Frank Deford
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Frank" Deford, III (born December 16, 1938, in Baltimore, Maryland) is a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated
, author
, and commentator
for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
on HBO.
He is the author of eighteen books. His 1981 novel Everybody's All-American
was named one of Sports Illustrated's Top 25 Sports Books of All Time and was later made into a film of the same title
. However, most of Deford's fiction is set out of the sports realm. The most recent of his ten novels is the acclaimed "Bliss, Remembered," a 1930s romance between a pretty young American and the son of a German diplomat. Deford writes that as a woman. He has also been a screenwriter on the films Trading Hearts (1987) and Four Minutes
(2006).
In 1989 Deford left Sports Illustrated and NPR to serve as editor-in-chief of The National, a short-lived U.S. sports newspaper. It debuted January 31, 1990 and folded after eighteen months. The newspaper was published daily in tabloid format. After then writing for Newsweek
and Vanity Fair
, Deford subsequently returned to Sports Illustrated as senior contributing writer.
Deford served as chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
for seventeen years, until 1999, and remains chairman emeritus. He became involved in cystic fibrosis education and advocacy after his daughter, Alexandra ("Alex") was diagnosed with the illness in 1972. After Alex died on January 19, 1980, at the age of eight, Deford chronicled her life in the memoir Alex: The Life of a Child. The book was made into a movie starring Craig T. Nelson
and Bonnie Bedelia
in 1986. In 1997, the book was reissued in an expanded edition, with updated information on the Defords and Alex's friends.
Deford grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Calvert School
and Gilman School
in Baltimore. He is a graduate of Princeton University
and now resides in Westport, Connecticut
, with his wife, Carol, a former fashion model. They have two surviving children: Christian (b. 1969) and Scarlet (b. 1980). Scarlet was adopted as an infant from the Philippines a few months after the loss of Alex. Deford met his wife in Delaware and they were married in 1965.
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious...
on HBO.
Background
Deford began writing for Sports Illustrated in 1962. In addition to his Sports Illustrated duties, he has also been a correspondent for HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel since 1995, a regular Wednesday commentator for National Public Radio since 1980.He is the author of eighteen books. His 1981 novel Everybody's All-American
Everybody's All-American
Everybody's All-American is a novel by longtime Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford and later made into a motion picture directed by Taylor Hackford.-Plot summary:...
was named one of Sports Illustrated's Top 25 Sports Books of All Time and was later made into a film of the same title
Everybody's All-American (film)
Everybody's All-American is a 1988 motion picture directed by Taylor Hackford and based on the novel Everybody's All-American by longtime Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford.The film covers 25 years in the life of a college football hero...
. However, most of Deford's fiction is set out of the sports realm. The most recent of his ten novels is the acclaimed "Bliss, Remembered," a 1930s romance between a pretty young American and the son of a German diplomat. Deford writes that as a woman. He has also been a screenwriter on the films Trading Hearts (1987) and Four Minutes
Four Minutes (2006 film)
Four Minutes , is a 2006 drama film directed by Chris Kraus starring Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, and Richy Müller.-Plot:...
(2006).
In 1989 Deford left Sports Illustrated and NPR to serve as editor-in-chief of The National, a short-lived U.S. sports newspaper. It debuted January 31, 1990 and folded after eighteen months. The newspaper was published daily in tabloid format. After then writing for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, Deford subsequently returned to Sports Illustrated as senior contributing writer.
Deford served as chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis . The Foundation provides information about cystic fibrosis and finances CF research that aims to improve the quality of life for people with the...
for seventeen years, until 1999, and remains chairman emeritus. He became involved in cystic fibrosis education and advocacy after his daughter, Alexandra ("Alex") was diagnosed with the illness in 1972. After Alex died on January 19, 1980, at the age of eight, Deford chronicled her life in the memoir Alex: The Life of a Child. The book was made into a movie starring Craig T. Nelson
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
and Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia Culkin is an American actress best known for her supporting roles in the action film Die Hard and the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent...
in 1986. In 1997, the book was reissued in an expanded edition, with updated information on the Defords and Alex's friends.
Deford grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Calvert School
Calvert School
Calvert School is a kindergarten through 8th grade co-educational private school with a day school operation in Baltimore, Maryland and an associated homeschooling division that administers a curriculum shipped to families around the United States and the world...
and Gilman School
Gilman School
Gilman School is a private preparatory school for boys located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1897 as the Country School for Boys, it was the first country day school in the United States. Gilman enrolls approximately 978 students, ranging from kindergarten to...
in Baltimore. He is a graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and now resides in Westport, Connecticut
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
, with his wife, Carol, a former fashion model. They have two surviving children: Christian (b. 1969) and Scarlet (b. 1980). Scarlet was adopted as an infant from the Philippines a few months after the loss of Alex. Deford met his wife in Delaware and they were married in 1965.
Awards and accomplishments
- Member of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame
- Six-time U.S. Sportswriter of the Year winner
- Twice voted Magazine Writer of the Year by the Washington Journalism Review
- National Magazine AwardNational Magazine AwardThe National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
recipient for 1999 Sports Illustrated article on Bill Russell - Peabody Award recipient for writer on 1999 HBO documentary "Dare to Compete"
- Christopher AwardChristopher AwardThe Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
winner - University of Missouri Honor Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism
- Winner of a 1988 Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for his work as a writer during the Seoul Olympics - Winner of a CableACE in 1994 for writing the HBO Sports documentary Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World
- Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding JournalismDick Schaap Award for Outstanding JournalismThe Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism was established in 2002 to honor the memory of one of Americas pre-eminent sports writers, Dick Schaap. The award is presented by the Nassau County Sports Commission and is given out to the journalist, in any medium, that best exemplifies the...
recipient in 2003 - Received ten honorary degrees, most recently in 2011 from Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland.
Published works
- Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby, Publisher: Little Brown & Company (1971), ISBN 978-0316179201
- Cut 'n' Run, Publisher Viking (1973)
- There She Is: The Life and Times of Miss America, Publisher: Viking Press (1975) ISBN 0-670-69858-X
- Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and The Tragedy, Simon & Schuster (1976)
- Everybody's All-AmericanEverybody's All-AmericanEverybody's All-American is a novel by longtime Sports Illustrated contributor Frank Deford and later made into a motion picture directed by Taylor Hackford.-Plot summary:...
, Publisher: Viking (1981) - Alex: The Life of a Child,' Publisher: Viking (1983) ISBN 0-670-11195-3
- The Spy in the Deuce Court, Publisher: Putnam (1986) ISBN 0-399-13134-5
- The World's Tallest Midget: The Best of Frank Deford, Publisher, Little Brown(1987) ISBN 0-316-17946-9
- Casey On The Loose, Publisher: Viking Press (1988)
- Love and Infamy, Publisher: Viking Press (1993)
- The Best Of Frank Deford, Publisher, Triumph Books (2000) ISBN 1-57243-360-4
- The Other Adonis: A Novel (2001) Sourcebooks Landmark, ISBN 1-4022-0011-0
- An American Summer: A Novel (2002) Sourcebooks Landmark, ISBN 1-4022-0059-5
- The Old Ball Game Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (2005) ISBN 0-87113-885-9
- The Entitled, Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (2007) ISBN 1-4022-0896-0
- Bliss, Remembered Publisher: The Overlook Press (2010)
External links
- Frank Deford Archive at SI
- Frank Deford's Insider Archive also at SI
- Frank Deford, NPR Biography
- Frank Deford articles at Byliner
- Frank Deford at Yahoo!
- Radio interview on Philosophy Talk