frank gifford

HB / Flanker Jersey #(s):

16 Born: August 16, 1930 (1930-08-16) (age 78)

Santa Monica, California Career information Year(s): 1952–1964 NFL Draft: 1952 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11 College: Southern California Professional teams New York Giants (1952-1964) Career stats Rushing Yards 3,609 Receiving Yards 5,434 Touchdowns 77 Stats at NFL.com Career highlights and awards 8x Pro Bowl selection (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1963) 6x All-Pro selection (1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959) NFL 1950s All-Decade Team 1956 UPI NFL MVP 1958 Pro Bowl MVP New York Giants #16 Retired Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame

Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford (born August 16, 1930) is a former American football player and American sportscaster. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 NFL career 1.3 Broadcasting career 1.4 Family 1.5 Affair 2 See also 3 References 4 External links //

Biography

Early life

Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae (née Hawkins) and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller.[1] After graduating from Bakersfield High School, Gifford was unable to gain an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC) due to his low grade point average. Undeterred, he played a season for Bakersfield College, making the Junior College All-American team while making the grades needed to enroll at USC.[2] At USC, Gifford was named an All-America.

NFL career

He began his NFL career with the New York Giants by playing both offense and defense, a rarity when platoon football became popular after World War II. He made eight Pro Bowl appearances and had five trips to the NFL Championship Game, the forerunner of the Super Bowl. Gifford's biggest season may have been 1956, when he won the Most Valuable Player award of the NFL, and led the Giants to the NFL title over the Chicago Bears.

He lost 18 months in the prime of his career when he was the victim of one of the most brutal, though completely legal, hits in NFL history. During a 1960 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was cleanly blindsided by Chuck Bednarik on a passing play, suffering a severe head injury that led him to retire from football. However, Gifford returned to the Giants in 1962, changing positions from running back to wide receiver (then known as flanker). Despite his long layoff and having to learn a new position, he became a star once again.

His Pro Bowl selections came at three different positions—defensive back, running back, and wide receiver. He retired again, this time for good, in 1964, after making the Pro Bowl as a receiver.

During his 12 seasons with the New York Giants (136 regular season games) Frank Gifford had 3,609 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in 840 carries, he also had 367 receptions for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns. Gifford completed 29 of the 63 passes he threw for 823 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Gifford was officially inducted into the Pro Football