Phyllis George, Trailblazing NFL Reporter and Former Miss America Winner,Dies at 70 -:(Prev TopicNext Topic

• eddessaknight

  

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  Phyllis George, Trailblazing NFL Reporter and Former Miss America Winner, Dies at 70

  Condolences to family, colleagues, and friends

  R.I.P. 

  The WrapMay 16, 2020, 3:54 PM PDT

  

  Phyllis George, Trailblazing NFL Reporter and Former Miss America Winner, Dies at 70

  Phyllis George, a former Miss America winner who went on to become one of the first female broadcasters covering the NFL — and later, the First Lady of Kentucky — died Thursday at the age of 70. Her ex-husband, John Y. Brown Jr., told the    Lexington Herald-Leader    on Saturday she had suffered from a rare blood disorder since she was in her 30s.

  George’s eclectic career started in 1970, when she won the Miss Texas title; a year later, she won the Miss America pageant, garnering her widespread national coverage. Five years later, George started cohosting “The NFL Today” on CBS, becoming one of the first women to cover professional football on a national level. During her time at CBS, George was also a broadcaster for several major horse racing events, including the Belmont Stakes and Preakness.

  “In my gut, I thought Phyllis was pretty special,” former TV executive Bob Wussler, who hired George at CBS, once said, according to    ESPN. “I thought there was a role for her, as somebody who could talk to guys who knew something about sports.”

  George was married to famed Hollywood producer Robert Evans from 1977 to 1978, before marrying John Y. Brown Jr. in 1979. She was considered an integral part of Brown’s successful bid for governor of Kentucky that same year, with one local reporter telling the Lexington Herald-Leader she “brought glamour” to the governor’s office. With Brown’s win, George became the First Lady of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983. The couple had two children together before divorcing in 1998. Her daughter, Pamela Brown, is a reporter for CNN.

  “Phyllis was a fighter and her children have shown her incredible love during this struggle,” Brown said on Saturday. “She was an incredible first lady for Kentucky.”

  George was born June 25, 1949 in Denton, Texas, and attended North Texas State University (now known as University of North Texas) for three years before winning her Miss Texas crown. Beyond her pageant and broadcasting career, George was also a businesswoman, author and actress, playing a small role in the 2000 hit “Meet the Parents.”

   

  

  Phyllis George, one of the first leading female sports broadcasters, died on Friday due to complications from a blood disorder. She was 70.

  George’s career in front of the camera began in 1974 as the co-host of “Candid Camera” on CBS. That same year, she then joined the “NFL Today” team alongside veteran sports braodcasters Brent Musburger, Irv Cross and Jimmy the Greek. With the team, she hosted pre-game discussions and analysis before National Football League games.

  She was one of the first women to be a major player in the sports TV world. She also helped cover horse races, like the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

  In 1978, George became the host of People magazine’s self-titled entertainment show. She then went on to co-anchor the CBS Morning news and interviewed many noteworthy guests, including former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

  George won the Miss America beauty pageant in 1971, and before that she was crowned Miss Texas. After marrying businessman John Y. Brown, who owned Kentucky Fried Chicken and became Kentucky’s governor, she was briefly First Lady of Kentucky. During that stint, she founded The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Several retail stores began carrying crafts from the state thanks to her championing them.

  George and Brown later divorced, and they are the parents of entrepreneur Lincoln Tyler George Brown and CNN White House corespondent Pamela Ashley Brown.

  Deatline:

  

   

  Phyllis Ann George, the 50th winner of the iconic Miss America pageant, pioneering sportscaste
• eddessaknight

  

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  Nota Bene PG XTRA:

  Another duty George had with CBS Sports was working on horse racing events, including the  Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.^[11] Additionally, George had a brief stint on a television news version of People in 1978^[12] and a job as a morning television talk show host as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News in 1985.^[13] Since that time, she has sporadically returned to the media spotlight, hosting her own prime-time talk show, 1994's A Phyllis George Special, on which she interviewed then-President Bill Clinton, and a 1998 talk show called Women's Day on the cable network PAX. George also appeared as a guest on The Muppet Show in 1979.
• eddessaknight

  

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  One Off Beat Moment-

  A low point of her eight-month stint on The CBS Morning News happened when George embarrassed herself during a May 1985 interview with Gary Dotson and Cathleen Webb. Dotson had just been freed after six years in prison on a rape charge by Webb. Webb ended up recanting her story so Doton was set free. Both appeared on the CBS program as part of, what George later told Tom Shales of the Washington Post, a Webb-Dotson press tour "charade." Both were or had appeared on NBC News and ABC News as well as other media outlets. As the segment began to wrap, George first suggested the two shake hands. After a brief hesitation from them and no hand shake. George then proposed they hug it out. Only a brief moment of awkwardness followed but no hug. The invitation to embrace was deemed highly inappropriate prompting a few phone calls from irate CBS viewers. George was also criticized in the press.