"Deford joined HBO Sports in 1995 and his first report chronicled life in Augusta, Georgia, outside of the Masters. "He also dressed up in a more literal way, always sharply attired and cutting a debonair figure at 6-foot-4 with his shock of dark hair and thin mustache.Deford also contributed commentaries to HBO's "Real Sports" program. ""In addition to being an immense talent, he was a consummate gentleman, a dear friend and a beloved, original member of our 'Real Sports' family. … Nothing made me happier than to hear from literally hundreds of listeners who would tell me how much the commentaries revealed about a subject they otherwise had never cared much for.”Deford was also the author of 20 books, including the novel “Everybody’s All-American,” which was turned into a 1988 movie starring Jessica Lange and Dennis Quaid.His daughter Alexandra, who was just 8 when she died of cystic fibrosis in 1980, was the subject of a memoir, “Alex: The Life of a Child.” Deford became an advocate for research on the disease during the 1970s and served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation from 1982 to 1999.Deford was honored with numerous awards over his long career. © 2020 ABG-SI LLC. Frank Deford, a legend in the world of sports journalism, has died at age 78 in Key West, Florida, according to his wife, Carol Penner Deford.The Baltimore native spent 50 years writing for Sports Illustrated, but some might be more acquainted with his booming voice delivering unique takes on sports on National Public Radio. "Nobody was better at connecting sports to the culture at large. NEW YORK — Frank Deford, the renowned sportswriter and commentator, has died. His loss is immeasurable.
"A dedicated writer and storyteller, Mr. Deford has offered a consistent, compelling voice in print and on radio, reaching beyond scores and statistics to reveal the humanity woven into the games we love," Obama said at the time. "And perhaps just as important, I've been blessed with you, with a broad and intelligent audience -- even if large portions thereof haven't necessarily given a hoot about sports.
Our friends at SI have "I have survived so long because I've been blessed with talented and gracious colleagues, and with a top brass who let me choose my topics every week and then allowed me to express opinions that were not always popular," he said. Deford wrote more than a dozen books, served as a contributor to HBO's Deford was elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters in 1998 and was been voted by his peers as the U.S. Sportswriter of the Year six times. The death was confirmed Monday by NPR, where Deford delivered commentaries for 37 years.
Frank was a giant in the world of sports. He was the first sports writer awarded the National Humanities Medal. Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford died on Sunday in Key West, Fla.