Frank Gifford, who helped the New York Giants to the 1956 NFL title and spent decades as an American football television commentator, died on Sunday aged 84, his family said.
Gifford died at his home in Connecticut of natural causes a week before his 85th birthday, the family statement said.
He played for the Giants from 1952 through 1964 and was an eight-time selection to the Pro Bowl all-star game.
Photo: AP
“We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being,” the family said in a statement released to NBC News. “We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.”
Gifford’s wife, Kathie Lee Gifford, is a host on NBC’s Today show. They were married in 1986.
“Deeply grateful to all 4 ur outpouring of grace,” she posted on Twitter. “We r steadfast in our faith and finding comfort in knowing where Frank is.”
Gifford made 367 catches for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns, and ran for 3,609 yards and 34 touchdowns in his career. He was inducted into the American Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
After his playing career, Gifford moved into television commentary, first with CBS and later on ABC’s Monday Night Football from 1971 to 1997.
Bob Iger, chairman of ABC owner the Walt Disney Co, recalled Gifford as a man of quiet dignity.
“Frank Gifford was an exceptional man who will be missed by everyone who had the joy of seeing his talent on the field, the pleasure of watching his broadcasts, or the honor of knowing him,” Iger said.
“His many achievements were defined by a quiet dignity and a personal grace that is seldom seen in any arena. He truly embodied the very best of us. Frank’s contributions to ABC Sports and our company are immeasurable.”
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but
Taiwanese gymnast Lee Chih-kai failed to secure an Olympic berth in the pommel horse following a second-place finish at the last qualifier in Doha on Friday, a performance that Lee and his coach called “unconvincing.” The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist finished runner-up in the final after scoring 6.6 for degree of difficulty and 8.800 for execution for a combined score of 15.400. That was just 0.100 short of Jordan’s Ahmad Abu Al Soud, who had qualified for the event in Paris before the Apparatus World Cup series in Qatar’s capital. After missing the final rounds in the first two of four qualifier