifford was the glamor face of professional football before the world learned that there was something glamorous about the sport.
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Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford died at age 84 on Sunday at his home in Greenwich, Conn. After a decorated football career spanning 12 seasons (1952-64), Gifford also enjoyed a almost 30-year tenure as a sportscaster for ABC, including the “Monday Night Football” telecasts that helped make football the national religion it has become. “We ask that our privacy be respected at this hard time and we thank you for your prayers”.
Frank Gifford was known as being a very versatile player, and was selected for the Pro Bowl eight times as a defensive back, an offensive halfback, and as a flanker.
After retiring from the game, Gifford became a commentator, perhaps becoming best known as a broadcaster on ABC’s Monday Night Football from 1971 until 1997, when he resigned in the wake of a sex scandal.
According to the New York Daily News, Kathie Lee has been more focused on celebrating Frank’s life than mourning his passing. His wife, Kathie Lee Gifford, is a host for “Today” on NBC.
“He was a great friend to everyone in the league, a special adviser to NFL commissioners, and served NFL fans with enormous distinction for so many decades”, Goodell added. “Frank’s talent and charisma on the field and on the air were important elements in the growth and popularity of the modern NFL”. “Like many kids who grew up in my generation, we all wanted to be Mickey Mantle or Frank Gifford”. While I never had the opportunity to meet Frank Gifford personally, I’ve talked with Kathie Lee Gifford during a few of my appearances on NBC’s Today Show.
“I hate to use the words ‘American institution, ‘ but there’s no other way to put it, really”, Gifford said in 1993. “There’s nothing else like it”. Gifford paid tribute to her late husband and former NFL star Frank Gifford, who passed away on Sunday of natural causes. He is one of only six players in NFL history to amass at least 30 touchdowns as a rusher and as a receiver.
On Monday morning, Esiason shared on WFAN-radio in New York that Gifford took the initiative to call him and wish him well. He was the voice of continuity in the broadcast, lasting through more than 25 years and numerous other colleagues in the booth.
He was one of three children of an oil-field worker, born in 1930 during the Depression.
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Gifford’s 5,434 yards receiving were a Giants record for 39 years, until Amani Toomer surpassed him in 2003. His jersey number, 16, was retired by the team in 2000.
