Good evening and welcome to Monday Night Football! Tonight, we will look back and highlight the career of Hall of Famer Frank Gifford! You are in for a real treat tonight! It all started in Bakersfield, California, where the young Gifford showed off his versatile skills to get him into the University of Southern California. From there, he emerged into one of the legendary figures in the NFL as a player for the New York Giants and broadcasting on ABC’s Monday Night Football.
Early Life Struggles and Triumphs On August 16th, 1930, Frank Newton Gifford was born into the family of Weldon and Lola Mae Gifford. Born in the era of the Great Depression and the youngest of three children, Gifford’s childhood involved traveling across the country with …show more content…
Playing football for Bakersfield High School as a quarterback, Gifford struggled in academics, as he wanted to get into the University of Southern California. To keep his dream alive, Gifford decided to go into junior college to get his grades up, and at the same time would earn All-American honors in football. Then, in 1949, Gifford made the move to USC where he would play in the defensive back position and led the defense in interceptions in 1950. But, when head coach Jess Hill took over the team, Gifford was brought back to the offensive side of the ball. In the process, he led his team in rushing, total offense, and scoring for the second consecutive year, as he would earn All-American and All-Conference honors in 1951. Also, as a Trojan, “Gifford served as the placekicker in 1949 and went 25 of 31 on extra point attempts as well as kicking a 22 yard field goal that was the first field goal attempt since 1935 at USC”. Heading into the NFL, Gifford had overcome the repercussions of the Great Depression, proved his father wrong, and had become a top rated football player in the NCAA. But, now, could he prove it at the highest
Early Life Struggles and Triumphs On August 16th, 1930, Frank Newton Gifford was born into the family of Weldon and Lola Mae Gifford. Born in the era of the Great Depression and the youngest of three children, Gifford’s childhood involved traveling across the country with …show more content…
Playing football for Bakersfield High School as a quarterback, Gifford struggled in academics, as he wanted to get into the University of Southern California. To keep his dream alive, Gifford decided to go into junior college to get his grades up, and at the same time would earn All-American honors in football. Then, in 1949, Gifford made the move to USC where he would play in the defensive back position and led the defense in interceptions in 1950. But, when head coach Jess Hill took over the team, Gifford was brought back to the offensive side of the ball. In the process, he led his team in rushing, total offense, and scoring for the second consecutive year, as he would earn All-American and All-Conference honors in 1951. Also, as a Trojan, “Gifford served as the placekicker in 1949 and went 25 of 31 on extra point attempts as well as kicking a 22 yard field goal that was the first field goal attempt since 1935 at USC”. Heading into the NFL, Gifford had overcome the repercussions of the Great Depression, proved his father wrong, and had become a top rated football player in the NCAA. But, now, could he prove it at the highest