Frank Deford
Frank Deford died on Sunday, May 28, at his home in Florida. Remembrances of Frank's life and work can be found in All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and on NPR.org.
Writer and commentator Frank Deford was the author of 20 books. His latest, I'd Know That Voice Anywhere, is a collection of his NPR commentaries and was described by Chicago Tribune as "glorious, hitting all the notes from funny to emotional to profound. ... Once again, his words make sports come alive." Booklist calls it a "rich collection for anyone interested in the sporting life."
The collection was culled from Deford's commentaries on NPR's Morning Edition, dating back to 1980.
On television, Deford was a senior correspondent for 20 years on the HBO show Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel. In magazines, he was a senior contributing writer at Sports Illustrated for 32 years and later became senior editor emeritus.
Two of Deford's books — the novel Everybody's All-American and Alex: The Life Of A Child, his memoir about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis — have been made into movies. Two of his original screenplays, Trading Hearts and Four Minutes, have also been filmed.
President Obama presented Deford with the medal from the 2012 National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the first writer to receive this award primarily for his work in sports.
As a journalist, Deford was elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. Deford was voted by his peers as U.S. Sportswriter of The Year six times. The American Journalism Review likewise cited him as the nation's finest sportswriter, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of The Year by the Washington Journalism Review.
Deford had also been presented with the National Magazine Award for profiles, a Christopher Award and journalism Honor Awards from the University of Missouri and Northeastern University, and he received many honorary degrees. The Sporting News once described Deford as "the most influential sports voice among members of the print media," and GQ called him, simply, "the world's greatest sportswriter."
In broadcast, Deford won both an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award. ESPN presented a television biography of Deford's life and work, "You Write Better Than You Play." A popular lecturer, Deford spoke at more than a hundred colleges, as well as at forums, at conventions and on cruise ships around the world.
For 16 years, Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he remains chairman emeritus. Deford was a graduate of Princeton University, where he had taught in American Studies.
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Commentator Frank Deford wonders what will happen to American football as concerns over head injuries grow. -
With the Masters tournament poised to begin Thursday, Tiger Woods continues to dominate golf coverage — despite the fact that he isn't actually winning tournaments. -
In 2010, Phil Jackson, then the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, complained about the NBA's scheduling of games on Christmas Day. It seemed, he said, that "Christian holidays don't mean anything" any longer. With its season shortened, the NBA can't afford to skip the holiday this year. -
It's a desperate time for fans of the NBA. Frank Deford provides an alternative entertainment idea for basketball junkies. -
The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets underway Thursday. It's a field padded with big-conference also-rans who have taken spots from more deserving teams with lesser pedigrees.
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One of football's greatest players was quarterback Johnny Unitas. But he was more than a great player. Unitas was a unique man who towered above his contemporaries, and the stars who have played after him.
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As athletes continue to test positive for illegal, performance-enhancing drugs, commentator Frank Deford asks listeners to keep an open mind about his own doping scandal.
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Commentator Frank Deford reverses years of criticism about soccer with an appreciation of the game's global popularity. And he ponders the imponderable: A U.S. victory.
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Commentator Frank Deford says tennis pros Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may be the best male players ever. The 2006 French Open offers the two start the possibility of rising above the tournament and entering tennis legend.
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The Boston Celtics have now joined the rest of the NBA by enlisting a sexy dance squad to entertain fans between play. As commentator Frank Deford notes, dance is really the perfect complement to hoops.