Pro Football HOFer FRANK GIFFORD, who "became one of the biggest personalities in sports media," died of natural causes yesterday at the age of 84, according to Kevin Clark of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Gifford was a "symbol of the era" when the NFL "began to blossom as a sports powerhouse." He also was "one of the most prominent figures in the sport" during his playing career. He "became a darling for advertisers," and in the offseason he "used his Hollywood roots to land small acting roles." His "wider fame came in the media world," as he helped the game "reach new heights as an announcer" on "MNF" from '71-97. His emergence as a broadcaster alongside HOWARD COSELL and DON MEREDITH "provided narration to some of the biggest football games of the era" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/10). In N.Y., Goldstein & Weber in a front-page piece write the U.S. has an "obsession" with the NFL, and Gifford "as much as anyone ... helped push it in that direction." Gifford's "low-key persona" on "MNF" provided the "perfect backdrop to bring his boothmates ... into high relief." It was a formula that "made the weekly autumn broadcasts must-see programming." As game broadcaster and "later as an analyst and briefly as a pregame host," Gifford remained with "MNF" through '98. Gifford went into broadcasting with CBS when he retired from the NFL after the '64 season before moving to ABC for "MNF." He also appeared on ABC’s "WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS" and "as part of its Olympic coverage" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/10). CBS' Jim Nantz said Gifford "had that life as a football hero, and then, of course, he has his legendary, iconic broadcasting career as well” (“WGC-Bridgestone Invitational,” CBS, 8/9). NBC's Al Michaels, who worked with Gifford on "MNF" for 12 years, said, “You had to live in New York in the ‘50s and ‘60s to truly understand what a gigantic figure Frank Gifford was.” Michaels: "No matter what was going on around him, he was always the coolest guy in the room” (“Steelers-Vikings,” NBC, 8/9).
A TRUE PIONEER: CBSSPORTS.com's Pete Prisco noted Gifford was "one of the first star players to make the transition to sports broadcaster, bringing a smooth tone to the airwaves that always seemed to make you think big game" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/9). THE MMQB's Peter King writes NFLers "nimbly traverse the field-to-studio gigs today." But they "just didn't do TV in the fifties and early sixties, until Gifford did TV." Giants President & CEO JOHN MARA said, "He was the guy who set the trend for players working in TV" (MMQB.SI.com, 8/10). Broadcaster JACK WHITAKER, who worked with Gifford in his first year in the booth, said, "He came into it naturally. He knew the game very well, having played it all his life. It was a good fit. A very good fit" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 8/10). In L.A., Mike Kupper in a front-page piece notes by the time he retired from the booth, Gifford had "called 588 consecutive games for ABC, and, as an announcer and then an analyst, had become as much a part of the country's Monday night routine as the game itself" (L.A. TIMES, 8/10). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Barnes & Byrge noted Gifford in '95 "was the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Award, which acknowledged his exceptional longtime contributions to radio and TV in pro football." Gifford, who "won an Emmy Award" as TV’s Outstanding Sports Personality for '76-77, also "hosted ABC Sports specials like 'BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS.'" He covered the '72, '76 and '84 Summer Games, as well as the '76, '80 and '84 Winter Games. Gifford also "served as a guest host" of ABC’s "GMA," pairing with JOAN LUNDEN when DAVID HARTMAN was away (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 8/9). In L.A., Sam Farmer writes Gifford was "such a fixture on TV, and such a natural, a lot of people in younger generations weren't aware that he played the game" (L.A. TIMES, 8/10).
SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION: ESPN N.Y.'s Dan Graziano wrote Gifford, Cosell and Meredith "were the faces of the televised pro football revolution." As part of that endeavor, Gifford "played a major role in building the NFL into the dominating brand it is today" (ESPNNY.com, 8/9). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes Gifford, Cosell and Meredith "became bigger than the game." The trio is "responsible for helping to make the league what it is today," and there has "never, ever been a three-man booth that came close to duplicating that natural chemistry" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/10). Also in N.Y., Mike Lupica notes though Gifford would have other broadcast partners, the original trio was "as much a rock group as anything in sports television had ever seen, and would ever see" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/10). Grantland's Chris Connelly said, "His chemistry with boothmates Don Meredith and Howard Cosell made ‘Monday Night Football’ a pop culture phenomenon” ("World News," ABC, 8/9). In California, Michael Lev writes Gifford was "part of perhaps the most famous football announcing trio of all time." Gifford served as the "straight man to the outspoken Cosell and the colorful Meredith" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/10). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes the commentary from Gifford, Cosell and Meredith "was some of the best in broadcasting history" (NEWSDAY, 8/10). In Tampa, Tom Jones writes it was "clear that Gifford was humble enough to stick to doing a professional job, letting Cosell and Meredith dominate the spotlight and become the stars." Yet neither Cosell nor Meredith "would have been the featured players had it not been for Gifford's deft handling of the booth" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/10). ESPN's Trey Wingo wrote, "The trio that hooked me on MNF as a kid was Dandy Don, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. Hard to believe all three are now gone." ESPN's Mike Greenberg: "What little I know of football I learned mostly from Howard Cosell, Dandy Don and Frank Gifford. All of them gone now. Sad day." The N.Y. Post's Bart Hubbuch: "He and Howard Cosell will always be the voices of Monday Night Football for me" (TWITTER.com, 8/9).
GIANT OF A MAN: On Long Island, Tom Rock writes in a "golden age" of N.Y. sports, there were "few athletes who gleamed brighter than Gifford." He was the Giants' "equivalent of the Yankees' MICKEY MANTLE in terms of popularity and marketability despite playing a sport that lacked the exposure of baseball." He helped "groom professional football into the institution it has become" (NEWSDAY, 8/10). ESPN’s Mike Tirico said Gifford was the "athlete who built the bridge from the locker room to Madison Avenue in the football realm." Tirico: "You had Mickey Mantle, you had DIMAGGIO, you had the New York stars, and football wasn’t as big. In New York, Gifford was the face of football becoming big" (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 8/10). NBC's Willie Geist notes Gifford was the "biggest thing going when he was a player for the Giants." Geist: "He was Mickey Mantle in New York City. He was a massive star whose power went over generations because of ‘Monday Night Football,’ because of all the TV he did” (“Today,” NBC, 8/10). More Geist: "Frank’s charm made him a popular choice for advertisers and a familiar face in popular culture" ("Nightly News," NBC, 8/9). USA TODAY's Nate Davis writes Gifford's fame "transcended the gridiron, and he became a matinee idol" in N.Y., "on par with contemporaries" such as Mantle. Gifford's marriage to KATHIE LEE GIFFORD also "elevated his profile in pop culture" (USA TODAY, 8/10).
