Frank Deford

Frank Deford

Frank Deford (Benjamin Franklin Deford III) was born on December 16th, 1938. Frank passed away May 28th, 2017 at 78 years old. Frank Deford was born in Baltimore, MA, USA. Deford attended Princeton University where he received an A.B. degree in history and sociology.

Frank Deford was one of the most celebrated American novelists, commentators, and sportswriters.

He showcased his literary talent from his childhood as he won a national short story contest and even edited a grade school paper. Nonetheless, his heart was always set on literary pursuits. After college, he became a fact checker working for Sports Illustrated before he started writing features.

Frank Deford worked for Sports Illustrated for more than fifty years and made a name for himself with his profiles of athletes such as Jimmy Connors, Bill Bradley, and Arthur Ashe.

Besides print, he worked for Morning Edition on NPR, where he produced weekly commentaries. He also worked for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO as a correspondent.

For his work in media, Frank won several awards. He was National Sportswriter of the Year half a dozen times, Magazine Writer of the Year twice, in addition to winning the National Humanities Medal, an Emmy, Peabody, and the Red Smith Award.

A devoted champion of Cystic Fibrosis awareness, he served the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as Chairman for at least 17 years.
In 2001, Frank Deford published the work The Other Adonis set between modern-day New York and Antwerp from the 17th century.

The work follows Nina Winston, a psychiatrist, as she reflects on past life memories during hypnotherapy. Bucky Buckingham, her patient, is convinced that he and another man were the models for Rubens’s Adonis and Venus, only to discover that the Adonis was a tragic killer.

Soon enough, they find themselves in a dangerous search for the truth behind predestined love, leaving Nina in the midst of raging jealousies and soaring passions.

Frank Deford published The Entitled, her most popular work, in 2007,

In the book, he tells of a talented and charismatic Cuban American baseball player named Jay Alcazar and Howie Traveler, his devoted manager.

The latter has loved baseball all of his life, even though he was never good as a player. He now finds his purpose in mentoring Alcazar but their careers and relationship are severely tested when Alcazar is accused of rape.

In 1971, Frank Deford published the nonfiction work Five Strides on the Banked Track.

In the book, he chronicled the rise of Roller Derby from being a novelty during the Great Depression to becoming a cultural phenomenon. He combines storytelling with archival photographs to trace the origins of the sport, its high watermark, and its decline before its popularity started to rise once again.

He looks into the careers of iconic athletes such as Ann Calvello, Joanie Weston, and Charlie O’Connell as he showcases the gritty life of traveling teams and the drama on the track.

Frank Deford: Lists & Other Mentions

• Everybody's All-American was a Sports Illustrated: The Top 100 Sports Books of All Time Selection in 2002.

Related Authors

Fans of Frank Deford also enjoy these authors:

1. David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
2. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
3. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
4. C.J. Box, author of the Joe Pickett Series.
5. Catherine Coulter, author of the FBI Thriller Series.

Frank Deford: F.A.Q