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 considers a few athletic and cultural standards that have changed over the years. -
Tiger Woods hasn't won a major in six years, and at 38, says commentator Frank Deford, he's past even a golfer's prime years. Still, no one can touch the reigning king of golf. -
A baseball odd couple ends their careers this year: Commissioner Bud Selig and Yankees' shortstop Derek Jeter. -
As March Madness gets underway, commentator Frank Deford wonders if Americans just have too many teams to root for. -
Vladimir Putin's Olympics remind commentator Frank Deford of prescription medicine ads — the kind with the short list of benefits and long disclaimer. -
Retired Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan will take part in NBC's coverage of the Winter Games in Sochi, and commentator Frank Deford hopes she will get the honor she's due. -
Commentator Frank Deford ponders why individual women's sports continue to be popular fare, while women's team sports simply never manage to attract much attention, let alone success. -
Pro sports have become almost part and parcel of major American holidays. The NBA's Christmas Day lineup this year has grown to a whopping 13 straight hours of nationally televised games. -
These days, with salary caps and benevolent socialism, if a team has wise management, it has a chance, observes Frank Deford — even if it's a franchise in an itsy-bitsy market. That's a big change from when the leagues were invariably dominated by dynasties. -
When it comes to awards in theater or television or dance or literature, Frank Deford observes, candidates don't worry about losing out because of a personal flaw. Only sports applies that off-the-field standard.
