USD Football 1992

GIFF-TED No matter what field he chose, football or television,

Frank Gifford has always excelled. I£

BYROBMIECH

Frank Gifford was just too perfect. Of the 700 me n who audi ti o ned fo r "Saturday ' s Hero" in 1950, only Gifford a nd So uth e rn Ca l foo tb a ll teamm a te Wilbur Robertson were left standing for o ne of th e mov ie's fin a l pa rt s . J o hn Derek was cast as the rich fraternity big whee l, a nd Do nn a Reed occ upi e d a prominent spot in the stands for shots of the game action. Gifford and Robertson survived the cut at the Shrine Auditori um, and Robertson felt an uneasy tingle creep over him while the pair of Trojans waited for their screen– test results at the Columbi a Pi ctures stu– dios. Then, ass ista nt d irector Dann y Mill er emerged fro m hi s offi ce and sat next to Gifford. " Frank, I' m sorry," Miller said, putting hi s arm around USC' s triple-threat half– b ac k. " Yo u ' re ju st too bi g a nd good looking." Miller didn ' t want a co-star outshining his star, and then he glanced at Robertson, the quarterback. "Robby," Miller said, "you got the part." Robertson nearly fa inted. "Tha nk Go d I ' m s kinn y a nd ug ly,"

Robertson said. "We were talkin ' about makin ' 700 dollars a week, and the Pres ident didn 't make that much then." Mos t pres id e nts co uld o nl y drea m o f ha v in g bee n in Gi ffo rd 's shoes o n a foo tb a ll fi eld, or of having him as a son. Said New York Giants President Wellington Mara in 1977, when

"For 25 years, Frank Gifford has personified the son all of us dream of."

• 1

Wellington Mara

Gifford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohi o; "For 25 years, Frank Gi fford has personi– fi ed the son all of us dream of." It comes of no surpri se, then, that one of

Rob Miech is a sportswriter with the Pasadena Star-News.

TOUCHDOWN ILLUSTRATED