Sportwriter Frank Deford
to Speak at Athenaeum

Frank Deford, often called "the world's greatest sportswriter," will speak at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on Wednesday, Oct. 27.
Deford began his sportwriting career with Sports Illustrated in 1962. Since then, his work has appeared in virtually every medium. On television, Deford is the senior correspondent on HBO's RealSports With Bryant Gumbel. He is a regular commentator on NPR's Morning Edition every Wednesday. And, Deford's byline can still be seen at Sports Illustrated where he is the senior contributing writer.
In addition to his work in sports journalism, Deford is the author of sixteen books, including, his most recent, Bliss Remembered, a love story set during WWII, and Everybody's All-American, which was made into a movie.
Deford has been elected to the Hall of Fame for the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, and was selected U.S. Sportswriter of The Year six times by his peers. He has been awarded the National Magazine Award, a Christopher Award, and journalism Honor Awards from the University of Missouri and Northeastern University.
He has won both an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award for his broadcast work, and ESPN produced a television biography of Deford's life and work, entitled "You Write Better Than You Play."
Additionally, Deford is an activist for cystic fibrosis, serving as the national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for sixteen years, after his daughter was diagnosed with the disease. After her death, Deford chronicled her life in a memoir, Alex: The Life of a Child. Deford's visit to the Athenaeum is jointly sponsored by the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum.
For more information, visit the Athenaeum home page.