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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For commentator Frank Deford, it seems unfair that students who pursue other extracurricular talents — like music — should be placed in a subsidiary position to their classmates who happen to play sports. -
Aside from basketball, it's a pretty quiet sports week, which means, it's a pretty quiet week for sportswriters. Commentator Frank Deford says it's a perfect opportunity to recognize their work, and cut them some slack. -
Hockey fans are living their lives, going about their business, but their days are a little paler. Commentator Frank Deford says fans deserve a little sympathy when their sport is taken from them. -
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. -
The key to winning as a big-time coach is keeping your players eligible. Commentator Frank Deford says that when Joe Paterno's old assistant was in trouble, his instincts kicked in: Paterno kept Jerry Sandusky eligible. -
The Olympics calls itself a "movement," but to most fans, Euro Cup soccer is a rock concert. In the coming months, Europe will host the French Open, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the British Open and the Olympics. But the biggest draw may be soccer's quadrennial Euro Cup. -
Commentator Frank Deford wonders what will happen to American football as concerns over head injuries grow. -
German heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling was publicly associated with the Third Reich but was not a Nazi and refused an award from Adolph Hitler. Commentator Frank Deford talks about the man and the conflicts that beset him. Schmeling, known for his classic fights against Joe Louis, died last week at the age of 99.
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Writer and Paris Review editor George Plimpton dies at his Manhattan apartment. He was 76. Plimpton's writing combined elegance and wit, and often showed a willingness to make himself the butt of the joke. Paper Lion was the most famous of several books he wrote chronicling Walter Mitty-like experiences in sports and other endeavors. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Frank Deford.
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This weekend, a young gelding has a chance to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in New York. Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Commentator Frank Deford says winning the coveted crown could end his racing career.
