Frank Deford

Frank Deford was a sports journalist best known for his many years at Sports Illustrated and for his novel Everybody’s All-American, which was made into a 1988 film starring Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange. Deford also served as the editor of the short-lived sports newspaper The National.

Beyond his work as a print journalist, he appeared frequently as a senior correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and served as a regular radio commentator for NPR's Morning Edition. He also appeared on Primetime, Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes, Dennis Miller, ESPN SportsCentury, 30 for 30, Tavis Smiley, The Colbert Report and Face the Nation, as well as appearing as himself on an episode of the HBO comedy Arli$$.

Additionally, Deford wrote several books that were turned into television movies and films, including Alex: The Life of a Child, Four Minutes and Trading Hearts. He wrote 17 books in total, often going beyond the subject of sports to include a story about a beauty pageant, There She Is: The Life and Times of Miss America, and another about a globetrotting journalist, The Spy in the Deuce Court.

He also wrote for the TV documentaries Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World, Sports on the Silver Screen, Barbaro and Bill Russell: My Life, My Way.

His numerous professional accolades included a Sports Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his work as a writer during the Seoul Olympics. He was also the recipient of a Peabody Award for his work on the 1999 HBO documentary Dare to Compete.

Deford died May 28, 2017, in Key West, Florida. He was 78.