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Among the most honored and versatile writers in the country, Frank Deford's
work has appeared in virtually every medium. In magazines, he is Senior Contributing
Editor at Sports Illustrated. On television, he is a correspondent on the HBO show, "Real
Sports with Bryant Gumbel," and on radio he may be heard as a commentator every
Wednesday on "Morning Edition" on National Public Radio. Previously, he has been a
commentator at both NBC and CNN.
Deford has been a correspondent on HBO's Real Sports since the show's inception
in 1995. The scope of his work includes compelling reports on Juan Antonio Samaranch
and the Olympic Movement, the Masters, the dangerous world of 'Toughman' fighting
competitions and the proliferation of fantasy football leagues; plus revealing profiles of
Bobby Knight, Manute Bol, Ichiro Suzuki, and David Beckham, among others. His 2001
report on the "Miracle League," a Georgia-based program that allows handicapped
youths to play on specially crafted baseball diamonds, sparked national interest in the
concept and led to the development of similar leagues around the country.
In addition to his work on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Deford's
writing credits at the network include "Bill Russell: My Life, My Way," "Dare to
Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports," "Rebels of Oakland: The A's, the Raiders,
the 70's," and "Sports on the Silver Screen."
Moreover, Deford is the author of fifteen books. His most recent works include a
2004 history of baseball and New York at the turn of the twentieth century: The Old Ball
Game, and a novel set for publication in April, 2007 about celebrity, sex and baseball
novel: The Entitled. His other books have ranged from biography to history to mystery to
humor. Two of his books - - the novel, Everybody's All-American, and Alex: The Life of A
Child, his memoir about his young daughter who died of cystic fibrosis - - have been
made into movies. Deford also wrote the original screenplay for two other films, the
comedy Trading Hearts and Four Minutes, the story of Roger Bannister's quest to tun the
first four-minute mile. Another of his novels, Casey On The Loose, is currently being
adapted into a Broadway musical.
Among his many honors, Deford is a member of the Hall-of-Fame of the National
Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. Six times he was voted by his peers as
U.S. Sportswriter of the Year. The American Journalism Review has likewise cited him as
the nation's finest sports writer, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of the Year by
the Washington Journalism Review.
He has been presented with a National Magazine Award and a Christopher
Award, and with distinguished service-to-journalism awards from the University of
Missouri and Northeastern University. The Sporting News has described Deford as "the
most influential sports voice among members of the print media," and the magazine GQ
has called him "the world's greatest sportswriter." In broadcast, Deford has won an
Emmy in 1988 for his work on NBC at the Seoul Olympics. He received a Cable Ace
award for writing the 1994 HBO Sports' documentary "Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the
World."
For fifteen years, Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation, and he is now chairman emeritus. He resides in Westport, Connecticut with
his wife Carol. They have two grown children - - a son, Christian and daughter, Scarlet.
A native of Baltimore, Deford is a graduate of Princeton University. He has taught there,
in American Studies, and has spoken at more than 90 American colleges and universities.
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Frank DeFord Interview NEW!
"When Samuron said the Olympics are more powerful, they're larger than the Catholic Church, I just couldn't believe it..." more
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