Frank Gifford

Frank Gifford married his college sweetheart, Maxine Avis Ewart, in 1952. They had three children. This marriage ended in divorce.

His second marriage was to fitness trainer Astrid Lindley. This marriage lasted from 1978 to 1986.

Later in 1986 he married his third wife, television presenter Kathie Lee Johnson. This marriage produced two more children.

Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford was born on August 16, 1930, in Santa Monica, California to Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller. He grew up in poverty during the Great Depression when his father struggled to find work.

He graduated from Bakersfield High School. He loved sports from a young age but was unable to gain an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC) because of his low grade point average in high school. So he played a season of football for Bakersfield Junior College and made it to the Junior College All-American team and earned the grades needed to enroll at USC. He graduated from USC in 1952.

He was selected by the NFL's New York Giants with the 11th overall pick of the 1952 draft. His first two seasons with the Giants were difficult and he decided to leave by 1954. However, the Giants’ new head coach, Jim Lee Howell, and offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi talked to Gifford and convinced him to stay. Lombardi also installed Gifford as a permanent left halfback.

Gifford’s performance improved over the ensuing months and he played a pivotal role in the Giants’ victory in the NFL championship in 1955 following which Gifford was voted the league’s MVP. He spent his entire playing career with the Giants playing on both sides of the ball as a defensive back and running back.

He became a very popular player with a huge fan following. Tall, handsome and charming, he made a foray into show business as well, and took acting classes in the offseason in the 1950s. He then played small roles in films like ‘That’s My Boy’, ‘The All American’, ‘Darby’s Rangers’ and ‘Up Periscope’.

He also worked as a commercial model and product endorser on television. Even as an active player with a hectic schedule, he began hosting a sports show on a local radio station and even wrote sports columns.

An unfortunate incident happened in 1960 when he was knocked out by Chuck Bednarik on a passing play during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He suffered a serious head injury which kept him out of action for several months.

He was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Frank Gifford was a two-time Emmy Award winner—Outstanding Sports Personality (1977) and Lifetime Achievement Award (1997).

He became the recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 1995.