 Gifford at USC, c. 1949 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback Flanker Safety | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | August 16, 1930 Santa Monica, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | August 9, 2015 (aged 84) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Bakersfield (Bakersfield, California) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | USC | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1952 / round: 1 / pick: 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American professional football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback, flanker and safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL), he was a play-by-play announcer and commentator for 27 years on ABC's Monday Night Football.
Gifford won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award from United Press International (UPI) in 1956, the same season his team won the NFL Championship. During his career, he participated in five league championship games and was named to eight Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. After retiring as a player Gifford was an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster, known for his work on ABC's Monday Night Football, Wide World of Sports, and the Olympics. He was married to television host Kathie Lee Gifford from 1986 until his death.