Gifford, Frank

Gifford, (Francis Newton) Frank

(1930– ) football player, sports broadcaster; born in Santa Monica, Calif. The recipient of a full-tuition scholarship, he graduated from the University of Southern California (1952) and became a star running back and pass receiver for the New York Giants (1952–65). Even while an active player, he would do sports broadcasts on radio and television, first on CBS, then ABC. From 1971 on, he became a regular on ABC-TV, doing Monday Night Football and Wide World of Sports as well as occasional specials. He wrote or coauthored several books on football. The winner of many awards, he was elected to the National Football Foundation Football Hall of Fame in 1975 and he won an Emmy for outstanding sports personality (1977).