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 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.
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Morning Edition commentator Frank Deford says that baseball needs to rethink some aspects of its investigation into the alleged steroid use of Barry Bonds and other baseball players.
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Commentator Frank Deford notes Americans' lack of excitement over the Turin Winter Olympics, and has a few suggestions on how to win new fans.
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Commentator Frank Deford is tickled by NBC's decision to call the home of the Winter Olympics by its indigenous pronunciation, Torino.
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Commentator Frank Deford offers his take on the uproar over champion skier Bode Miller's fondness for liquor. Miller told the media that it's tough to ski while drunk, drawing the ire of critics and bringing into question his worthiness for the Olympic team. -
Commentator Frank Deford remembers George Mikan, the first great big man in professional basketball.
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Commentator Frank Deford says part of the allure of professional sports drafts is trying to predict who will be picked by whom and when.
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Commentator Frank Deford recalls the life of baseball broadcaster Chuck Thompson, who died recently at age 83. Thompson, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was the long-time broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles.
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Commentator Frank Deford says one of the best accomplishments in sports was the creation of the Miracle League, which gives disabled children the chance to play baseball.
