Frank Gifford, legendary NFL football player and broadcaster, dead at 84

Frank Gifford, a Hall of Fame football player for the New York Giants and a legendary broadcaster, died Sunday at his Connecticut home of natural causes, his family announced. He was just seven days shy of his 85th birthday.

Gifford is survived, among others, by his wife, television personality Kathy Lee Gifford.

His family said in a statement: "We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being."

Gifford was a No. 1 draft pick by the Giants in 1952 and enjoyed a versatile career with New York, playing both offense and defense. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1956 and named to seven Pro Bowls for three different positions – defensive back, halfback and flanker.

"Frank Gifford was an icon of the game, both as a Hall of Fame player for the Giants and Hall of Fame broadcaster for CBS and ABC," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Frank's talent and charisma on the field and on the air were important elements in the growth and popularity of the modern NFL."

Though Gifford was the centerpiece of a Giants offense that went to five NFL title games in the 1950s and '60s, he experienced highs and lows as an NFL player. Gifford fumbled twice early in the 1958 NFL championship game, both of which led to Baltimore Colts touchdowns, and later came up short on a critical third down. The Colts eventually won 23-17 in the league's first overtime game. The thrilling finish helped popularize the NFL and was dubbed "The Greatest Game Ever Played," although not by Gifford.

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