NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford dies at age 84
It was sad to hear the news today about the passing of one the great Legends of Pro Football - Frank Gifford.
"We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being," his family said in the statement. "We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers."
Frank was the MVP of the NFL the year I was born, so I never really knew just how good and versatile he was - playing both offense and defense as a running back, defensive back, wide receiver and special teams player in his career. He went to the Pro Bowl at three different positions. Gifford participated in five NFL Championship games and eight Pro Bowls, and won the league's most valuable player award in 1956, the same season he won his only NFL Championship.
Sometimes the true measure of a man is not in the highlights of his career, but how how well he can come back after getting knocked down. Frank was involved in the receiving end of a vicious tackle made by Chuck Bednarik. Here is a link to the story and the video of the play: The Hit.
In the article they say “The Hit” or “the Tackle,” as the play came to be known, was a perfect piece of propaganda that the NFL set to ominous orchestral music and used to define itself as it soared in popularity in the 1960s and ’70s: tough, snarling, merciless, unspeakably violent. As a piece of history though, it’s the product of faulty memory, fish-tale exaggeration, and lousy reporting.
Frank Gifford was much more than a great football player. He was the “intelligent” voice of Pro Football players. He totally dispelled the myth of the “Dumb Jock” when he began television sports broadcasting. I will always remember him for the smart work he did as the play-by-play announcer on ABC's Monday Night Football, joining Howard Cosell and Don Meredith in 1971 and continuing on as a commentator until 1997.
Frank lived a good life. He did it all. He was........
An All-American from USC in 1952:
An NFL Player:
An Actor: Appeared in “The All-American” alongside actor Tony Curtis and in "Up Periscope" with James Garner.
Frank Gifford, foreground, plays Ensign Cy Mount, shown here injured, in the movie "Up Periscope"
A Writer:
A Hall of Famer:
An Endorser: (Damn, he was good looking):
A Broadcaster: Won an Emmy in 1977 for Outstanding Sports Personality and inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2012
The Guy that Got the Girl: The one that everyone loved. (Kathy Lee)
In my book, he was a Superhero - a caped crusader
Say a prayer for the family!
Here is a link to a good article about Frank Gifford posted on NBC News.com: NFL Legend Frank Gifford Passes Away at 84
