Former Ky. first lady and sportscaster dies
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Phyllis George, a former Miss America, television personality and ex-wife of former Kentucky Gov. John Y. Brown Jr., has died in Lexington, Kentucky, after an illness.
George, who had been hospitalized at the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital, was 70.
She died Thursday from complications from a blood disorder she had developed in her mid-30s but had managed for many years, Brown told The Courier Journal on Saturday.
“Phyllis was a great asset to Kentucky,” said Brown, who also lives in Lexington and said he had maintained an amicable relationship with his exwife. He said he especially valued their four years as Kentucky’s governor and first lady.
George, a Texan, rose to prominence after winning the 1971 Miss America title at age 21 and relocating to New York, where she said her “Texas personality” helped her land her first television assignments.
In New York, George’s first major break was as a commentator with CBS Sports.
A 1976 People magazine cover featured a smiling photo of her with the headline, “An ex-Miss America becomes TV’s first lady of the locker room.”
She came to count among her friends Norman Vincent Peale, the prominent New York pastor who officiated at her wedding to Brown; Bill and Hillary Clinton; George and Barbara Bush; and Sir Elton John.
But it was her 1979 marriage to Brown, a self-made millionaire and Kentucky Fried Chicken magnate, that brought her to Kentucky and thrust her into the political spotlight.
Though it would later end in divorce, the marriage of the handsome couple with “his and her matching dimples” brought a splash of celebrity and national attention to the race that swept Brown into office as Kentucky’s 55th governor.
And while Brown’s personal fortune helped him win a crowded Democratic primary that included former Louisville Mayor Harvey Sloane and go on to win the 1979 general election, observers credited George’s radiant charm and celebrity
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appeal for giving Brown the edge in his first bid for public office.
“She won it for him, there’s no doubt about that,” said Terry McBrayer, a Lexington lawyer and former state legislator who was among the Democrats who lost to Brown.
Despite her popularity, George also drew criticism from being overly involved in the campaign and having too prominent a role at a time when most candidates’ wives stayed in the background.
“John wants me to do all these things,” she told The New York Times, “and you can’t expect a person like me who’s been an achiever to stay in the background. They used to say, ‘Behind every strong man, there’s a strong woman.’ Well, I like to say, ‘Beside every strong man there’s a strong woman.’ ” Brown and George divorced in 1998. A native of Denton, Texas, George was a student at North Texas State University when she won the Miss America title that would change her life, leading to dozens of national appearances during her one-year reign before she settled in New York to try to break into television.
In 1972, she joined the cast of “The NFL Today,” co-hosting pregame shows before games and was one of the first women to have a national role in television sports.
In early 1985, after her four years as Kentucky’s first lady, she became a cohost with Bill Kurtis of “CBS Morning News,” a disappointing run for George that lasted only eight months.