Frank Gifford was more than just a jock



The accomplishments of Frank Gifford, who died at his home in Greenwich, Conn., Sunday at age 84, were enough to decorate a couple of lifetimes.

A gifted and wildly popular running back and receiver for the New York Giants through the 1950s and into the ’60s — he was the city’s football counterpart to Mickey Mantle then, his matinee idol looks rendering him the Tom Brady of his time — Gifford was named All-Pro six times and earned selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

His second career was a great success, as well. Gifford spent 28 years (1971-98) as a star of ABC’s seminal “Monday Night Football” telecasts, a program that drew massive ratings and changed how we consume sports television. The same year he was enshrined in Canton, he also won an Emmy as outstanding sports personality. It was a very good year in a life well-lived.


But Gifford’s greatest accomplishment might be that, in a moment of great tragedy and pressure, he didn’t just get Howard Cosell to listen to him, Cosell asked him what he should do.

Remember now, as if a reminder is needed, that Cosell, who worked alongside Gifford in the MNF booth until 1983, was bombastic and blunt on his best days, and belittling and belligerent for too many days in between. Cosell, who prided himself on his journalistic chops, carried an open contempt for athletes who used their fame and popularity to segue into a second career in broadcasting.
 

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