Frank Gifford, NFL legend, famed TV broadcaster and husband of Kathie Lee, has died aged 84.
Gifford's family said the Pro Football Hall of Famer died suddenly at his Connecticut home of natural causes on Sunday morning. His wife of nearly 30 years is still a host for NBC's Today.
A versatile star on both offense and defense in an era when NFL players were starting to specialize, Gifford went on to a successful second career as a broadcaster on Monday Night Football.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, 84, died suddenly of natural causes at his Connecticut home
His wife, Kathie Lee Gifford, is a host for NBC's Today. Mr Gifford had a second career as a TV broadcaster
Gifford was the centerpiece of a Giants offense that went to five NFL title games in the 1950s and '60s
Gifford was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1956 when he led the New York Giants to a league championship.
Frank, Kathie Lee, Cassidy and Cody Gifford attend the 'Scandalous Broadway Opening Night' in 2012
Beginning in 1971 he worked for ABC's Monday Night Football, at first as a play-by-play announcer and then as an analyst.
Later in life he stayed in the spotlight through his marriage to Kathie Lee, who famously called him a 'human love machine' and 'lamb-chop' to her millions of viewers.
The couple met in 1982 on the set of Good Morning America and they maintained a four-year friendship before getting married in 1986 and having two children, Cody and Cassidy.
Gifford also had three children - Jeff, Kyle and Victoria - with his first wife Maxine Avis Ewart.
They divorced in 1976 six years after he allegedly had an affair with Joanne Carson, the second wife of legendary late-night talk show host Johnny Carson.
Gifford and Ewart's daughter Victoria married Robert Kennedy's son Michael in 1981.
They separated when it was revealed that he had an affair with their teenage babysitter.
He died months later in 1997 during a game of ski-football with relatives.
Prior to marrying Kathie Lee, Gifford married his second wife Astrid Lindley in 1978 before their divorce in 1986, the year he married the Today host.
Wife Kathie Lee famously called him a 'human love machine' and 'lamb-chop' to her millions of viewers
Born August 16, 1930, in Santa Monica, California, Frank Newton Gifford was the son of an itinerant oil worker
Gifford and Kathie Lee met in 1982 on the set of Good Morning America and they first maintained a friendship
Gifford hosted Wide World of Sports, covered several Olympics - his call of Frank Klammer's gold medal run in 1976 is considered a broadcasting masterpiece - and announced 588 consecutive NFL games for ABC, not even taking time off after the death of his mother shortly before a broadcast in 1986.
Gifford (with Kathie Lee in 1991) was NFL MVP n 1956
While he worked with others, including Dan Dierdorf, Al Michaels, Joe Namath and OJ Simpson, Gifford was most known for the eight years he served as a calm buffer between the folksy Don Meredith and acerbic Howard Cosell.
The family said in a statement released by NBC News: 'It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford.
'Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home.
'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.
'We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.'
Gifford was the centerpiece of a Giants offense that went to five NFL title games in the 1950s and '60s.
In its early years Monday Night Football was a cultural touchstone, with cities throwing parades for the visiting announcers and celebrities such as John Lennon and Ronald Reagan making appearances.
'I hate to use the words 'American institution,' but there's no other way to put it, really,' Gifford told The Associated Press in 1993. 'There's nothing else like it.'
He worked for ABC's Monday Night Football, at first as a play-by-play announcer and then as an analyst
Gifford fumbled in the 1958 NFL championship game which was then dubbed 'The Greatest Game Ever Played'
A handsome straight-shooter who came off as earnest and sincere, Gifford was popular with viewers, even if some accused him of being a shill for the NFL.
He experienced the highs and lows as an NFL player.
Gifford fumbled twice early in the 1958 NFL championship game, both of which led to Baltimore Colts touchdowns, and later came up short on a critical third down.
The Colts eventually won 23-17 in the league's first overtime game.
The thrilling finish helped popularize the NFL and was dubbed 'The Greatest Game Ever Played,' although not by Gifford.
'Not my greatest game,' Gifford told the AP in 2008.
'I fumbled going out (of the end zone) and I fumbled going in.'
Gifford and his teammates felt he was robbed by an incorrectly spotted ball with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, though video technology employed for a 50th anniversary documentary indicated the call was correct.
In any event, the Giants were forced to punt in the '58 game, leading to a famous drive led by Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas to send it into overtime.
Gifford had his best year in 1956, rushing for 819 yards, picking up 603 yards receiving and scoring nine touchdowns in 12 games.
The Giants routed the Chicago Bears 47-7 at Yankee Stadium, where Gifford shared a locker with Mickey Mantle.
Gifford rushed for 819 yards, picked up 603 yards receiving and scored nine touchdowns in 1956
Growing up in Depression-era California, Gifford estimated he moved 47 times before entering high school
No comments:
Post a Comment