Tag: Phyllis George

Former NFL player, CBS broadcaster Irv Cross dies at 81

Irv Cross, one of the members of the great THE NFL TODAY studio show, has died at the age of 81.

Long before cable and the plethora of studio shows, there was “The NFL Today” on CBS. The pregame show featured, among others, Brent Musburger, Irv Cross, Jack Whitaker, Phyllis George, Jimmy the Greek, and Jayne Kennedy through the years.

It was must-see TV for every NFL fan. Heck for every sports fan.

CBS announced Cross has passed away. He died at the age of 81 Cross Sunday morning near his home in Roseville, Mn.

“I’ve been around all kinds of people, from every walk of life. I don’t know that I could give you one person who was nicer than Irv Cross. He was a constant gentleman,” said Musburger, who worked with Cross and others on the first live NFL pregame show that set the standard that is still followed today.

Per Philadelphiaeagles.com:

A seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 1961 out of Northwestern where he was coached by Ara Parseghian, Cross spent six years in Philadelphia as a player and another three with the Los Angeles Rams. During Training Camp of his rookie year, he asked the coaches to release him early if he didn’t have a future in football. He planned to attend graduate school. After earning Pro Bowl honors in consecutive seasons, Cross was traded to the Rams following the 1965 season. He returned to the Eagles as a player/defensive backs coach in 1969 and remained in the coaching role for the 1970 season.

Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, Jack Whitaker, Brent Musburger, Jayne Kennedy, and Irv Cross. (AP Photo/CBS)

Cross is survived by his wife, Liz; four children, Susan, Lisa, Matthew, and Sarah; grandson Aiden; brothers Raymond, Teal, and Sam; sisters Joan, Jackie, Julia, Pat, and Gwen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation or the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

Former Miss America, CBS football host Phyllis George dies at 70

Phyllis George had a remarkable life. Miss America, pioneer for women in sports broadcasting and a First Lady of Kentucky.

Phyllis George, one of the pioneers for women in sports broadcasting, died Thursday at age 70.

The former Miss American and First Lady of the State of Kentucky had developed a rare blood disorder in his 30s and had been told it would be problematic as she aged.

“Phyllis was a fighter and her children have shown her incredible love during this struggle,” Gov. John Y. Brown. “She was an incredible first lady for Kentucky.”

Per Kentucky.com:

The Browns, who divorced in 1998, had two children: Lincoln Tyler George Brown, a Lexington businessman, and Pamela Ashley Brown, who is White House correspondent for CNN.

Lincoln Brown said that he and his sister were with their mother during her final days.

“It’s an extraordinary story what she has been through in the last seven years with this,” he said.

George lived and extraordinary life.

She was crowned Miss America in 1971.

In 1975, George joined the cast of CBS Sports’ “The NFL Today.” She co-hosted live pre-game shows before NFL games, one of the first women to hold such a job. She worked with Brent Musburger, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, and Irv Cross on the pre-eminent show.

Each Sunday afternoon, The NFL Today aired three live versions of the half-hour pregame show — one at 12:30 p.m. for the East, another at 1:30 for Midwest stations and again at 3:30 for the West Coast — in addition to brief half-time breaks during the long afternoon. Until then, pregame shows had little cache; it was the postgame program with highlights from the Sunday games that held sway.

“When you’re the first, you’re a pioneer,” George told USA Today in a 1999 interview. “I felt they didn’t know who Phyllis George was. They played me up as a former Miss America, a sex symbol. I can’t help how I look, but below the surface, I was a hard-working woman. If I hadn’t made that work, women eventually would have come into sportscasting, but it would have taken them longer.”