Phyllis George passes away at age 70
Phyllis George, the former “The NFL Today” studio co-host and 1971 Miss America, has died. She was 70.
George, the first woman to be a sportscaster for a major television network, died Thursday at University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, according to ex-husband John Brown Jr. The former Kentucky governor told the Louisville Courier-Journal that George died from complications due to a blood disorder.
George has been viewed as pioneer due to her role on the CBS studio show with Brent Musburger and Irv Cross. Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was part of the show for some of the years.
George served two stints on the show – totaling eight seasons – between 1975-84. Musburger was a strong backer of George, who often had her knowledge of football questioned because she was a woman as well as a beauty queen.
“Phyllis George was special. Her smile lit up millions of homes for the NFL Today,” Musburger said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Phyllis didn’t receive nearly enough credit for opening the sports broadcasting door for the dozens of talented women who took her lead and soared.
“Folks – men and women – were comfortable with Phyllis talking about their favorite sport. And in New York, Philadelphia and Washington,
they loved Phyllis despite her Dallas Cowboys bias!
“RIP Phyllis. Irv Cross and I will miss you dearly.”
George was born in Denton, Texas. After winning Miss America, she relocated to New York City and eventually was hired by CBS in 1974.
“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.”
George was Kentucky’s first lady from 1979-83. She and Brown divorced in 1998.
George’s daughter, Pamela Brown, is a White House correspondent for CNN. George also leaves behind a son, Lincoln Brown. (Reuters)