Frank Gifford captivates football fans across generations, transitioning seamlessly from a dominant New York Giants halfback into the iconic voice of Monday Night Football.
FRANK GIFFORD
Football Bio
August 16, 1930 – Another NFL legend, Frank Gifford, was born. He was a halfback from the University of Southern California, and he has been immortalized in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Gifford had a great 11-year NFL career as a back and a flanker for the New York Giants. Gifford won the 1956 Most Valuable Player Award and helped his team win the NFL championship that same year.
After hanging up his cleats, he spent 27 years broadcasting ABC’s Monday Night Football, many of them alongside Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith. Who can forget those great plays Frank Gifford made?
Frank Hurley – Published in New York Daily News, November 21, 1960, p. 68.
“The Hit” — Photo sequence by the New York Daily News of the crushing hit delivered by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik against New York Giants halfback Frank Gifford.
You watch the greatest game ever played, the 1958 NFL Championship, and many others, but Gifford was just a very integral part of the Giants’ offense, and what a great man he was on Monday Night Football, hearing his voice over the airwaves with Cosell and Meredith. That’s just something I’ll never forget as a kid. That made Monday Night Football really special.
Frank Gifford cements his legacy as a true football Renaissance man. He dominated the gridiron as a versatile star before transforming the landscape of sports broadcasting, leaving behind an unmatched standard of excellence that inspires athletes and entertainers alike.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame Inductee: Class of 1975. [Football Foundation.org]
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee: Class of 1977. [Pro Football HOF]
- NFL Champion: 1956.
- NFL Most Valuable Player: 1956.
- Eight-Time Pro Bowl Selection: 1953–1959, 1963.
- Six-Time First-Team All-Pro: 1953, 1955–1959.
- NFL 1950s All-Decade Team: Selected for his dominance throughout the era.
- New York Giants Ring of Honor: Inductee.
- Retired Number: New York Giants No. 16 retired.
- First-Team All-American: University of Southern California (1951).
- Emmy Award: Outstanding Sports Personality (1977).
