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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In the world of sports — even if you move often — commentator Frank Deford says your loyalty should always be to your hometown team. -
Only two groups of people really matter in any game: the players and the officials. That's the lesson the NFL inadvertently taught football fans in the past four weeks, says Frank Deford. At many stadiums, the regular officials were greeted with loud ovations after their lockout ended. -
When sport and language intersect, they can help define how we speak and think — consider the "level playing field." And in Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the sons of juniors, such as Benjamin Franklin Deford III, might have found a game changer. -
Athletic conferences don't make much sense anymore. Commentator Frank Deford remarks on how the Big East conference is no longer as big or as east as it used to be. -
When NFL teams from the East Coast play teams from the West Coast, the outcome might depend on what time of day the game starts. And if you're a gambler, the West Coast players could have enough of an edge to make you consider betting on them. -
If your football team is a member of the SEC, you don't just root for your own team — you root for the whole division. Commentator Frank Deford takes a look at Southern pride. -
Athletes aren't always the best role models but, for commentator Frank Deford, the worst sin they can commit is doping. -
The U.S. Open tennis tournament starts next week and, as commentator Frank Deford points out, Serena Williams may be the best reason to watch. -
More wild-card teams in baseball? The more the merrier, says commentator Frank Deford, as it makes the playoffs that much more exciting. -
Commentator Frank Deford says it's hard enough comparing teams and stars from different eras in the same sport, let alone across sports.
