Frank Deford
Frank Deford died on Sunday, May 28, at his home in Florida. Remembrances of Frank's life and work can be found inAll 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 Illustratedfor 32 years and later became senior editor emeritus.
Two of Deford's books — the novel Everybody's All-Americanand 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 Heartsand 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 Reviewlikewise 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 Newsonce 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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The Cowboys have won only two playoff games in the past 20 years, but all of a sudden, they are once again a force again in the NFL, says commentator Frank Deford.
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It's called "the beautiful game," but sports commentator Frank Deford says that's because of who plays soccer, not because of how it's played. -
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be interrogated by the baseball commissioner the same way Pete Rose has been, opines sports commentator Frank Deford. -
With the NBA's new ad campaign against gun violence, commentator Frank Deford says a bunch of athletes may finally provide the first successful nudge toward stiffer firearm regulation.
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Yogi Berra died Tuesday at age 90. The Hall of Fame catcher is part of our culture in ways that other great athletes never manage. To mark his passing, Morning Edition airs this encore from 2005.
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This year, the extra-point line of scrimmage has been moved back to the 15-yard line. Will that make any demonstrable difference in lowering the conversion rate? -
Commentator Frank Deford isn't crazy about the new boxing movie Southpaw. He says its shortcomings are typical of Hollywood's depiction of boxing. -
The legal loophole that allows people to bet on fantasy sports teams but not real ones is attracting big money. Fantasy games may trump real ones soon, says commentator Frank Deford. -
Tom Brady could be guilty of one of the worst transgressions in sport — purposely defiling the part of the game that makes it fair and square. -
As some boxing fans await a major welterweight matchup on Saturday, it's clear that the sport is struggling to keep the attention on the boxers' athleticism rather than their riches.
