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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Things move so fast in college basketball that there are three players this year who are being called "the next LeBron James. " In the NBA, most of the talk is already about where the superstars will be next season. -
The owner of the Miami Dolphins says he will meet Wednesday with the player who has accused teammates of harassment. Frank Deford says the allegations represent just the most recent disgrace for football. -
Does a citizen of any country — not just the good ole U.S.A. — have an obligation to support its national teams? According to Frank Deford, in our world of global entertainment, passports don't matter and taste should trump nationalism. -
Commentator Frank Deford has some theories about why NASCAR is having trouble expanding its audience. -
As the World Series begins, the sports commentator longs for proof of the existence of a legitimate clutch hitter. Stats guys say that the clutch is a random crap shoot. -
Commentator Frank Deford responds to suggestions of things he should comment on. Here, he takes on the Washington Redskins' name; high school football games on national TV; hockey fights; Pete Rose and the Baseball Hall of Fame; and the tradition of pouring Gatorade on winning coaches. -
On Sept. 27, 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his 100-meter gold medal when tests showed a performance-enhancing drug in his system. As Alex Rodriguez appeals his illegal doping ban from Major League Baseball, Frank Deford reflects on a historical moment of drug use among athletes. -
The settlement with former players, who were suing the league for not bearing responsibility for the damage done by head injuries, included the provision that the NFL would not have to make public its internal documents about traumatic brain injuries. Frank Deford says the league owes kids that information. -
Nike made the leap onto the stock averages index when Hewlett-Packard, Bank of America and Alcoa were dropped because of their low stock prices. Yes, says, commentator Frank Deford, a mere sporting goods company has joined the wealthy elite. -
America's Cup yachts can gracefully skim above water at better than 40 mph, but Frank Deford says when he looks back at the seven seas in 2013 he'll remember 64-year-old Nyad "plowing, all by herself, freestyle, through 100 miles of surf from Havana to Key West."
